To The Batmobile!

Here's the Lincoln Futura, a concept car built in 1954 for Ford to display at 1955 auto shows.

After its tour of duty, it was sold to car customizer George Barris — and it sat rotting behind his shop. When the producers of Batman came calling, the Futura was quickly pulled into service to become the basis of the Batmobile. The metal work was done by Bill Cushenberry, and it reported to the set in just three weeks. During production of the first season, the engine and transmission crapped out and were replaced by stuff from a 1966 Ford Galaxie. And the cool Mickey Thompson tires tended to blow out.

Three fiberglass knock-offs were made by Barris for promotional purposes — they still turn up at car shows and fundraisers from time to time. The original TV car can be seen at Barris' shop in North Hollywood (along with the Munster Koach).