(Hat tip to Aashish!)

Riddle me this, what's the most iconic car of 1960's television? The Monkeemobile? Munster Hot Rod? My Mother the Car? Not even close. The car that is seared into the consciousness of the Baby Boom generation is non other than the ride of the Caped Crusader and his boy-ward: the Batmobile. That George Barris creation, based on the LIncoln Futura showcar, set the stage for all bat-cars to come. The flaming "rocket" exhaust, ebony paint and two-seater bubble canopies eschewed the comic book crime fighter's arrest-me red convertible from the first few issues, making the TV Batmobile is as memorable as was the series danceable theme song-

While Barris Inc. Still owns that original Batmobile - which is valued today in the millions - that's not to say you have to fulfill your billionaire playboy by day/accessory-laden crime fighter by night fantasies while driving your Solara coupe. That's because authentic recreations of the eponymous ride of the fabled night-dweller and his green-clad and gender-neutrally named assistant are available.

Today we have such a replica- based on a 1976 Lincoln Continental, and powered not by a flame-spewing jet turbine, but by a small-block Chevy. The car has enough bells and whistles evocative of the original's multi-facetted capabilities to make your friends wonder where you get all those wonderful toys.

The autographed dashboard- signed by both Adam West and Lee Meriwether - may not make your bat-boat float, but the lipstick red batphone and trunk-mounted faux exhaust stacks certainly will.

Also showing that the builder was no Joker are the working flamethrower, parachute and bat beam, all of which give this car props for effort and mean you'll be properly prepared to ply the ally ways and backstreets of your own personal Gotham seeking evildoers to thwart.

But at what cost does this crime-fighting homage come? Well, there's no Buy-It-Now so you'll just have to put your underwear back underneath your clothes and give your mom back the bead-sheet cape while waiting for the auction to end. Right now it's starting at a clever series-starting year price of $19,660, but that reserve could be in billionaire playboy range, so let's just stick with the starting point. Would you pay that for the opportunity to relive the days when the saviors of the city not only did-in the bad guys, but also found time to kick it on the dance floor? Or, would you feel two-faced about spending this much on a schlock rod?

You decide!

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We've no idea why he started with the Continental, but we do know he ended up with a vehicle supposedly equipped with machine guns (no word on whether or not they work), but definitely has rear-view video cameras, height-adjustable bodywork, a plasma screen TV, voice recognition controls, satellite navigation and a DVD player. [via PopSci]

[Deregulated Media]

We've seen plenty of DIY Tumblers before and a '40s era Batman Bug but a Batman Forever Batmobile is a first for us, probably because it was a silly looking car from a silly movie, but Bob Causey took the idea and ran with it. He's the sculptor responsible for this incredibly faithful replica, which boasts a remote power sliding roof bubble, a trio of LCD screens inside, and reverse-lit body panels, just like the hokey original. We are mightily impressed with the craftsmanship here, though we reserve the right to raise an eyebrow at the choice of subject.
[Dullam Causey.com via via Gizmodo]

[eBay Motors], thanks to many readers for the tip.

Beetle... check
"Custom" paint... check
Hand-fabricated bat wing... er... check

Great success. [BamKapow

The filmmakers wanted to avoid computer-generated imagery as much as possible. So, the original conceptualization was done by mashing together parts from various plastic model toy kits to create a roughly 1:12 scale concepts. The resulting Lamborghini-meets-Hummer design was the result of six of the creations made over four months. From there, a giant block of styrofoam was hand-carved into a full-scale model that was used to create wooden molds for the 56 body panels. Then it was time to make the real deal.

Weighing in at about 5.000 pounds, the 9'4"-wide vehicle may actually not be as heavy as you'd expect. That's because the Tumbler you see driving around is merely a tube-frame chassis with carbon fiber body panels. Why use race car tech on a mere movie prop? The team wanted to ensure the Tumbler could reach a top speed of over 100 MPH and launch from 0-60 in five seconds. Of course, the car also had to consistently endure jumps of up to 30 feet without being damaged, so it had to be strong as well as fast. We're guessing they couldn't find a dyno big enough for the four 37-inch rear tires, but rest assured, the Wayne Enterprises-tuned Chevy V8 was churning out plenty of grunt. All said and done, the cars "only" cost about $250,000 each to build, so the studio ordered four constructed. Two were "race" versions for the action shots, one had an actual jet engine bolted in the back, and the other was for the elaborate flower petal-like cockpit. We wonder if they'd consider building a fifth, you know, for us to fight crime and hoon about in. [HowStuffWorks]

Responding to questions of plans to sell, Bob says:

No, not building this to sell. You wouldn't want to sell this if you had one, believe me. It's a once in a lifetime project.
I did this alone, no help. I have found with other things in the past that if you have help, the help often does not get it(parts) right, and you have to do it over 95% of the time, plus I like to work alone. All parts are scratch built, cept' tires, rims, brakes, engine, etc.. meaning all bodyparts, brackets, just about everything external on the car. Yes, I will do a batpod, and TDK suit for myself. I love building this stuff.

In addition to the exhibition lap, the Toyota cars will adopt special Dark Knight paint schemes, while the Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock's overalls will be made to look like Batsuits (no word on nipples). The Bat-Pod will also be in attendance, but possible due to its extremely un-motorcycle-like handling characteristics, it won't be ridden.

PRESS RELEASE

Panasonic Toyota Racing joins forces with The Dark Knight at Silverstone

Thanks to a partnership between Panasonic Toyota Racing and Warner Bros. Pictures, Hollywood is coming to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix weekend to celebrate the release of the event movie of the summer: The Dark Knight.

The much-anticipated film, which releases in cinemas across the UK on 25 July, is the follow up to the 2005 action hit Batman Begins. The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who again portrays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

To mark the release of The Dark Knight, Panasonic Toyota Racing will adopt a new look at Silverstone this weekend. The Dark Knight artwork will feature on the TF108s and the overalls of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock, as well as the team's motor home.

But The Dark Knight theme does not stop there. On show at Silverstone will be the iconic Batmobile and Bat-Pod vehicles, while some very special media events will bring the excitement of The Dark Knight to life.

The Batmobile will even take to the Silverstone track on Thursday evening for a demonstration run alongside the TF108, followed by some unique photo opportunities with the Bat-Pod and Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock.

Na na na na na na na na na na BATMAN. That is what your neighbors will say when you pull into the driveway. How many people do you know that have a Ferrari, a Mercedes, a Lamborghini, or a Corvette? My guess would be there is at least one of these in your neighborhood. Now how many Batmobiles are in your neighborhood. None, because there were a total of 5 of these cars made.

Here it is one of 5(yes 5 that is not a typo) cars that could have been in the "Batman" movie staring Micheal Keaton and Jack Nicholson. Five cars were built for the movie and this car is the number five car. Being that this car originally was owned by Warner Bros productions it is important to note that the buyer will have to sign a contract with them and some other legal items. If you would like to know more about this, contact me and I will give you all the details.

The car is 20 feet long and 8 feet wide. The chassis is custom built and the motor is a Chevrolet 350. There an o doors on the door. To get in you have to be able to enter through the top where the canopy opens, just like in the movie. There is no title to this car and will only be sold with a bill of sale.

Batman 5 has been sitting in the "Batcave" for almost five years now, and it is time for another Batman enthusiast to enjoy her as much as I have. Please contact me with any questions you have. Any questions except for what my reserve is.

The Lamborghini LP640 isn't the only amazing vehicle in the upcoming Batman flick. The Joker is representing a big old truck, while Batman has a bike and his classic Tumbler. [MTV via WR]

Top Ten Most Memorable TV Cars

10. The Beverly Hillbillies' Truck
9. Starsky's 1975 Ford Gran Torino
8. The Original Batmobile
7.1983 GMC G-Series A Team Van
6. Thomas Magnum's Ferrari 308 GTS From Magnum P.I.
5. The Flintstones' Flintmobile
4. The Vista Cruiser from That 70's Show
3. The Car From My Mother The Car
2. The Original K.I.T.T.
1. The General Lee

[Internet Broadcasting via WKMG]

It turns out that the 1995 Batmobile, which cost $2.8 million to build, can't be driven anywhere in public. It's basically just a sort of hideous looking doormat. It could be a safety thing, could be a licensing thing or it could just be an attempt by WB to make up for the horrible film they unleashed on the universe. [Hemmings News]