The Lincoln Futura was a concept car designed by the Lincoln division of the Ford Motor Company in 1955. It was displayed on the auto show circuit in 1955. Futura’s styling was extravagantly impractical even by the standards of the ’50s, with a double, clear-plastic canopy top, exaggerated hooded headlight pods, and very large, outward-canted tailfins at both ends of the vehicle. Nevertheless, the Futura had a complete powertrain and was fully operable in contrast to many show cars then and now. Its original color was white, and was one of the first Pearlescent color treatments, using ground pearl to achieve the paint effect. The Futura was powered by a 368 cubic inch Lincoln engine and powertrain; the chassis was that of a Lincoln Mark II. (wikipedia)
The concept car was so popular, it was even created for children in the form of model cars.
1956 Revell Lincoln Futura Model
The original concept car was painted red in 1959 and was featured in the movie “It Started with a Kiss” starring Debbie Reynolds & Glenn Ford. Following the filming of the movie, the car was sold to George Barris for $1. The car was parked in a back Hollywood lot and rusted away for several years before it was used as the inspiration for the original Batmobile in 1966.
The Futura featured in "It Started with a Kiss"
The Futura rusting away in a back lot
The 1966 patent for the original Batmobile based on the Lincoln Futura
The original Batmobile from the Batman television show
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