They say a story can be found where you least expect it, or that history is written on jumbled pages. But in this case, grab some popcorn, because this little piece of history dates back to the early 1960s, and after so many years in oblivion, it's finally experiencing a resurgence. Before you is the world's first car , or at least the oldest, to become an official Batmobile . Its construction began three years before George Barris's more famous customization.
It all began in 1960 when, after completing the vehicle's design, a young Forrest Robinson and his friend Len Perham started building the car in the Robinson family barn. Three years later, they finished it, and after a series of licensing agreements, changes of ownership, and a fervent fan frenzy, we arrive at the present day. Following a thorough restoration, it will be auctioned off, starting at $90.000 . But don't worry, a lot has happened in those fifty-plus years. Interested? Keep reading.
We pick up the story in 1963 , the year this pair of friends finished production of a unique vehicle: their Batmobile . Built on the chassis of a 1956 Oldsmobile 88 with its 324 Rocket engine, they drew inspiration from DC Comics' Batman series of the 1940s and 1950s. Its entirely handcrafted construction involved countless hours of sheet metal work to bring their grand and spectacular idea to life: 5,181 meters long and 2,108 meters wide, a vehicle that was sure to turn heads wherever it went. Contrary to what one might expect, it wasn't painted in the typical black with red stripes, but rather sported a silver paint job that wouldn't last much longer.
Before long, Batmania was all the rage , and the car caused such a sensation that its fame spread like wildfire. Thanks to a promotional campaign by Green Acres Ice Cream, it was repainted in the classic black with red stripes, Batman decals were added, and it was launched across the United States, dubbed the Batmobile for three years. Then, in 1966, it returned home, as replicas of George Barris's car had been built specifically for that purpose, and the flame of the first Batman fan phenomenon died down.
But given the fame the car had gained, Forrest Robinson decided to sell it for $200 to start a business, and the car gradually faded away until it ended up abandoned in a garden in New Hampshire where it has rested for fifty long years, waiting for a new awakening.
That opportunity arose in 2008 when a man named Bobby Smith found it, kept it, and resold it to a Chicago dealership. It remained there for a while until automotive history expert George Albright tracked down the two friends who had built it—one a retired DC Comics employee—who certified the vehicle and recalled it as it had been in its prime. Five more years passed, and in 2013, the toy company Exchange LLC purchased the 63 Batmobile and delivered it to Borbon Fabrications, a Sacramento-based restoration specialist specializing in vintage cars, who received it with great affection.
Only in this way is it possible for an automotive icon to rise from the ashes like a phoenix after such a complicated restoration process. Throughout the year spent restoring the car, Borbon Fabrications spared no expense, dedicating countless hours to preserving the structure, the engine, and every part possible in its original condition . This long and meticulous work was rewarded earlier this year at the Autorama competition in Sacramento, where the 63 Batmobile won first prize in the hand-built car category.
And so we conclude this story, documented through the timeline to the present day. More than fifty years have passed, during which the first Batmobile went from fame to obscurity, but it never lost its status as an automotive icon. Now it only needs to reclaim its history and be showcased to the highest bidder at the auction to be held in the coming days, where it is expected to fetch around $500.000.
Source – WCF