Holy Pimp My Ride Batman!
February 27, 2007 6:37 AM Subscribe
Coys of Kensington (first link) is a wonderful little antique car dealership situated in a cobbleston mews (sort of like an alley but a lot more posh) behind Queens Gate Terrace in South Kensington. Right across the street is a lovely little pub - The Queens Arms, where I spend most of the early 90's.
Coys always had some lovely cars on display, and I think I've even seen this one before. They've also had concept cars, Aston Martins, Rolls Royces and a very rare D-type Jag to name a very, very few. Given that I drank in the pub across the street, I got to know quite a few of the blokes that worked there, and got many an illicit spin around west London as a result.
posted by Sk4n at 6:54 AM on February 27, 2007
Coys always had some lovely cars on display, and I think I've even seen this one before. They've also had concept cars, Aston Martins, Rolls Royces and a very rare D-type Jag to name a very, very few. Given that I drank in the pub across the street, I got to know quite a few of the blokes that worked there, and got many an illicit spin around west London as a result.
posted by Sk4n at 6:54 AM on February 27, 2007
That'd be cobble stone. Sorry. The memories are just flooding back.
posted by Sk4n at 6:55 AM on February 27, 2007
posted by Sk4n at 6:55 AM on February 27, 2007
My God.
Selling the house.
Selling the kid.
Getting on a jet plane.
I. Must. Have. This.
Gotta go!
posted by Dizzy at 6:57 AM on February 27, 2007
Selling the house.
Selling the kid.
Getting on a jet plane.
I. Must. Have. This.
Gotta go!
posted by Dizzy at 6:57 AM on February 27, 2007
Nostalgically, awesome. But objectively, that is one ugly-ass car.
posted by DU at 7:05 AM on February 27, 2007
posted by DU at 7:05 AM on February 27, 2007
According to the BBC World News broadcast this morning, it is street-legal, drivable, and has been taken on a few spins around town. They were expecting it to go for about $150K.
posted by Karmakaze at 7:11 AM on February 27, 2007
posted by Karmakaze at 7:11 AM on February 27, 2007
Well, a Batmobile anyway.
I stand corrected cerebus19. A perusal of the second link indicates there were only five made:
Also to be known, these five BATMOBILES, are the only five real and approved vehicles by Barris Kustom Ind. which has a design patent on file in Washington.
Caveat emptor.
posted by three blind mice at 7:22 AM on February 27, 2007
I stand corrected cerebus19. A perusal of the second link indicates there were only five made:
Also to be known, these five BATMOBILES, are the only five real and approved vehicles by Barris Kustom Ind. which has a design patent on file in Washington.
Caveat emptor.
posted by three blind mice at 7:22 AM on February 27, 2007
Remember when "Bat(Blank)" was the old "i(Blank)"? I'm going to personally bring that back starting now: I will listen to my BatPod. I will talk on my BatPhone. IM will be BMS (Bat Messaging System).
Bless you, BatFilter.
posted by hal9k at 7:23 AM on February 27, 2007
Bless you, BatFilter.
posted by hal9k at 7:23 AM on February 27, 2007
Caveat emptor.
BatCaveat emptor.
See? Even works with latin.
posted by hal9k at 7:27 AM on February 27, 2007
BatCaveat emptor.
See? Even works with latin.
posted by hal9k at 7:27 AM on February 27, 2007
hal9k, you do know you're just begging to be labeled batshitinsane, don't you?
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:30 AM on February 27, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:30 AM on February 27, 2007 [1 favorite]
Duh-nuh nuh-nuh nuh-nuh nuh-nuh
Duh-nuh nuh-nuh nuh-nuh nuh-nuh
BATMAN!
BATMAN!
(cool FPP!)
posted by jason's_planet at 7:36 AM on February 27, 2007
Duh-nuh nuh-nuh nuh-nuh nuh-nuh
BATMAN!
BATMAN!
(cool FPP!)
posted by jason's_planet at 7:36 AM on February 27, 2007
Too bad Adam West circa 1966 isn't for sale. I could use one of those around the house. Especially if he spoke Italian to me once in a while. Fun!
posted by miss lynnster at 7:37 AM on February 27, 2007
posted by miss lynnster at 7:37 AM on February 27, 2007
Street legal for the U.S.? Hmmm....
...although they clearly don’t really have a grasp on the old show (ATOMIC batteries to power - amongst other things).
It’s weird, but as a kid I knew that West wasn’t the ‘real’ batman. (Although I didn’t know what ‘campy’ meant). It was as though batman was real, but this was only a t.v. show about batman. As though the show existed within the batman world, but this was the best they could do to portray him. Made the comics more real I s’pose.
posted by Smedleyman at 7:39 AM on February 27, 2007
...although they clearly don’t really have a grasp on the old show (ATOMIC batteries to power - amongst other things).
It’s weird, but as a kid I knew that West wasn’t the ‘real’ batman. (Although I didn’t know what ‘campy’ meant). It was as though batman was real, but this was only a t.v. show about batman. As though the show existed within the batman world, but this was the best they could do to portray him. Made the comics more real I s’pose.
posted by Smedleyman at 7:39 AM on February 27, 2007
One of them used to drive around the Isle Of Wight advertising Brading's Wax Museum.
I always thought that was weird.
posted by Blip at 8:03 AM on February 27, 2007
I always thought that was weird.
posted by Blip at 8:03 AM on February 27, 2007
Well, a Batmobile anyway
It doesn't look like the publicity replicas were even close to the concept-car based original. Compare the lines and details of the one pictured on the auction site with the ones from the show. There's no way they're going to have the skill or budget to replicate the work of a Ford show car just for publicity. This catalogue is somewhat misleading in that it spends a lot of time talking about the real, impressive one used in the show when what they're selling is a dressed up standard car that doesn't even look all that much like it.
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:12 AM on February 27, 2007
It doesn't look like the publicity replicas were even close to the concept-car based original. Compare the lines and details of the one pictured on the auction site with the ones from the show. There's no way they're going to have the skill or budget to replicate the work of a Ford show car just for publicity. This catalogue is somewhat misleading in that it spends a lot of time talking about the real, impressive one used in the show when what they're selling is a dressed up standard car that doesn't even look all that much like it.
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:12 AM on February 27, 2007
OK.
Fine.
Now I've gotta get my house and kids back.
Anyone wanna buy a plane ticket to Kensington, cheeeeeep?
posted by Dizzy at 8:26 AM on February 27, 2007
Fine.
Now I've gotta get my house and kids back.
Anyone wanna buy a plane ticket to Kensington, cheeeeeep?
posted by Dizzy at 8:26 AM on February 27, 2007
Russ Martin has a rather impressive replica himselvis. Of course, his ain't for sale. You probably don't know who Russ Martin is. That's cool. He's a celebrity in his own mind. Funny too, in a misogynistic, abrasive, "I wanna be rebellious like Howard Stern but I prefer a steady paycheck" kinda way.
Trust me. His batmobile is niiice! He took a 1977 Lincoln Continental and rebuilt it from the ground up. Who needs to buy one of the five originals, when you can spend your childrens' college education on making one like new? His even spits fire out the back. Can the old ones still do that?
posted by ZachsMind at 9:01 AM on February 27, 2007
Trust me. His batmobile is niiice! He took a 1977 Lincoln Continental and rebuilt it from the ground up. Who needs to buy one of the five originals, when you can spend your childrens' college education on making one like new? His even spits fire out the back. Can the old ones still do that?
posted by ZachsMind at 9:01 AM on February 27, 2007
Great post! But I think an additional reference is needed.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 9:02 AM on February 27, 2007
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 9:02 AM on February 27, 2007
Viewed from the rear, Anakin Skywalker's Coruscant airspeeder looks like it borrowed a few design features from the Batmobile (which looks like the big brother of this 1950 Swedish lowrider.)
posted by cenoxo at 9:10 AM on February 27, 2007
posted by cenoxo at 9:10 AM on February 27, 2007
Oh by the way, if you ever want to make your own "Anti-Crime Roadster," there are instructions out there for the most daring brave souls with more money than brains. Have fun. =) bevy of Hooter girls not included
posted by ZachsMind at 9:12 AM on February 27, 2007
posted by ZachsMind at 9:12 AM on February 27, 2007
The father of a friend of mine was a driver's ed teacher in Walla Walla, and taught Adam West how to drive. I think that's cool.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2007
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2007
Here are some more Batmobile details, from the website of George Barris, King of Kustomizers.
posted by goofyfoot at 10:55 AM on February 27, 2007
posted by goofyfoot at 10:55 AM on February 27, 2007
Actually, I think I'd rather have the original Lincoln Futura. I like the crazy soul-sucking front grill with the wrap around chrome strip. It also has a push-button tranmission, like the 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser that was almost my first car (I got a 56 Mercury Montclair instead).
posted by oneirodynia at 10:56 AM on February 27, 2007
posted by oneirodynia at 10:56 AM on February 27, 2007
I know a guy who was so in love with the Lincoln Futura, and so devastated buy its alterations, that he still, to this day, periodically calls up the guy who did it and screams abuse at him.
posted by StickyCarpet at 1:49 PM on February 27, 2007
posted by StickyCarpet at 1:49 PM on February 27, 2007
StickyCarpet:
Sounds like a guy I know who sends annoying letters to Kraft about their changing the font on packages of Velveeta.
Oh.
That's me.
posted by Dizzy at 2:15 PM on February 27, 2007
Sounds like a guy I know who sends annoying letters to Kraft about their changing the font on packages of Velveeta.
Oh.
That's me.
posted by Dizzy at 2:15 PM on February 27, 2007
BATMAN: We've consulted the Bat Computer... and it says "26".
ROBIN: Holy smoke, Batman, are you thinking what I'm thinking?
BATMAN: That's right Robin. 26 is 3 away from 29 - and there's a bank on 29th Avenue. If I robbed a bank I'd be a rich man...aAnd 29 is one shy of 30... and shy's another word for coy!
ROBIN: Suffering catfish Batman! You don't mean...?
BATMAN: That's right Robin - the Batmobile's being held hostage at Coy's in Richmond!
ROBIN: To the Batmob... err, never mind. Let's walk.
posted by greycap at 3:58 PM on February 27, 2007
ROBIN: Holy smoke, Batman, are you thinking what I'm thinking?
BATMAN: That's right Robin. 26 is 3 away from 29 - and there's a bank on 29th Avenue. If I robbed a bank I'd be a rich man...aAnd 29 is one shy of 30... and shy's another word for coy!
ROBIN: Suffering catfish Batman! You don't mean...?
BATMAN: That's right Robin - the Batmobile's being held hostage at Coy's in Richmond!
ROBIN: To the Batmob... err, never mind. Let's walk.
posted by greycap at 3:58 PM on February 27, 2007
Here in humble Billings, Montana, a Batmobile replica can be seen from time to time.
posted by The Deej at 4:40 PM on February 27, 2007
posted by The Deej at 4:40 PM on February 27, 2007
Another Batmobile (not 1966). Interesting that it was based on a Chevy Impala recovered from a junk yard in London??????
posted by johngumbo at 8:23 PM on February 27, 2007
posted by johngumbo at 8:23 PM on February 27, 2007
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I saw one of the old Batmobiles a couple of months ago not far from my home in Northern Virginia. I was out with my family doing some shopping, and a car going past caught my eye. I turned to look, and it was a Batmobile, straight out of the old Adam West show. My son, who loves Batman, was very excited, but, alas, it didn't stick around.
posted by cerebus19 at 6:44 AM on February 27, 2007