When the Batmobile's designer customizes a Corvette, this happens

[Hagerty]

Nostalgia is a funny thing. It can inspire meticulous restorations of historically or sentimentally important vehicles. It can also result in the, ah, rather polarizing Corvette before you. This is no amateur effort, by the way.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/auctions/when-the-batmobiles-designer-customizes-a-corvette-this-happe...

[TonyT]

Ummm, the "...four speed automatic..." wasn't available in 1969, only a three speed Turbo 400 if one checked the "shift for me" box on the order form. Beyond that, however, is the question of weight. Given that Barris must have single- handedly kept Bondo in business for decades, what would this creation weigh? What price beauty...

[eighthtry]

The smoking must be good. The unavailability of the 700r4 and the Hydra-Matic in 1969 is exactly the reason they offered the Turbo Hydra-Matic.

[MeJ]

That thing is...
I just don't have the words...

[Dillon36]

Ugly come to mind?

[TG]

Apparently the word for ugly is 'polarizing'

[Gary_Bechtold]

You do have the words but your Mother told you not to use them.

[BobV]

I have the words-------Butt ugly.

[hyperv6]

Well George really did not design the Batmobile. He just over saw some modifications while Ford did the bulk of the car.

This just looks like a Excalibur II.

[Tim]

If I understand correctly, Ford had already designed the Futura concept and Barris just got permission to use it and made rather minimal modifications. Essentially what you are saying, but I'm just clarifying that the design was done before Barris even thought of mods--it wasn't like Barris came to Ford with a drawing.

[JBBearcat]

Barris was sold the Futura for $1. He had been part of their "Custom Car Caravan" so they knew him and his reputation in the car world.
He was very up front about the background of the car.
Dean Jeffries originally had the contract to build the Batmobile, but when production was moved up, he didn't have time to design and build the car. Barris was able to convert the Futura into the vestibule in a three weeks.

[TrojanCarGuy]

There is some great info out there on the original Batmobile, including pictures of the Futura lying in state outside on Barris' lot. The Futura itself made a few movie appearances after finishing its tour as an auto show "dream car" and ultimately ended up in Barris' possession. When they approached Barris about the Batmobile, they were looking for a custom GTO, but Barris envisioned using the Futura because the fins reminded him of bat wings, and it worked. If you look up a picture of the original '55 Lincoln Futura, you will see that the modifications for the Batmobile were fairly significant (though not to the extent of this Corvette). He later got to tee off on a GTO for the Monkeemobile.

[okfoz]

The original Batmobile for the TV show was originally the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car. From my understanding Barris took that car and modified it to be the Batmobile.

[TrojanCarGuy]

There is some great info out there on the original Batmobile, including pictures of the Futura lying in state outside on Barris' lot. The Futura itself made a few movie appearances after finishing its tour as an auto show "dream car" and ultimately ended up in Barris' possession. When they approached Barris about the Batmobile, they were looking for a custom GTO, but Barris envisioned using the Futura because the fins reminded him of bat wings, and it worked. If you look up a picture of the original '55 Lincoln Futura, you will see that the modifications for the Batmobile were fairly significant (though not to the extent of this Corvette). He later got to tee off on a GTO for the Monkeemobile.

[KevinJames77]

1969 Corvette, huh? Why does every remaining original Corvette part look like it's 1978 or newer? As for the four-speed automatic, 1969 would have come with a TH400, which is a three-speed. Chevy didn't have a four-speed automatic until the TH700-R4 in 1982, which is what the Mecum site says this has. The Mecum site also shows some crappy early 1990s LED digital gauges and an aftermarket cassette deck that's about 1/4" out of level in its opening in the dash. Ugh.

[Kaseynhl]

Can't unsee that...

[PRScott]

Sure you can. Just click your heels , spin around and say I didn't see that 3 times.

[tcchuck2005]

I can appreciate the craftsmanship and hard work.
But the style of Barris and many others during that time is not for me.

[ROBBO99]

Hideous looking beast !!

[sego]

NOT!

[Tsaxman]

Holy Superfly, Batman!

[FloridaMarty]

George and Sam were very talented with tons of imagination. The world is better for their work. Some of their builds are very cool, some are OK, Some should have never been attempted. This I believe, falls into the latter category.

[Studenorton]

You a career diplomat by any chance? What a nice way to say...what needs to be said.
A good car show line: "Not how I'd have done it." Avoids fist fights.

[Tim]

Whenever my mother is asked about something she doesn't like, her answer is, "It's different." About this car, I would say, "It's different." 💀

[GF]

Fugly

[Djc327]

That car would be a hard no for me!

[240zdave]

That's definitely the ugliest thing I've seen this week, and probably one of the ugliest I've seen in my lifetime.

[shrimpf]

I agree, this is probably the ugliest car I have ever seen! And I thought the Stutz of the Seventies were ugly! This one is even worse, much worse.

[sclin10]

It looks like the Exner Bugatti revival car.

[WatchCarefully]

You're right, it totally does. So many similarities, including the color.

[WatchCarefully]

Sometimes "it's by George Barris" is a feature, sometimes it is an excuse.

[Oldimpala]

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

But, Mom taught me to always compliment something; I do like that shade of blue. It'd look really nice on something else.

[neilscarlt]

George musta been drunk when he designed this one!

[1967LeMansConv]

More likely angel dust.

[Blade123]

High on not a popular look.
A bit Battish.

[motolargo]

If this car was in my garage it would be under an opaque cover. I would not want anyone to know I owned it, let alone be seen driving it on public roads. In a word: dreadful.

[shrimpf]

If this was in my garage I would disasemble it and use the parts for something else. And then I would destroy most of the body!

[Dillon36]

Lol!!!

[MarkThistel]

This just did the impossible: Overturned the Pontiac Aztek as the world's ugliest vehicle.

[shrimpf]

At least the Aztek had some practical features, this one is way worse!

[cslandry]

One of the best vanity plates I ever was was on an Aztek. It said "UGLY CAR".

[slam35]

ahhh, no

[Swamibob]

Wow... That's... Wow... Neo Classic is right. I like the colors, even though the dark color is on the top. Not sure I'd want to be photographed anywhere near that 'Neo Classic'. There's just WAY too much Excalibur involved there.

[snjbuu]

There are cars who don't need ANY modifications (externally) . And a C2 is one of them.

[KenBoss]

MY GOD that's awful. To think, another destroyed classic car. So sad. Barris should have stayed with Hot Rods. Highly overrated builder particularly after he went TV. He did some beautiful hot rods before that for sure.

[TonyT]

Hard to look at the Munster Koach as "beautiful."

[DT]

Like you could have done "anything" Barris did. I LMAO @ critics who have no talents other than criticizing someone else's work 🙂

[ATmgbjaguar]

No thanks! This is not a really well executed 'custom'. Too gimmicky! Interior looks like some home-based amateur did it ... not a real trim shop.

[hb]

It’s cool that it’s from Barris, but otherwise “barf “.

[senator70]

It appears that George Barris was influenced by Virgil Exner's c. 1963 concepts for revived classic models for Duesenberg, Mercer, Bugatti, Packard, etc. Did Barris consult Ex?