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Tom ~ tp tbird sent me some information on the Ford Motor Co. 1955 Futura built by the Lincoln-Mercury division back in 1955. Here is what he had to say about it, and there will be some additional links and pix of it.
"I thought this was interesting happen just to be browsing the web.I think it has a little hint of the squarebird to it.Tom
There are no end of surprises in the Futura, which was designed in Dearborn and put into final form by Ghia of Italy, who worked from plaster body casts and detailed blueprints furnished by Ford Motor Company and Lincoln-Mercury engineering. Probably the most novel touch was the official announcement that the car "can and will be driven...as a laboratory on wheels...subjected to all the hazards and conditions of road testing."
Experimental cars shown to the public which can move under their own power are rare. This one should provide extraordinary data. The 19-foot body is mounted on a 126-inch wheelbase, is seven feet wide, and has flowing lines almost devoid of exterior ornamentation.
Since the Future is only 52.8 inches high, the advanced version of Lincoln's current ohv V-8 has some modifications in equipment. Carburetor and air cleaner have been modified, while cooling is accomplished by dual fans and a reserve cooling tank atop the engine. The Turbo-Drive automatic transmission is operated by push buttons.
Among the most unique features is an audio approach microphone on the flat rear deck. It picks up and amplifies the sound or horn signal from any car approaching from the rear. Motor Life, April, 1955
"It's a car, not a rocket ship, you're looking at the revolutionary new Future, built by the Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford Motors and displayed at the Chicago Auto Show. Twin Plexiglas canopies cover the passenger compartment of the experimental auto, which in almost 19 feet long, seven feet wide, and 52.8 inches high. The Future will be used as a laboratory on wheels to gather engineering data and test public reaction to styling innovations. It's ultra modern body was built in Italy.""
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about it.
According to Wikipedia, the original Futura became the property of George Barris (for $1!) and the Futura became the famous Batmobile. There were four other replicas made by him. In the 1990's, Bob Butts, with the permission of Barris, made replicas of the Batmobile. One of them he converted back into the Futura. Since the original Futura became the Batmobile, this is the only Futura today. There is a picture of it taken in 2009 included with this.
Here is another link and there are more if you want to Google 1955 Lincoln Futura.
Now for the pix. Thanks Tom! Take a look at the cars and trucks in the two pictures of the dirty and somewhat beat up looking Futura and you can pretty well figure out when those pictures were taken... The last picture is the replica Futura that Bob Butts turned one of the Batmobile replica into. It was taken Nov. 7th, 2009.
"I thought this was interesting happen just to be browsing the web.I think it has a little hint of the squarebird to it.Tom
There are no end of surprises in the Futura, which was designed in Dearborn and put into final form by Ghia of Italy, who worked from plaster body casts and detailed blueprints furnished by Ford Motor Company and Lincoln-Mercury engineering. Probably the most novel touch was the official announcement that the car "can and will be driven...as a laboratory on wheels...subjected to all the hazards and conditions of road testing."
Experimental cars shown to the public which can move under their own power are rare. This one should provide extraordinary data. The 19-foot body is mounted on a 126-inch wheelbase, is seven feet wide, and has flowing lines almost devoid of exterior ornamentation.
Since the Future is only 52.8 inches high, the advanced version of Lincoln's current ohv V-8 has some modifications in equipment. Carburetor and air cleaner have been modified, while cooling is accomplished by dual fans and a reserve cooling tank atop the engine. The Turbo-Drive automatic transmission is operated by push buttons.
Among the most unique features is an audio approach microphone on the flat rear deck. It picks up and amplifies the sound or horn signal from any car approaching from the rear. Motor Life, April, 1955
"It's a car, not a rocket ship, you're looking at the revolutionary new Future, built by the Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford Motors and displayed at the Chicago Auto Show. Twin Plexiglas canopies cover the passenger compartment of the experimental auto, which in almost 19 feet long, seven feet wide, and 52.8 inches high. The Future will be used as a laboratory on wheels to gather engineering data and test public reaction to styling innovations. It's ultra modern body was built in Italy.""
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about it.
According to Wikipedia, the original Futura became the property of George Barris (for $1!) and the Futura became the famous Batmobile. There were four other replicas made by him. In the 1990's, Bob Butts, with the permission of Barris, made replicas of the Batmobile. One of them he converted back into the Futura. Since the original Futura became the Batmobile, this is the only Futura today. There is a picture of it taken in 2009 included with this.
Here is another link and there are more if you want to Google 1955 Lincoln Futura.
Now for the pix. Thanks Tom! Take a look at the cars and trucks in the two pictures of the dirty and somewhat beat up looking Futura and you can pretty well figure out when those pictures were taken... The last picture is the replica Futura that Bob Butts turned one of the Batmobile replica into. It was taken Nov. 7th, 2009.
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