BATMOBILE BY CLASSIC INDUSTRIES
For this listing we offer a 1960\'s CLASSIC Industries Mfg Batmobile Slot Car 1/24th scale.
Original Batmobile was made by George Barris. Check out my other sales. I have a Blue Print of the Batmobile and Pictures of the both Batmobiles & Green Hornet Black Beauty signed by George Barris.
In the 1960\'s,Classic Industries was one of three companies that sold Batmobile slot cars in 1/24th scale from the BatmanTV Show.
NOTE: Damage on Left Front corner and body mounting holes are elongated a little. Batmobile Ad is for \"Viewing Only\" and Not in this offering . But is for sale in my store, look it up.
\"CHECK OUT THE GREAT PICTURES\" CHECK OUT OUR OTHER ITEMS WE HAVE LISTEDALSO
Classic
Sam Bergman jumped into the slot racing fray by producing the first true 1/24 scale RTR car in the business, a John Power designed car named the \"Manta Ray\" and loosely patterned after the Dean Jeffries show car. The car was immensely successful with the younger crowd, with a production of over one million units. Classic later produced the wildest looking slot cars of all times, all of them highly collectible today as well as their colorful packaging.
CLASSIC:
Founded by Sam Bergman, a wealthy 30-year old oil-heir in 1964, Classic started by selling a sidewinder aluminum frame also used by BZ, and obtained from an outside supplier. The Classic version was silver-anodized. Bergman hired well-known industrial designer, John Power, to engineer a car that could be taken straight out of the box and win races, something that just did not exist at the time. John created the Manta Ray, a simple car powered by Classic’s version of the FT36. Sold in a display box with a spare Lotus 30 body, the Manta Ray was an incredible success and this even though it cost nearly twice as much as a typical kit. Over one million were sold. The rather ungainly orange car greatly appealed to the younger crowd, to the dismay of scale fanatics. Purists quickly named them “thingies”, and the name stuck. Powers designed a second car, the Viper, and a third, the Asp, which were equally successful. Classic, now run by expatriate Latvian Ilmars Kersels, was firmly established in the RTR and kit market, working 24 hours a day on three shifts.
Viper RTR was sold with an extra Cheetah clear plastic body and body bracket. Early yellow color was soon replaced by metallic red.)
Asp was sold as a kit. Extra Maserati 250F clear plastic body and extra chassis parts made this car very attractive to young buyers. Classic’s orange Mabuchi FT16D powered this lightweight.)
Tagged factory sub assemblies from Asp production line. Courtesy Classic Industries.)
Astro-V kit, with very attractive packaging. What little boy could resist? )
Classic’s mean-looking Batmobile wins the display box first prize. No contest from BZ or K&B.)
Scarce “Modified Toronado” kit with flimsy box. Courtesy Bruce Neasmith.)
“Competition Asp” RTR was a later version using Mabuchi FT26D motor and clear plastic box.
Modified Toronado RTR had red or blue body.)
A dispute with Sam Bergman (see BZ) led to John Power departure and the hiring of Robert Cadaret, a retired General Motors Styling Department employee. Bob had been involved in 1954 to 1957 Chevrolet designs, and created the innovative Stinger, Gamma Ray and Serpent “thingies” for Classic.
Fantastic “Stinger” with working air brake, is well-remembered by the baby-boomer generation. Flap used motor inertia under braking with wire linkage, like the Cox Chaparral 2E.)
Gamma Ray is a most fantastic “thingie”, using an inertia-actuated disc brake! Most attractive but violently aggressive packaging by Bob Cadaret.)
Serpent was another Cadaret design, had stamped brass and steel wire pro-like frame. The FT26 made this a very fast car indeed, as long as the sleek body’s dubious aerodynamics would not transform it into a low flying airplane.)
Two unusual colors for the Serpent and the ultra-rare “Stinger Roadster”. This used a modified version of the Gamma Ray’s pan-style aluminum frame.)
Young Don Williams, now one of the principals at the Blackhawk Automotive Museum, also provided input, and Classic did well until the end of 1966, when, according to Kersels, “the pipeline was full”, and large orders were canceled. The 1967 blizzard-stung Chicago Hobby Show was a sad spectacle, as Classic tried to convert to radio-controlled cars, based on a commercial agreement with Nichimo. No one was there to see the new products, and this spelled the end. All remaining inventory was sold to REH Distributing of Cincinnati, Ohio. Classic is still in the toy business today, as a manufacturer of children’s jewelry, and many other activities
Batmobiles. What is the real story?
Lots of reproductions of the original BZ Batmobile body out there. Lots of misrepresentation about such thin Lexan bodies mounted over original or Charlie Almond produced chassis copies. What to believe?
Lloyd Asbury built both the BZ (Beck & Zimmerman) forming tools, (See Picture of them below) but also a couple for use by the Lancer company. The visual difference is in the license plate on the back of the car, smooth on the Lancer, engraved “BZ1966″ on the BZ tooling.
All the BZ bodies were made of thick, 30-thou butyrate, and they were always sold completely trimmed and ready to use including the side mounting holes, in either clear or painted form. Of course BZ used most of them to build their RTR cars, the famous Batmobile RTR:
Many have survived in fair to excellent condition, a few with their original and fragile clear plastic 2-piece box, the same box used by K&B for their late-issue RTRs, the same as used by Western Hobbies for their RTR cars, and this box was also used by another couple of manufacturers for various purposes. In other words, the plastic company which made the box tooling had a good salesman. Current market value of these BZ RTR cars, mint in mint original box with the yellow and blue insert, the car unused with its original “white-line” Riggen-produced rear tires, oscillates between $450.00 and $1250.00 depending on how many buyers there are and how bad they want one. The original bodies sell factory painted for as much as $100.00 and clear for as much as $60.00.
Meanwhile, Lancer also produced the body (sans license plate) also in butyrate, also trimmed, but sold in the usual white and blue Lancer boxes. These generally go for about $40.00 but are actually rarer.
When the BZ company collapsed like most of the larger-volume slot car manufacturers did in 1968, one of the body tools was in the Lancer shop for repairs and never made it back.
Lancer eventually closed their doors in 1969, and all the body tools were unceremoniously piled into two large 100-gallon drums and left outside the vacuum forming plant in San Bernardino, CA. In 1973, Robert E. Haines (REH) was offered the tools by Lloyd Asbury’s former “partner” (as usual, Lloyd got the short end of the stick) and bought the tools for a song.
Since then, REH has pulled thousands and thousands of bodies, using thin Lexan (and not butyrate) as a material. Lexan being very hard on epoxy tools, most of these are now seriously worn out and much of the original fine detail is gone or seriously diminished.
This means that EVERY SINGLE “Batmobile” body made from LEXAN (VS thick butyrate) is a reproduction, most made from new demand in the late 1990′s to now.
There were a total of 4 licensed “Batmobile” produced as slot cars in the 1960′s: the Aurora HO, the 1/24 BZ, K&B and Classic. Of these, the K&B is by far the most scarce, and it very seldom comes to sale. It sports a peculiar injection molded cockpit affixed with “melt-on” tabs onto the vacuum formed body. It is also the only one with a working dome light. Here is a picture of the rare beast inside its original packaging:
And a picture of the chassis featuring a functional “disc” brake:
A view of the injected cockpit (don’t bother buying a car without one, you will never find a suitable replacement…):
Note that the K&B and the BZ have the same “Bat” hubs (sold by one company to the other, not sure of which sold to whom but likely K&B sold to BZ) while the Classic NEVER came with them. Many Classic Batmobile owners did fit the Bat hubs that were sold separately by BZ, 5 of them in a little bubble pack, but one had to fit longer axles to the chassis to do so as the stock ones were far too short to accommodate the little bats. Today, many Classic “bat” owners are in complete denial, claiming that “theirs came that way”. Pure delusions from confused teenage memories
My Dad owned a Hobby Shop that closed in the early 1970\'s, and he kept some of the more interesting slot cars and accessories from that era. The items I am listing are in most cases, near new or gently used. I have taken many pictures to show every angle and have tried to describe all features and/or flaws to the best of my ability. Please email with any questions specific to something I may have missed. Please check my other sales as I will be selling many cars, accessories and track in all three scales-- HO, 1/32nd, and 1/24th. If you don\'t see the car or part you are looking for, please email me. If I have it, I will list it for you. Many of the items in my inventory are NEW OLD STOCK.PLEASE CHECK PICTURES CLOSELY.
These item(s) fit past and present chassis, frames from car brands like Le Mans Unique, Revell, K & B, Monogram, Classic Mfg., Cox, Strombecker, Riggens, Garvic, Testors, Eldon, AMT, Russkit, MPC, BZ, Atlas, Kal-Kar, Parma, Pro Slot, Carrera Cars, Scalextric, Fly Cars, Koford, Black Diamond Slot Car, Sonic, GT1, Koford Group 7, WRP, Pro Stock, Toytech, Speed Secrets Predator II , Pro Track \"Magnum\", Drag Slot Car, Elite, Champion Turbo-Flex Chassis, Rhino, Outisight , JK, and more great New and Old Stock (NOS) chassis.
The Story How the Batmobile was Born out of a 1955 Lincoln Futura Show Car .Article Called: Service Tips on the BatmobileHoly Ribicoff, the Batmobile\'s unsafe! Can you imagine Gotham\'s dynamic duo pursuing the dastardly doers of evil deeds in a customized 1955 Lincoln styling car that doesn\'t meet today\'s GSA safety specs? It\'s like finding out about Santa.Despite such exotic accessories as an automatic tire repair device, three anti-theft rockets, and laser gun \"eyes\", that appear in the TV script, you\'d find something completely different if the caped crusader wheeled his bat fuzz black chariot into your shop.Exactly what you\'d find is a 5550 lb, 129 inch wheel base Lincoln Futura that a California customizer had 3 weeks to dress up in \"bat fuzz paint\" and fins. Note: The Fuzzy look was to help with the camera shots in the TV series, gloss paint would reflect with all the lighting on the TV set.
They say in the public relations department of the Lincoln Mercury Division that the Futura cost $250,000. It was a one-of-a-kind public opinion tester. And it sported a 500 hp engine designed for racing, fender air scoops for air conditioning and brake cooling, and a twin-bubble plastic canopy.After being dragged in and out of car shows for about a year, the Futura went to Hollywood providing some interesting background for a Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds movie. Then it went back to mothballs in Dearborn.A Los Angeles customizer George Barris bought the Futura at an undisclosed price on the long shot that he could get it into a horror movie. No luck.Then, Holy Cloverleaf, he got the call from TV\'s stately Wayne Manor. Ten men went on a double shift and when the cameras started rolling three weeks later, Batman and Robin had wheels. The Batmobile was born.
Futura\'s rear fins were extended to a seven foot length, the grille was reshaped into a bat face, a roll bar was built between the seats, police flashing light was installed, and three \"anti-theft rocket tubes were mounted on the rear deck, along with the laser.The turbine exhaust outlet is just for effect. And the parachutes? Well, they, of course, allow the Batmobile to make a 360 degree turn on a two lane highway while running at a secret top speed. You never had any doubts about that--did you? Would you believe 36 degrees? Three point six? 1) The father of the Batmobile was an experimental 1955 Lincoln Futura. Front was given a bat face, rear was given bat-fin motif and then it was painted \"bat fuzz\" black. Three anti-theft rockets were also set up on the rear deck.2) This is not the work of Mr Freeze. It\'s just the work of Ford engineers testing the Lincoln Futura in a cold chamber, before the car was converted into the Batmobile.3) The rear view exposes cowled lights \"jet\" tailpipe. The sound and flames are merely special effects.
These items come from a non-smoking environment.Please look carefully at the pictures. We do out best to accurately describe each item, condition of the item and any defects. What you see in the picture is what you are offerding on. \"SOLD AS IS, AS PICTURED\"If you have any questions regarding shipping or the item, please email us BEFORE you offer or buy.The Shipping/Handling Fee, includes our cost for packaging materials, postage and Delivery Confirmation, but NOT insurance.Fees shown are for USA Delivery ONLY. All Payments must be through PAYPAL.**FOREIGN BUYERS must email for correct shipping fees BEFORE PAYING FOR YOUR ITEMS** PLEASE NOTE: Foreign Buyers- -Regarding Shipping Fees for all Non USA winners: Because does not let us put in shipping fees for all countries, the shipping fee you see on our sale is an average and NOT the correct fee for your country. Some countries are much lower and some are higher. Please email us for your correct shipping fee BEFORE you pay. Rest assured, if we ever over-estimate the shipping fee we always refund any excess back to you. We are happy to combine shipping when possible, BUT you must email us, BEFORE THE sales CLOSE, to notify us that you are buying more than one item, so we can save you money on shipping by combining all items on one invoice. ***IF YOU WIN MORE THAN ONE sale AND WOULD LIKE TO COMBINE SHIPPING TO SAVE MONEY*** Do not pay until you:
1. Contact me letting me know2. Request an invoicebeforepaying3. Payonly afteryou receive the invoice
By letting me know and requesting an invoice prior to paying, you are ensuring that you will save money on shipping and will receive all items in one shipment!If we ever over-estimate the shipping charge we refund all excess to you. RETURNS: Items must be returned in original packaging with Delivery Confirmation. Refund for purchase price of item will be issued. Sorry we cannot issue a credit for shipping fees.THANKS FOR LOOKING AND HAPPY offerDING!!
