The 1955 Lincoln Futura: Iconic Concept Car That Inspired the Batmobile

Futuristic Legend - The 1950s were a golden era for automotive imagination. Cars weren’t just transportation—they were statements of style, engineering daring, and a glimpse into the future. Among the most extraordinary creations of this period stands the 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept, a hand-built marvel that blurred the line between science fiction and reality. Designed to turn heads and push the boundaries of design, the Futura wasn’t just a showpiece—it was a fully functioning vehicle that captured the public’s imagination and left a mark on car culture for decades.

The 1955 Lincoln Futura, a hand-built classic-futuristic marvel, and officially debuted at the Chicago Auto Show on January 8, instantly capturing attention with its futuristic aura. (Picture from: FordAuthority)

The Futura began its life in 1954 when Ford’s Lincoln division tasked the celebrated Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin to craft a one-of-a-kind concept car. The design team, led by Bill Schmidt and John Najjar, envisioned something that would feel otherworldly, a bold move at a time when tailfins and chrome already symbolized progress. Schmidt’s inspiration came from an unexpected source—diving near a shark—which sparked the sleek, aggressive lines that would define the Futura. The car was unveiled to the press on January 5, 1955, and officially debuted at the Chicago Auto Show on January 8, instantly capturing attention with its futuristic aura.

The 1955 Lincoln Futura built by the celebrated Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin. (Picture from: UndiscoveredClassics)

What set the Futura apart from many concept cars of its time was its functionality. It wasn’t a static display; it ran, drove, and featured a 368-cubic-inch Lincoln engine. The body showcased massive tailfins, exaggerated headlight pods, and the signature double clear-plastic canopy, giving it a spaceship-like appearance. Its original pearlescent white paint was unlike anything seen before—a labor-intensive creation where Ghia ground and mixed fish scales into the paint to achieve the shimmering effect that made the car truly unique at a cost of $250,000 (equivalent to $2,900,000 in 2024).

TThe Lincoln Futura stood out from many concept cars of its era for its full functionality, running and driving with a 368-cubic-inch Lincoln engine rather than serving as a static display. (Picture from: Story-Cars)

The Futura toured the United States in 1955, appearing on shows like The Today Show and attracting nationwide fascination. Its influence trickled down into production models—the Lincoln Premiere and Lincoln Capri borrowed subtle elements, while the grille design inspired Mercury and Ford models in 1960. Even as a show car, it became iconic, appearing in the 1959 film It Started With a Kiss, where it was temporarily repainted red for better on-camera visibility.

The Lincoln Futura featured massive tailfins, exaggerated headlight pods, and its signature double clear-plastic canopy, giving the car a striking, spaceship-like appearance. (Picture from: UndiscoveredClassics)

After its cinematic stint, the Futura entered the hands of legendary customizer George Barris, who acquired the car from Ford for a symbolic $1. Sitting idle for several years due to insurance challenges, it was eventually transformed into something even more iconic: the Batmobile. | aTlgeLq_Kg0 |

In 1966, when the Batman television series urgently required a hero car, George Barris saw the untapped potential of the Lincoln Futura. With metal craftsman Bill Cushenbery, he reshaped its dramatic fins and signature bubble canopy into what became the legendary Batmobile. To support the show circuit, Barris later produced three fiberglass replicas built on 1966 Ford Galaxie frames and drivetrains, and eventually added a fourth version—a metal-bodied car based on a 1958 Ford Thunderbird—securing the Futura’s enduring legacy in automotive history.

The first Batmobile was crafted in 1966 by George Barris, based on the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept, for the Batman television series of that era. (Picture from: Wikipedia)

In the 1990s, Bob Butts, with George Barris’ consent, produced several Batmobile replicas using molds from one of Barris’ originals, and later, based on pictures of the original Futura from the 1950s, he reskinned one of those Batmobile replicas that he crafted back into the form of the Lincoln Futura, creating a single faithful recreation of the concept car.

The first Lincoln Futura replica was crafted in the 1990s by Bob Butts, using one of his Batmobile replicas and period photos of the original 1950s Futura as references to create a faithful recreation of the concept car. (Picture from: Wikipedia)

Later, another replicas have been recreated, such as the work by Gotham Garage which aired on the Netflix series Car Masters: Rust to Riches in September, 2018, which rebuilt a fiberglass shell into an accurate Lincoln Futura. When finished, the replica Futura was eventually sold at the Grand National Roadster Show at the Pomona Fairplex for approximately $90,000.

This Lincoln Futura was a replica crafted in 2018 by Gotham Garage and featured on the Netflix series Car Masters: Rust to Riches in September. (Picture from: Carbuzz)

Even today, the 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept remains a symbol of daring design and automotive artistry. It’s a reminder of an era when cars were built not just to move people, but to inspire them, to push creative and engineering boundaries, and to imagine a future where the road itself seemed like a launchpad to adventure. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | FORDAUTHORITY | STORY-CARS | UNDISCOVEREDCLASSICS | AUTOEVOLUTION | CARBUZZ | DEANGARAGE | WIKIPEDIA ]

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