This years Oconomowoc, WI home coming parade featured one of the 1966 George Barris built replica Batmobiles. From the information I have gathered this is the 3rd Batmobile built by Barris and is now locally owned. The first Batmobile was built in 1965 and had a steel body. That was the one used in the show. The next 3 were built in 1966 by Barris and had fiberglass bodies. These Batmobiles toured the country and were used for exhibition. The one in the parade is the only one with working headlights. It was fun to see it in the parade. The driver and passanger had on the appropriate Batman and Robin costumes. Walking behind were Superman and Spiderman handing out candy. The kids and the adults really went nuts.
I saw a Batmobile on a car hauler in Fort Worth a few weeks ago. I talked to the truck driver and he said some guy in Alabama was building them. The one I saw was going to Utah I think. It was very accurate.
I spent some time outside Indianapolis a few years ago in the little town of Logansport covering the Batmobile factory for Gasoline Magazine. That is where they are built. They're amazing. Check it out here: http://www.fiberglassfreaks.com/joomla/index.php
There is a guy that used to be in SO Cal that made them using late model Vette underneath - I think he is now in South Dakota
Sorta, the car started life in 1954 (as a '55 model) as a Lincoln concept car, called the Futura. The car was actually built by Ghia bodyworks in Turin, Italy at a cost of $250,000. It made the show circuit and was actually in the movie "It started with a kiss" in 1959. Barris acquired the car from Ford for $1 and it was sitting out behind his shop, when he was approached to 'build' a Batmobile (with a very short deadline) a few cosmetic changes were made to the Futura (Dean Jeffries did some of the design work, Bill Cushenberry did the fabrication) and viola! Barris 'built' the Batmobile. There were 3 fiberglass replicas made for publicity appearances, etc.
Both are butt ugly cars but the Futura looks better than the Batmobile. I don't remember the Batmobile sporting Cragar wheels.
There are a couple of '66 Batmobiles here in Jersey. One was owned by the late Scott Chinery. It (along with the Batcycle) were presents from his wife. The story I got was that it was an un-licensed copy that George Barris had seized by court order and then Barris sold it to Chinery's wife. WTF?
Actually, this Batmobile (now residing in Oconomowoc) was custom hand built starting with a Lincoln Towncar by a custom car builder (John Salazar) near Houston Texas. It was completed in 2010. Here is an article about the builder - if you want one - ;-) - He lives in our neighborhood: http://www.chron.com/news/article/Kingwood-man-builds-bat-cars-2077963.php
Found a magazine from 1996 which contains a Dick Dean interview and he says that he built the Batmobile along with the Munsters Coach, Grandpas Car, the Hillbillies Jalopy, etc.........etc.