The first ride ever pimped!  The original Batmobile in 3D!

by Dr. Terrific 

The “Kane-Finger” Batmobile (Detective Comics #48, February1941)

In 1939, the Bat-Man’s original mode of transportation was a bat-stylized auto gyro. This did wonders for striking fear in the hearts of criminals, but made it tough to actually get the criminals, as landing an auto gyro in the middle of Gotham City was never easy and autopilot only got him so far. The Bat-Man employed several nondescript sedans during the first years of appearances in Detective Comics, until, at last, we were introduced to the Batmobile, a bright red Batmobile. The first car to ever carry the title was a convertible roadster, with a bat-shaped hood ornament as the only bat-motif. It made a few appearances and was never seen or heard from again, most likely due to embarrassment. I credited this version of the Batmobile as collaboration between artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, who coined the term “Batmobile”.

I decided that the crude drawings mostly likely resembled a Cord, with a modified front end. My “Kane-Finger” Batmobile is a 1939 Cord, with a front end built out of tin foil, Bondo, sheet styrene plastic, and Testor’s white putty. The kit was not in that great of shape. I had to strip the chrome to clean the flash on various pieces. The windshield didn’t fit and so I made a new one from the clear top of a yogurt container dipped in Future Floor Polish.

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