Taiga Batmobile at RM Amelia Island

tferrer

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Same car. Has that hang dog looking rear ride height. They were supposedly asking 250k a while back..

 

Markos

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Same car. Has that hang dog looking rear ride height. They were supposedly asking 250k a while back..


Let me at least get my kids to school before answering! :D
 

HB Chris

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Is that the correct shift knob which was also used on 2002s, foam 38 Petri, no covers between seats and sill trim, later seats, black painted wiper linkages? Just wondering.
 

craterface

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Is that the correct shift knob which was also used on 2002s, foam 38 Petri, no covers between seats and sill trim, later seats, black painted wiper linkages? Just wondering.
Good eye Chris.

But one photo shows what looks like a sewn leather cover on the wheel. Did you see that one? Do you mean it was originally foam and then sewn over?

Does a reference-grade, unrestored Bat exist?

I was also under the impression that all CSL shift knobs were wood.
 

tferrer

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Missing the correct Scheel sliders and tilts. The Petri does look like a correct leather CSL model. Frankenstein threads showing a bit on the sides of the lower spoke. Can't see if it's the correct 4 ring hub.. Love the color.

The front air dam looks like the central support bracket is present which would make it correct and a fairly hard thing to find. At least I think it looks correct. I'll let others with more knowledge comment on that...

Rear spoiler roundel badge looks correct there also...
 
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coupedegrace

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It seems odd to me that a batmobile version would have power steering. Anybody know if this was common? I guess given only 57 examples "common" might not be the right term.

I'd expect manual steering would be fairly effortless given the amount of downforce being generated by that rear wing while the car isn't even moving.
 

Markos

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I'd expect manual steering would be fairly effortless given the amount of downforce being generated by that rear wing while the car isn't even moving.

Unless you are parallel parking or doing a
turnabout, manual steering in any car requires little effort to steer. You can feel the extra effort as you increase your tire width though.
 

HB Chris

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It seems odd to me that a batmobile version would have power steering. Anybody know if this was common? I guess given only 57 examples "common" might not be the right term.

I'd expect manual steering would be fairly effortless given the amount of downforce being generated by that rear wing while the car isn't even moving.
Even the last 57 Bats could have a few city pack style options I believe.

OK, steering wheel does look correct and it has five hole Alpinas. And a four slat plastic kidney grille.
 

BMW Pete

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Even the last 57 Bats could have a few city pack style options I believe.

OK, steering wheel does look correct and it has five hole Alpinas. And a four slat plastic kidney grille.
Hi Chris and guys,

Yes, lots of small things here incorrect, some already named and not that hard to correct if only somebody would give it some love. I always find it so sad that this car has continued with the reproduction first series Bat rear wing and that 4 bar grill, a second series should have the center upright in rear wing - always the easiest visual on a series 1 Bat to a series 2.

The second series of Bats were very unlike the first 110, basically you could have had a series 2 in pink with green spots (figure of speech guys) if you wanted it, so on the second series - the 57 cars - there are many differences, sometimes subtle and sometimes not on almost each and every car. A few I have seen, had most all the city pack "comfort" items...........not mine thankfully :)
 

coupedegrace

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Unless you are parallel parking or doing a
turnabout, manual steering in any car requires little effort to steer. You can feel the extra effort as you increase your tire width though.
Yes, totally understand that.

The first paragraph of my post was a serious inquiry, which Chris answered. The second was riffing on @tferrer observation about the "hang dog" look of the rear end of the car. When I first saw the profile pics, it immediately struck me that the rear wing was really squishing the back end down even while sitting still. Of course it isn't. This was the source for my (clearly lame) attempt at a joke about a light front end and low steering effort.

Ride height, or "stance" as the cool kids call it, seems to be quite variable on these cars. Something that's to be expected on 45 - 55 year old cars that have been through so many owners and mechanics' hands. Not to mention changing philosophies and, let's be honest, styles about wheel size and ride height.

Acknowledging that, I find the unbalanced front to rear ride height on this car quite odd. I'd expect my car - with its aftermarket sunroof - to be weird. And it was. The PO had ended up with a stack of springs on the rear. There was a short coil of spring sitting on top of the rear springs on each side. As in, "oh crap, we cut WAAAAY too much of that spring off. What can we do?" "I know - let's just put some of the cut off part back on top!" Beyond weird actually.

Maybe the front and rear ride height are correct for this car. But it looks weird. A kind of weird that I'd expect from my car, but not this one owing to its provenance.

Anyway, I don't know enough to point out incongruities in mixed model year parts in these cars, but I am curious about all the variations. That's why efforts like the @paul cain spring database are so interesting.
 

coupedegrace

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A few I have seen, had most all the city pack "comfort" items...........not mine thankfully :)
I'd love to drive an e9 that didn't have power steering. It could even be a lowly 2.5. I'd just like to see what it's like.

I can understand getting the power steering option on a "run of the mill" CSL if you lived in a dense, crowded, slow speed city. But putting it on a Batmobile? That escapes my grasp.
 

craterface

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I'd love to drive an e9 that didn't have power steering. It could even be a lowly 2.5. I'd just like to see what it's like.

I can understand getting the power steering option on a "run of the mill" CSL if you lived in a dense, crowded, slow speed city. But putting it on a Batmobile? That escapes my grasp.
Agree. The steering feel of a manual CSL rack is completely different than the regular power rack. The manual rack has that direct “lively” feel, with a little bit of bump steer, similar to an old 911. Drive a 72 911 and you will get a sense of the manual steering rack in a CSL.
 
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