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 Posted 1/9/2019 6:53:42 PM |
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There's a classic bit of Keaton Car lore that says the rear fenders were shaved down on the hero car(s) during transport, and subsequently the car is narrower between 89 and Returns.
Is there any actual PROOF of this? Do we have any pictures of the hero car with its rear fenders sawed off?
I am thinking of doing a video on this topic for my youtube channel, an I have a bunch of thoughts on why this is NOT true, but I'd love to hear from everyone here what they consider proof that this DID happen.
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| Posted 1/9/2019 11:58:56 PM |
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| Posted 1/10/2019 12:36:12 PM |
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Supreme Being
Last Login: 4/6/2024 5:28:59 PM
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| I think there’s some good information on that subject posted on this board. Even a build or two that are recreating the original rear width.
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| Posted 1/11/2019 3:41:43 PM |
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B Bopenstein (1/9/2019)
How’s this for shaved
Those look like fan builds to me, not production made. Interesting pics for sure though! Amazing how everyone has their own spin on what they want their batmobile to look like!
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| Posted 1/11/2019 3:49:29 PM |
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slysnake (1/10/2019)
I think there’s some good information on that subject posted on this board. Even a build or two that are recreating the original rear width.
Over the years I recall seeing those, but for the life of me I can't find them. I'm hoping that people who have knowledge or photos or whatever will post here. I'd love to consolidate all the information in one place.
For me, there are a couple critical pieces of evidence to suggest that it never happened. I'll post them here, just to keep this stuff fresh in my head and to see if there's anyone with any evidence to challenge it.
The story goes something like this: cars were being shipped from UK to USA, but because they wouldn't fit in a shipping container, someone took out a saw of some sort and just chopped the rear fenders off. Then when the car got to the US, they rebuilt the rear but thinner so it would fit into a container.
This story is FOR SURE not true. I have seen pictures with my own eyes of the hero 89 car being rolled off a cargo ship, and it was undamaged. From the pictures, it appears as if the car was not even loaded into a container when transported.
Even if it WAS loaded into a container, or there was an effort to put it into a container, I question the story for the following two reasons:
1. From every dimension published on the 89 car, it would have fit into a standard sized shipping container. It would have been a VERY tight fit, but it would make it.
2. EVEN IF someone sawed off the fenders, the tires were just as wide as the rear end of the car. SO someone would have to saw off the fenders AND change the tires to something narrower. I don't think that's the type of thing you just find sitting around a shipping yard.
Ok so all of that said, I have never seen pictures of the 89 car in england that dont match up to pictures of it after. I use the gas cap as my point of reference. It always appears roughtly in the middle of the fender, with the same amount of space to the left and right of it. If the fender size was reduced, the placement of that gas cap would either need to change (which would modify the space to the left and right of it) or it would stay in the same place which would lessen the space between it and the outer edge. I have never seen any evidence to support that.
What I HAVE seen is pictures of the car from different angles where the rear fenders appear to be different thicknesses. "Appear" is the important word here. Lenses, distance, lighting, angle, all of that can make a HUGE difference. Just ask any storm trooper helmet aficionado.
Any thoughts or feedback or opinions are absolutely welcomed and of great interests!
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| Posted 1/11/2019 3:52:42 PM |
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| Yeah Mark Towle was building it. I’m not sure what happen to it in the end
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| Posted 1/11/2019 10:29:56 PM |
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B Bopenstein (1/11/2019)
Yeah Mark Towle was building it. I’m not sure what happen to it in the end
I'm not sure what this means. Can you please elaborate?
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| Posted 1/12/2019 2:34:35 PM |
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IG88 (1/11/2019)
B Bopenstein (1/11/2019)
Yeah Mark Towle was building it. I’m not sure what happen to it in the end
I'm not sure what this means. Can you please elaborate?
He owns Gotham Garage and does a lot of custom work
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| Posted 1/13/2019 8:53:28 AM |
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Resident CLTC
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| The two hero cars rear fenders were never shaved down nor are they now. When Jay Ohrberg was commissioned to build the six flag cars and promo cars he removed four inches from each side from a pull from the original molds for the 1992 movie promo cars so that they would fit on a standard rollback trailer. Jay then pulled a new mold of the narrowed car and produced several new cars for WB. After Jay was selling cars out the back door subuquently WB charged him with non compete violation. Bob Buts ended up with the molds and other movie memorabilia for a loan. The short version of the story...
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| Posted 1/31/2019 9:35:44 PM |
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Kevin (1/13/2019)
The two hero cars rear fenders were never shaved down nor are they now. When Jay Ohrberg was commissioned to build the six flag cars and promo cars he removed four inches from each side from a pull from the original molds for the 1992 movie promo cars so that they would fit on a standard rollback trailer. Jay then pulled a new mold of the narrowed car and produced several new cars for WB. After Jay was selling cars out the back door subuquently WB charged him with non compete violation. Bob Buts ended up with the molds and other movie memorabilia for a loan. The short version of the story...
Interesting story haha.
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