Article published November 12, 2009
HOLY BODY SHOP, BATMAN!
Dayton man replicates cruisers of Gotham
Matt Miller, owner of Carl's Body Shop in Dayton, is building two Gotham cruisers. Pictured is a replica of the one driven by Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne in the 1989 movie 'Batman.'
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DAYTON DAILY NEWS/CHRIS STEWART
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By AMELIA ROBINSON
DAYTON DAILY NEWS
DAYTON - No, your eyes are not deceiving you.
The menacing structure in the window of Carl's Body Shop in Dayton, does look just like the car that actor Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne drove in the 1989 movie Batman.
And back in the bowels of the shop is a ride that eventually will replicate the metal chariot in which Adam West's Bruce Wayne cruised Gotham City in the original 1966 Batman TV series.
The cars are kits now, but eventually they will be full-blown cars.
Carl's Body Shop specializes in collision repair, detailing, and custom paint jobs.
Matt Miller, the shop's owner, hopes to have the 1966 version road-ready by spring. The 1989 cruiser will hit car shows and other community events by Christmas, 2010.Batman captured Mr. Miller's imagination when he was a kid, and he hasn't let it go.
Bob Stotzer, left, and Matt Miller fit the hood on a replica of the car driven by Adam West in the original 1966 'Batman' TV series.
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DAYTON DAILY NEWS/CHRIS STEWART
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"Spider-Man jumped around, and Superman flew around, but they didn't have the cars," he said.
Mr. Miller bought kits - they retail for about $8,000 apiece - for the cars last summer from nearby Gotham Cruisers. The five-year-old business, one of only a few of its kind, makes replicas of the 1966 and '89 cars as well as the Dark Knight's 1966 motorcycle. Owner Doug Hines said a replica cruiser can take up to three years to complete. The 1966 replica model can sell for as much as $200,000.
Mr. Hines has been building replica bat cruisers since buying his own kit 10 years ago. His intent was to build kits for others to finance his own car's completion. "I still don't have a car," he said.
The business can help build bat accessories such as flame throwers, blades, and rams or point customers in the right direction. They once built a kit that came complete with working parachutes.
"We like crazy people with money," Mr. Hines joked.
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