John Sbrigato owns five different versions of Batman’s iconic Batmobile, each making its way to the 63rd Annual Maxmotive World of Wheels custom car and hot rod show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center next weekend for the first time.

But he’s not just some rich guy who bought a bunch of celebrity rides. The grease runs in the Sbrigato family’s blood.

The family love affair dates back to the late 1940s when his father, Joe Sprigato, a World War II vet and Brooklyn postal worker, purchased the carcass of a 1931 Chevy Roadster at a junkyard for $15. He went to work on it, and his hot-rod version of the Roadster went on to win Best of Show at the New York Coliseum’s Rod and Custom extravaganza and was featured by General Tire at the 1964 New York World's Fair.

It was there that Joe was approached by none other than Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys who asked if he could purchase the car or at least rent the cream-colored Roadster for the band’s appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Sept. 27, 1964.

“Ed Sullivan called our house,” John Sbrigato says, “and asked my dad to bring it to his theater so The Beach Boys could perform with it on stage.”

The Beach Boys performed “I Get Around” with the Mailman Special and two other hot rods that Sbrigato lined up for the show.

Sbrigato, who passed away in 1996, handed the car down to his son along with his love for hot rods.

John, who has a vast collection of TV Show Cars (that’s the name of his New Jersey-based company), began his own ventures in restoration around 2000, when he got his first Batmobile.

There’s a cool story behind the car designed for the 1966 ABC show starring Adam West. It was put in the hands of George Barris, who began customizing cars for Hollywood in the late ‘50s. When he was asked to come up with a Batmobile in three weeks, he turned to the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, prominently displayed in the 1959 film “It Started with a Kiss” (with Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford), that was collecting dust in his garage.

Needless to say, the car — made in Italy in a pearlescent white before going red for the movie and black for the series — became legend in the hands of the Caped Crusader. When it wasn’t fighting crime in Gotham City, it was a smash hit at auto shows and if you search “best TV show cars,” it’s one of the first to pop up.

About 25 years ago, Sbrigato acquired what he calls “a gutted shell” of a Batmobile exhibition car.

“The TV car, there was only one used in the series,” says Larry Way, the longtime PR director for World of Wheels, “but George Barris built three Batmobiles. He built the number one that was used. He had number two and this is the number three car built by the original builder, George Barris.”

“It needed to be totally restored,” Sbrigato says. “All the parts as far as the interior were all handmade by myself. As far as the wheels and tires, we went out and found exactly what was on the car. The paint job is beautiful. It's gotta have at least 20 coats of black urethane paint, with clear on it.”

Sbrigato’s Batmobile was used at car shows by both Barris and West, who passed away in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

“From there,” Sbrigato says, “I acquired the ‘Batman Returns’ car that came out of California — beautiful car — and from there it just kept going on.”

His TV Show Cars collection now consists of five Batman exhibition cars. They include the 1966 car, the classy 1989/1992 Tim Burton models for Michael Keaton, the wall-scaling Val Kilmer vehicle from 1995’s “Batman Forever,” Christian Bale’s tank-like Tumbler from 2008’s “The Dark Knight” and Ben Affleck’s mashup design for 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

They are on tour together for the first time, along with Robin’s Go Kart and the rarely seen lavender Batgirl Cycle from the ‘66 show. Pittsburgh is the second stop on an eight-city tour that began in Cincinnati.

Sbrigato’s collection also includes the Munsters’ Dragula (also designed by Barris); the “Grease” car, signed by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John; and a Monkeemobile that he restored.

The collection has put him at events with just about all the Batman actors, the Beach Boys, Butch Patrick and Pat Priest from “The Munsters,” Rob Zombie (who saluted the Munster-mobile in “Dragula”) and members of the Monkees, now down to lone survivor Micky Dolenz.

How many of them are drivable?

“Every one of them,” Sbrigato says.

And does he take them down the street?

“Yeah, of course,” he says. “I’m the caretaker of them, so I make sure they’re always ready for an event. I keep air in the tires, gas. I keep them tuned up, make sure the lights work.”

Offers come in for his impressive collection of used cars, but they’re not on the market.

“I get [offers] but the amount of money doesn't cut it,” Sbrigato says. “You know what I'm saying? You don't want the money. You have more time enjoying them, and talking to people like yourself about them. The money, it don't matter at that point.”

The 63rd Annual Maxmotive World of Wheels custom car and hot rod show is at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center January 19-21 with hundreds of classic cars and hot Rods. Hip-hop legend Flavor Flav, of Public Enemy, appears from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Events include a pinball tournament (2 to 4 p.m. Jan.20), pedal car challenge and freestyle motocross stunt shows. Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Jan. 19; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 20; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 21. Admission is $24; $8 kids 6-12; 5 and under free. Discount tickets available at participating NAPA Auto Parts Stores.

First Published: January 10, 2024, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: January 11, 2024, 3:20 p.m.