If Batman - and I mean real Batman Adam West, not those broody twits that have marred his name through their dark movie parodies of the 1960s' TV cult classic - needed a new Batmobile, this would be it! Seriously!! Can't you just imagine it in black, Batman and his young ward, Robin, side by side as they race to the scene of the Joker's latest criminal hijinx? The good citizens of Gotham City would definitely feel safe if Batman was driving this beast, that's for sure!
Unfortunately, it's not a Batmobile but it is a completely bespoke, hand-built, custom-designed Tasmanian car. The entire body has been fabricated from aluminium and it's powered by a 253 cubic inch (4.2 litre) Holden V8, hooked up to a Trimatic auto-box. Its extremely clever designer, builder and owner told me that it was inspired by F1 design but has to be a two-seater for practicality's sake. He says that its power to weight ratio means it's pretty nippy off the line and I believe him! I've seen some amazing custom-built cars but this one, with its low-slung body and to-the-minute styling, might just be the best one ever!
Car-of-choice for tights-wearing caped crusaders or not, the Zeus Dominator was definitely doing super-hero duty, along with over a hundred other amazing convertible cars at the 2019 Shannons Insurance Take Your Tops Off car show, raising money for breast cancer research. Whether you're into graceful Italians, like Queen X's Maserati, big American Galaxies or Mustangs, British, Japanese or French rag-tops, you were never going to be disappointed at this event, at least the third - if not fourth or more - of such events that I'm aware of.
This regal looking machine is John's 1925 Moon, a marque hailing from St Louis, Missouri, that sadly no longer exists. Despite being made in the USA, it's a right-hand drive. John also has a 1922 version, in bits and requiring extensive restoration, that he hopes to complete some time within the next five years or so. He actually bought this one whilst speaking to its previous owners, seeking some guidance for the restoration of the project car.
The motor is a straight-six petrol affair with a vacuum fuel pump, as pictured in the top right corner of the image below. The cylindrical item sitting on top of the block is the car's horn. The beautifully curved an arranged copper fuel lines look amazing, as does the simple and very effective on-show wiring, all of which makes for an uncluttered and easy-to-access engine bay (if only all cars were like this now!).
The photo above is of one of the tail lights. According to John, it may as well be a moon rock, given the rarity of these original items with the MOON motif molded into the glass lens itself. Apparently, very few Moon owners have been able to find them; they are a much sought after period part.
Did you like this post? If so, please feel to have a look-see around the rest of the uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au site. There's a search facility in the top right corner of the page that allows you to find any of the hundreds of classic, sports and performance cars from Tasmania and mainland Australia, as well as many, many car shows and motor sports events. It's like a local on-line car mag but for free! Please share!!
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(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)
I often see the Maserati on my ride home. It was out on the street again tonight.
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