DESIGNER: BEN DELPHIA
BUILDER: GENE WINFIELD
BASED ON: 1956 CITRÖEN DS
The Catmobile first appeared in 1947 as the "Kitty Car," which was faster than the Batmobile and able to escape pursuit by jumping short distances. Despite several appearances in comic books, prior to the third season of the Batman television show, the only reference to Catwoman’s car was the “Cat-illac,” a factory 1966 Cadillac Coupe DeVille driven by Julie Newmar. However, after accepting another role, Newmar was replaced by the third and final Catwoman, Eartha Kitt, who was given a cat-styled version of Gene Winfield’s “Reactor” show car.
After its debut at a 1965 Autorama custom car show, Gene Winfield took his creation, “The Reactor,” to Hollywood, where it appeared in episodes of Bewitched, Mission Impossible, Batman, and Star Trek. The car was built on a Citröen DS chassis, whose hydro-pneumatic suspension contributed to the technological sophistication of the car and allowed it to adjust its height to ease entry and exit in a theatric fashion. The compact profile of the installed Corvair engine allowed a low, elongated design for the aluminum body. Also featured were an electronically-operated roof and hood, as well as one of the first appearances of scissor doors.