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In the annals of superhero-dom, one of the most beloved and theatrically successful is Batman. Born in the late 1930’s, this iconic figure has survived many a war, the advent of television, VHS and DVD and even Joel Schumacher. Whether your allegiances lie with Adam West, Michael Keaton or Christian Bale, you have to admit the caped crusader has done incredibly well for himself.

So ask yourself: where would the dark knight be without his car? Unlike Superman (who can fly) or Spiderman (who can shoot webs from his wrists), Batman relies on a good ol’ fashioned automobile to get him from A to B. From the Barris-ified Ford Futura of the ‘60s (read about our drive here) to the nigh-indestructible Tumbler of the Chris Nolan Batman films, the Batmobile is as much a part of the series as the hood and the cape.

Since the beginnings of hot-rodding and customization, the world of modifying cars has been a realm in which car fans could express themselves in an almost uncountable number of ways. It plays host to a broad spectrum of possibilities; ranging from minor appearance items like headlight eyelashes and spoilers to fully coach-built supercars like James Glickenhaus's Ferrari P4/5 and Michael Stoschek's recent tribute to Lancia's Stratos, it's a vast space filled with five-dollar accessories, million dollar showboats, and everything in between.

Residing in that enormous region of "in-between" is a small company called Fiberglass Freaks in Logansport, Indiana, but they're not your average car shop. In fact, you could say they're one-of-a-kind.

Owned and operated by Mark Racop (the "what guy") and Jeff Sandberg (the "how guy"), and staffed by six full-time and eight part-time employees, Fiberglass Freaks is much like Harley Davidson; they sell dreams. In the case of this unassuming small-town Indiana garage, however, they're giving people the opportunity to own a real 1966 Batmobile.

Initially we were going to bring you a teaser of our trip up to Logansport, Indiana on Thanksgiving (in case you weren't following the trip live) to check out the first ever officially licensed replicas of the 1966 Batmobile. However, as tends to happen with family holidays, everything went s(l)ideways. Now that the time is available, we've got a little something for you while we wrap up the full shebang.

Check back later in the week for the full story of how one man went from collegiate filmmaker to official Batmobile builder. Until then, enjoy a few pics below.

[Updated] A few weeks ago, John - the head honcho here at Carscoop and the one who administratively appears once in a while in the comments - sent me an email about a company building officially licensed replicas of the 1966 Batmobile up in Indiana. Naturally, we decided that there'd be some sort of story in there, and naturally, I had to find someone who was doing even less than I was to come along (for this trip, that'll be my friend...let's call him Mike).

Now, after weeks of back and forth and figuring out the timing, we're on our way to go get some sit-down time with the people of Fiberglass Freaks. You see, they're the people behind these DC-licensed replicas, and word is they've just completed another example. That means it's time to hit the road with us as we head up to Indy and beyond to see what it's like to build these (potentially) big-block Batmobiles.

Last week, Carscoop asked you what your favorite TV or movie car was. Many of you expressed a fondness for the Lincoln Futura-based Batmobile used in the Adam West TV series of the late 1960s.

One of our readers tipped us off to this sweet, '66 Batmobile replica in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. You'll no longer be the "uncool dad" when you drop your kids off at school in this baby, old chum.

As a celebration of the marque's 200th anniversary, Peugeot has created a new concept car called the EX1 that will have its world premiere at the Mondial de l'automobile 2010 in Paris later this month.

Our first though upon seeing the all-electric prototype was that of a futuristic and nifty-looking successor to Batman's Tumbler from the Christopher Nolan films. Peugeot's thoughts are that of an "extreme dream car" which demonstrates the "exciting possibilities for electric power".

Whether you're a fan of Adam West or Roger Moore, you have to admit: cars and television go together well.

The Saint had the Volvo P1800. The Dukes wreaked havoc with the General Lee. The Caped Crusader and his sidekick did the "vra-vra-vroom" in the Batmobile. The Hoff had the Knight Industries Two Thousand (a personal favorite, if only for Will Daniels' quips).

Heck, some of these cars are more loved and remembered than the stars that drove them. Except maybe for David Hasslehoff. I hear he's big in Germany.