The Classic Industries employees working in the company's Retail Showroom weren't sure what the jet-black vehicle parked in the showroom's parking lot was. Someone said there's a Batmobile out there. Hearing this made several of us in the office quite curious. Some of us sneaked out to the parking lot to discover if we might get a glimpse of the Caped Crusaders, Batman and Robin exiting the vehicle, so we could find out what crimes might be occurring right under our noses in Surf City U.S.A. at Classic Industries.
Above: Not long after Tim purchased the Caddy, he replaced the non-running, original 390-cubic inch V8 and Hydramatic transmission with a 6.0-liter LQ4 V8 mill and 4L80E automatic transmission sourced from a 2002 GMC Sierra. The engine makes a comfortable 325-horsepower and has 435 foot/pounds of torque. A 2010 Audi electric fuel pump feeds the port injection system a steady stream of petrol. The Caddy's wired with a 24-circuit Painless Performance wiring harness. A four-core aluminum radiator and large electric push fan keeps the V8 running cool.
There's typically no need to phone Commissioner Gordon and get the Caped Crusaders involved with any chicanery that might be transpiring at CI. The vast majority of American muscle car hobbyists are hardworking, honest people. Upon walking outside, those of us in the know solved the Batmobile mystery in bat boomerang milliseconds. The black beauty wasn't a Batmobile. She was a 1960 Cadillac Coupe de Ville! What's more, all of her outlandish chrome and stainless-steel moldings and bumpers had either been removed and/or painted jet-black. Hmmm. And to our surprise, the Caddy had no side windows. Like a topless roadster from a bygone era, her door tops had no sliced openings to accommodate manual or power roll-up windows. There was smooth, jet-black steel. We were looking at an old Caddy that had a hardtop, no windows, and was laying frame in Classic's Retail Showroom parking lot, as if she owned the place.
Video: '60 Coupe de Ville Owner Interview - Tim Hasty
Above: The four bucket seats were sourced from a 1965 Ford Thunderbird. Diamond tufted black and white stitched vinyl and leather custom trimmed seats are separated by a center console that runs the length of the interior. The door panels were also trimmed to match the seats.
Where's Batman and Robin When We Need 'Em?
For all we knew Classic's heroic CEO and founder, Jeff Leonard, was the Coupe de Ville's pilot himself, and he was in disguise like that Undercover Boss show on TV to investigate whether Classic Industries employees were providing courteous and professional customer service to our esteemed American muscle car customers. No worries. All was operating smoothly like clockwork in the aforementioned Showroom, as well as in the company's warehouses, and in the confines of the corporate campus... apart from the curious Cadillac admirers who snuck out of the office from the Art Department (read Creative Services).
Above: The Coupe de Ville appears to have all of its original gauges. Currently, the air vents do not supply AC or heat, but the owner is considering adding an HVAC system.
A couple of us asked around the showroom and in the parking lot and found the Caddy's current caretaker and affable owner - Tim Hasty. Not long thereafter yours truly convinced Mr. Hasty that a photoshoot, feature article, and video interview would be in order for he and his dashing looking Cadillac hardtop faux (or more accurately, no) roadster.
Above: Prestige Forged custom 20-inch wheels are shod with Diamondback 20-inch whitewall radial tires. The wheels are designed after the 1965-67 Cadillac hub caps with floating 1963-64 Cadillac center emblems.
Above: Perched on the Coupe de Ville's firewall, Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein watch over the engine.
Above: The Cliffside Car Club is the club that Tim belongs to that he talked about in the video.
Above: Day Maker headlights light a brilliant path ahead at night.
Above: Since all the door handles and emblems have been "shaved and smoothed", there's a popping mechanism inside the trunk that's operated via remote control for trunk access. The Cadillac has an installed Viair air ride kit with Firestone airbags, Vixon Air Valves, and a five-gallon air tank. Four-wheel disc brakes, with Brembos in the front and SSBC brakes in the back, bring the long, low, but not-so-lean Coupe de Ville to a halt in short order.
Classic Industries Now Offers Cadillac Components!
Classic Industries offers a growing list of Cadillac components. Shop online for your 1960 Coupe de Ville items.
Should you also have other American muscle cars, there are also several large parts catalogs for various GM, Mopar, and Ford Mustang vehicles, in addition to your having the ability to search and shop online.
Above: The 1967 Batmobile does have some resemblance to Tim's 1960 Cadillac Coupe De Ville. However, the Batmobile is truly a roadster, with no windows. She doesn't even have a roadster top! Photo courtesy of the author, photographed at the 2025 Grand National Roadster Show. Holy Guacamole, Batman!
