× 1 of 3 Expand Heroic restoration Sumter dermatologist Phillip Latham spent seven years rebuilding a 1973 Lincoln Continental chassis to look like the original Batmobile. Photo by Milton Morris × 2 of 3 Expand Hot wheels Latham’s replica of the original Batmobile is complete in every detail, right down to the fire-belching jet engine. Photo by Milton Morris × 3 of 3 Expand The sequel Latham is at work building a second Batmobile, this one based on the sleek, jet-black car from the 1989 Batman movie, with replica machine guns in hidden gun ports. Photo by Milton Morris Prev Next

Phillip Latham

AGE: 55

DAY JOB: Dermatologist

HIS OTHER HOBBY: Guitarist for Chief Complaint, a musical group of healthcare professionals who have been playing together for more than a decade.

MILITARY SERVICE: Lt. Col. Latham serves as a flight surgeon in the South Carolina Air National Guard.

AROUND TOWN: Latham often lends his Batmobiles in support of worthy causes, like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and local Christian youth groups.

Whenever Dr. Phillip Latham takes his Batmobile out for a spin, people ask the Sumter dermatologist to have their photos taken with the iconic vehicle.

Who could blame them? The car is a dead ringer for the hot rod featured in the original Batman television series, right down to the red trim and bat logos on the leather bucket seats. That perfection, however, was achieved only after a self-imposed apprenticeship in almost every aspect of car restoration and more than seven years of hard work.

“With that first car, I learned how to rebuild an engine,” says Latham. “And, I learned about fiberglass and electrical wiring. That is really the reason I build these cars—to learn something new. The fun is not having these cars; the fun is building them.”

Latham is halfway through his second Batmobile, modeled on the sleek, jet-black car from the 1989 movie. This one is equipped with replica machine guns that, with the flick of a switch on the driver’s console, rise from hidden gun ports. His unusual hobby stems from a longtime fascination with sophisticated Hollywood props and started when Latham built a replica of the robot from the 1960s television series Lost in Space.

“When I turned my attention to the Batmobile, I thought, ‘Well, how hard can this be?’” he says. “Turns out, it was pretty hard.”

Fortunately, the good doctor was assisted by friends who were delighted to share their car knowledge and encouraged by his wife, Sumter OB/GYN Dr. Helen Latham.

“I have a very understanding wife,” he says. “She calls herself a ‘garage widow.’ But, with me in the garage, she says at least she knows where I am and that I am behaving."