Former 'Batmobile' Replica Creator 'Fighting Uphill Battle' After Fire

JAMESPORT, NY — Months after a devastating fire gutted a Jamesport potato barn once used for the creation of replica Batmobiles and other custom cars, the man behind the beautiful rides is left wondering what his future will bring.

A GoFundMe page, "Fire Destroys Batrodz. Everything Lost!" was created by Lori Hallas, cousin of James Benken and his wife Sue, after the November blaze. "The potato barn where Jim, of BatrodzLLC, kept his custom cars and tools and years full of memories — as well as his pet pigeons— burned to the ground in an electrical fire," she wrote. "Jim and Sue grew up on the East End and have spent their lives giving back to this community. It is now our time to help them and give back to them. They lost everything in the barn with this fire. Nothing is salvageable. Anything you can donate is greatly appreciated."

But despite an outpouring of love and concern from the community, Benken is still in need of help — and unsure if he'll ever be able to find a new space to continue his work.

"Lots of people have been asking what my plans are after the fire," Benken wrote on Facebook earlier in January. "Well, it’s been two months, I’m still waiting to see what my personal property insurance is going to do. I have submitted a fire claim with asset list; it’s currently in review. I have been told they will not cover any of the cars and/or car parts, meaning I lose all five cars and surplus parts ,which totals far more than half my loss, everything else will be at prorated value. So that’s not sounding too good," he wrote.

Another problem is finding affordable shop space locally, Benken said.

"There's not much to be had around here except storage-only buildings. I have found a couple places available, but nobody calls you back," he said. "I’m hoping to catch a break at some point. The worst part is I had a previous kit customer's car in the shop —I was helping him get it mounted to a C4 Corvette and it was basically done." So he's faced with that expense, as well, he said.

"I’m really fighting an uphill battle at this point," Benken said.

So far, Benken said Friday, the only thing that's been covered by insurance is a 20-year-old quad. "I'm starting to doubt I'll be back in business anytime soon."

Describing what the weeks have been life after the fire, Benken said: "It's an absolute nightmare. You go from being successful, with brand recognition, to nothing in a day."

He added: "At one point, I sold replica fiberglass bodies worldwide and have shipped my cars all over the world, too."

But now, although he'd like to begin again, even finding a space is daunting, especially on the East End where real estate values are soaring upward. "There's really nothing around that is affordable," he said.

Around 9 p.m. on Nov. 12, the Riverhead Fire Department was dispatched as mutual aid to 1795 Main Rd. in Jamesport for a building fire. The address belongs to Batrodz Resurrection Garage.

"The first responding units found a potato barn fully involved," Jamesport firefighters said. The Riverhead Fire Department assisted the Jamesport Fire Department at the scene, along with the Mattituck Fire Department. Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance stood by in case of any injuries, and the Flanders-Northampton Fire Department stood by at the Jamesport firehouse, fire officials said.

The scene was turned over to Riverhead fire marshal for investigation, the Riverhead Fire Department said. The blaze was extinguished by 11:30 p.m.

Former Riverhead Fire Chief Steve Beal said that when they arrived, the fire was raging through the roof, which collapsed.

Benken, owner of Batrodz Resurrection Garage, said he has not performed commercial work for customers in quite a few years.

"That barn was only used for my personal storage and project builds of my own," he said.

In the days since the fire, friends and fellow car enthusiasts have expressed not just their sorrow at the heartbreaking loss, but offers to help Benken dig his life's work and passion from the charred rubble.

Displaying a Facebook video of a burnt 1966 Gotham Roadster body #70 being pulled from the charred remains of his dream late last week, Benken wrote: "That’s what our day consisted of. Thanks to everyone that came out to help me get everything out. You’ll never know how much I appreciate the help and support."

After a weekend of struggling to save something, anything, from the ashes, Benken was disheartened. "We cleaned out all the cars yesterday. Quite a few showed up to lend a hand. It was horrible to see the cars destroyed. I was hoping I could save at least one car. Nothing at all was salvageable."

His favorite car in the barn had been a 1986 Buick Grand National, Benken said. "I've had that car about four years and was doing a restoration on it. It's badly burned. I could fix that car, but it would cost more than it's worth, and I don't have any tools or a place to do the work — so I'll be forced to scrap it. It's pretty bad."

The GoFundMe, however, represents an outpouring of caring from those who want to help lift up Benken after devastating loss. He expressed gratitude for the kindness shown by the many who care. With any funds raised, Benken said, "Hopefully, I can pull everything together, find another building and buy a few more cars."

He wrote about the fire on Facebook hours after all was lost.

"At around 9 p.m. last night, we had a fire in my building and it’s a total loss," he said. "I would like to thank the Jamesport, Riverhead and Mattituck Fire Departments, the Riverhead fire marshal’s office and EMS for responding and trying to help us. I would also like to thank all my friends and family that reached out to me. It’s truly appreciated. As for me — I have no idea what

I’m going to do. Everything I own was in that building. It was my second home for the past 27 years. It’s a devastating loss, to say the least."

To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

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