What is Mark Towle's net worth? 'Car Masters' boss was sued by Warner Bros over Batmobile (2024)

Mark Towle is the leader of 'Gotham Garage' and has earned quite a lot of money over the years

Car Masters: Rust to Riches’ was a sleeper hit for Netflix. No one ever thought that the show based on cars will get so much love from the viewers, but it did. The first season turned out to be really successful while the second edition did even better. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the series is returning for a third season as well.

For the uninitiated, ‘Car Masters’ on Netflix tells the story of Gotham Garage and the people working in it. The garage is owned by Mark Towle, a man known for his knowledge about cars and engineering. The garage is known for buying old vehicles and turning them into new, luxurious ones. In two seasons, we have seen numerous four-wheelers and two-wheelers getting repaired and turned into something majestic.

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It’ll be interesting to see how much money he has made over the years by flipping and repairing vehicles. Let’s dig a little deeper in his life.

What is Mark Towle's net worth? 'Car Masters' boss was sued by Warner Bros over Batmobile (1)

Early life and career

Born in 1962 in Los Angeles, California, Towle did not have a comfortable childhood and was raised along with his siblings by a single mother. Their life was never easy and they had to work really hard to earn money for procuring the essential items for their survival. This is one of the reasons that he has always been able to make the best of a bad situation. It also means that he knew the importance of money since he was small.

Even when he was younger, he always loved fixing broken things. From toys to some electronic gadgets, he was really fascinated by them. Towle used to go to ‘dumpster diving’ with his close pals and find broken toys that had been thrown away. But he did not just fix them, he would also use his creativity to redesign them and make them look better than the original.

What is Mark Towle's net worth? 'Car Masters' boss was sued by Warner Bros over Batmobile (2)

As he got older, he became a pro at fixing things and would use his creative mind to make new things. His first job was making props for TV shows and movies. He completely loved his job because he was getting a chance to make new things out of nothing. It was there that he found his passion and saved money to start his own venture. This was how Gotham Garage came into existence. The garage turned out to be a game-changing moment for Towle and gave him the liberty to show his creativity without any boundaries. He created a lot of vehicles that made everyone crazy and he took inspiration from the Batmobile to make some really cool cars. However, it did not work well for him.

Lawsuit

Towle was using the Batmobile as an inspiration and used it on some of the vehicles he created. The Batmobile became really famous after getting featured in the DC Comics and it gained wider prominence when live-action movies started showing these extraordinary cars as one of the main weapons possessed by the Dark Knight. Warner Bros. got to know about the vehicles and filed a lawsuit against the maker for violating trademarks and copyrights regarding the Batmobile. During the hearing, Towle objected that if the reproduction of these cars is stopped, it would come as a disaster for a lot of manufacturers and makers.

What is Mark Towle's net worth? 'Car Masters' boss was sued by Warner Bros over Batmobile (3)

However, the judge did not announce the verdict in the favour of the automobile manufacturers and ruled that the Batmobile is a copyright product.

‘Car Masters’ on Netflix

The show on Netflix changed everything for Towle. It gave him fame, money, and everything he ever needed in his life. The crew of Gotham Garage became famous and everyone knew them. Towle has been the leader while the other people working with him are really extraordinary. The best thing about Towle is that he never dominates his staff and treats everyone equally.

The show, started in 2019, was a massive success for Towle and Netflix as well.

What is Mark Towle's net worth? 'Car Masters' boss was sued by Warner Bros over Batmobile (4)

What is Mark Towle’s net worth?

From making cars and bikes to boats and choppers, Towle and his team have done it all. He made the impeccable Speed Racer Mach 5 replica that was featured on ‘Car Masters’ and is currently in Petersen Museum. Towle has done pretty well over the years and according to My Life, his net worth is estimated between $250,000 and $500,000.

With the arrival of Season 3, the numbers might go higher.

‘Car Masters: Rust to Riches’ Season 3 will premiere exclusively on Netflix on August 4.

What is Mark Towle's net worth? 'Car Masters' boss was sued by Warner Bros over Batmobile (2024)

FAQs

Why did Warner sue Gotham Garage? ›

Warner Bros. filed a lawsuit In May 2011 alleging that Gotham Garage infringed the copyrighted versions of the 1966 and 1989 Batmobile and infringed various Batman trademarks in the marketing and selling of its custom vehicles. The court made easy work of the trademark claims.

Who owns the rights to the Batmobile? ›

The United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit concluded that DC comics owns the copyright to the 'Batmobile' character as it appeared in 1966 television series and the 1989 motion pictures and that Towle had infringed this copyright by manufacturing replicas of the character.

Who actually owns Gotham Garage? ›

Mini Bio. Meet Mark Towle - The founder of "Gotham Garage".

Who won the Gotham Garage lawsuit? ›

Warner Bros. has scored a big win in a lawsuit against Mark Towle, a California resident who operates Gotham Garage, which specializes in customizing replicas of automobiles featured in various films and TV shows.

Did Gotham Garage get canceled? ›

The renewal news for season 5 was confirmed by Mark Towle, a member of the Gotham Garage team, in a late July 2023 Instagram post. Towle assured fans that season 5 is on the horizon and will be released very soon. He also hinted at impressive car transformations and the addition of new team members.

Is Gotham Garage still in business? ›

Is Gotham Garage still open? Yes, and Mark has just announced that Season 5 of Rust to Riches is on the way.

How much does Danny make per episode on Counting Cars? ›

While being an expert on cars for the show "Pawn Stars" producers immediately perceived his magnetic personality and made him a proposition to have his own show called "Counting Cars", it has been airing since 2012, it is reported that Koker receives a salary of $100,000 per episode and has an average of about 16 ...

What car did Gotham Garage donate? ›

The Gotham Garage team took a swing at creating the Plymouth XNR Replica, a $935,000 concept car, and donated it to Petersen Car Museum.

Is the Batmobile illegal? ›

A recent 9th Circuit decision has endorsed copyright protection for Batman's four-wheeled sidekick, confirming that copyright protection can extend to "sufficiently distinctive" elements of an original work, like comic-book characters, even if the "character" is a car.

How much did Bruce Wayne pay for the Batmobile? ›

The Batmobile (the Nolan universe Tumbler at least) is approximately $18,000,000, the Batpod motorcycle costs $1,500,000, and his flying vehicle runs up to about $60,000,000. Lastly, the gadgets in his utility belt, such as bat-shaped shuriken, smoke grenades, and other gizmos, run up to about $400,000.

Where is car masters rust to riches filmed? ›

Car Masters: Rust to Riches
Production locationCalifornia
Running time31–40 min.
Production companyMak Pictures
Original release
10 more rows

What is the controversy with the Gotham Garage? ›

The Gotham Garage Lawsuit

Warner Bros. took Mark to court for violating trademarks and disregarding the copyright protection that the studio felt the Batmobile should enjoy. According to the complainants, the Batmobile is not just a vehicle - it's a character, and that's what got Mark on the hook.

What is the Towle copyright test? ›

In the Towle case, the Ninth Circuit adopted a three-prong test for determining whether a character is entitled to copyright protection: (1) The character has “physical as well as conceptual qualities;” (2) the character is “sufficiently delineated to be recognizable as the same character whenever it appears” and “ ...

Did Gotham Garage sell the 2nd XNR? ›

The finished replica was donated to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California A second XNR replica by Gotham Garage was built, and then sold at the start of Season 3.

Did Gotham Garage donate the XNR? ›

The Gotham Garage team took a swing at creating the Plymouth XNR Replica, a $935,000 concept car, and donated it to Petersen Car Museum.

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