Holy 1960s Batman! Original TV Batmobile Races to Auction Block
"Still as striking as when it first came out of the paint shop, the original Batmobile has been a part of Barris’ personal collection since he first bought it from the Ford Motor Company for a dollar in 1965. Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction will mark the first time the car has gone up for sale since then," the Barrett-Jackson car auction house stated in a press release.
The Batmobile is 19 feet long, seats two, and has a bubble-top. The prototype car was entirely hand-built in 1954 by Ghia Body Works in Turin, Italy. It features several instruments in the steering wheel, as well as a push-button transmission, exterior microphones to pick up and transmit the sounds of traffic to the occupants inside, and a bunch of other innovative devices, Barrett-Jackson says. Powering the Batmobile is a 390-in 1956 Lincoln V8 engine and a B&M Hydro Automatic transmission.
"The 1966 Batmobile by George Barris is one of the most famous Hollywood cars in history and it has become a true icon that has been carried from generation to generation of Batmobiles to follow," said Craig Jackson, Chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. "This vehicle not only marks the significant Bat logo that sits on the middle of its door, but a time in television history where they defied the odds of making a car the real star of the show. It revolutionized an entire industry that followed in its footsteps and we couldn’t be prouder to have it cross our block in Scottsdale as it goes up for sale for the very first time."
It's loaded to the hilt with all kinds of geeky gadgets, including a nose-mounted aluminum Cable Cutter Blade, Bat Ray Porjector, Automatic Tire Inflation Device, Remote Batcomputer, and several other Batman inspired accessories.
There's no estimate how much the Batmobile will go for when it's put up for auction on Saturday, January 19, 2013.
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I remember seeing this car (maybe it was a replica) here in Dallas when I was a little kid along with all other types of original bat mobile memorabilia. While I was too young to have ever gotten into the original batman, it was rather entertaining to watch these old batman episodes and laugh at the "technology". |
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Hah, I miss campy batman. Gotta love a series where headlights that say "Bat Ray" was the least weird thing on the screen. |
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If only I had won the Powerball yesterday. :( Like Dorkstar, I recall seeing the (or one of the) Batmobile at a car show when I was a kid (and getting Batgirl's autograph). That car will forever be "the" Batmobile to us. |
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I can't wait to see that auction. Other than Batman himself, probably there is only one other person that would look cool driving this car: Jay Leno! |
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Lol Super Dave - I can picture Jay driving it! I'm betting there will be a lot of others willing to pay even more for this car though. If I owned it, I'd make an 80-minute CD of nothing but the "na nah na nah na nah..." portion of the Batman theme on a loop, and make sure to blast it when I was driving in the city. Also, I think I'd get a custom plate that said "WAYNE 2". This is why I can't have nice things. |
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Holy crap that is one sweet ride! Can get a HH review on it? ;) Jk Haha pretty amazing that he bought that for only a dollar though! |
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Times like this I wish I was rich!! WOW I'd easily hand over a mil for it if I could. It'll be interesting to see how much it goes for! |
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The original Batmobile sold tonight for $4.2 million! When interviewed after the auction, the new owner stated that he would knock down a wall and display his new prize in his living room! |
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