Being a big fan of the Batman TV series, it was quite exciting to learn that the original Batmobile was up for sale.
Adam West’s fly ride was created by custom car designer George Barris, and while it’s not as amazing as the more recent big screen models, I still love the original one. It’s also great to think that a fan who’s got a lot of money could actually have it in his or her garage.
So the auction happened, with the Batmobile going for (drum roll please)…$4.6 million! Barrett-Jackson, who put on the auction were expecting millions for it, and millions they got. As Deadline confirms, the bidding took about four minutes, and according to Eonline the lucky owner of the Batmobile is Rick Champagne, a car collector from Phoenix, Arizona, who has been coming to the Barrett-Jackson auctions for fifteen years. He joked to The Hollywood Reporter he’s going to keep the Batmobile “in the living room. I’m going to tear down a wall and put it in my living room.”
The original Batmobile has an interesting history. Barris built on a 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept that he bought from Ford for a dollar. Then he built it into the Batmobile in fifteen days on a $15,000 budget. This particular Batmobile has a Batphone, and it’s got an oil sprayer you can use to slip up the bad guys that Barris created out of lawn sprinklers. And yes, the Batmobile is also street legal if you want to take it out and drive it.
Although $4.6 million is a lot for a car, it also tied the record for a Hollywood vehicle, Sean Connery’s Aston Martin from Goldfinger. Yet Barrett-Jackson’s record for a car was a Shelby Cobra that ultimately went for $5.5 million.
So the original Batmobile may not be as tricked-out as the new model Dark Knight vehicles, but I still have a soft spot for it, and would absolutely welcome it in my parking space as well.
