Holy bidding war, Batman! The original Batmobile from the iconic ‘60s TV series, Batman, has nabbed a $4.2 million winning bid at the Barrett-Jackson Auction reports TheDetroitBureau.com.
It took legendary Los Angeles customizer George Barris just 15 days to design the bubble-topped 2-seat Batmobile. Mr. Barris says he wanted it to be “a star on its own,” along with the show’s Adam West and Burt Ward, who played Batman and Robin. “With every pow, bang, wow, wee, I wanted the car to do something just like the actors,” the 87-year-old Barris told Reuters. “The car had to be a star on its own. And it became one.”
Phoenix entrepreneur Rick Champagne placed the winning $4.2 million bid for the one-of-a-kind Batmobile, at the Barrett-Jackson Auction, one of the country’s biggest classic car auctions. The winner will pay another $420,000 in buyer premiums before driving it back home. “I really liked Batman growing up and I came here with the intention of buying the car,” explained the 56-year-old Champagne. “Sure enough, I was able to buy it. That was a dream come true.”
The nearly 20 feet long black with red stripes Batmobile was based on the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car. Mr. Barris, who had already created a number of unique vehicles for TV and film, purchased the show car from Ford (F) for $1 but then spent another $15,000 customizing it for Batman, which ran on TV from 1966 to 1968.
Barris, the “King of the Kustomizers” equipped the Caped Crusader’s cruiser with a variety of weapons and special effects, including laser beams, oil slick, and smoke generators, an ejector, rockets, nails, and an anti-theft system. Bloomberg says the 500-horsepower Batmobile has a fake jet exhaust in the back (a painted 10-gallon bucket), a Batphone, and two packed parachutes that actually work used to effect a “Bat turn.”
Mr. Barris also made other memorable TV and movie cars, including the “Back to the Future” DeLorean, “The A-Team” van, and KITT Trans Am. Mr. Barris maintained ownership of the Batmobile and has kept it in his private museum in California. He finally decided it was time to sell.
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.