In an auction total which matched the record $4.6 million a collector paid for the Aston Martin driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger, a Tempe Arizona based buyer took home the original Batmobile. Designed by legendary Hollywood car customizer George Barris the model was up for auction at the prestigious Barrett-Jackson house in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Hollywood Reporter indicates Barris created the first of six Batmobiles in 1966 – when it was produced for the 1960s television series and film – for $15,000 while using the frame of the 1955 Ford Futura concept car which Barris had purchased for $1. Talk about a return on investment! The actual winning bid was $4.2 million but additional charges and fees brought the total to $4.6 million.
No word yet on the cost of licensing and registering the Batmobile in Arizona…
Winning bidder Rick Champagne replied when asked where he would store the iconic vehicle, “In the living room. I’m going to tear down a wall and put in my living room.”
Hailing from the Chicagoland area, Greg brings over three decades of comic book fandom to the fore as TGG’s resident comics expert. From tackling Golden and Silver Age titles to the latest projects on the horizon, he provides an “every fan’s” look at the industry; be it from the reader or publisher’s perspective.
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