Black Widow
01-23-2013, 05:16 PM
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The original 1966 Batmobile has sold for more than £2.9 million at a star-studded car auction in America. One of the most recognisable cars in the world, the model was sold in Scottsdale, Arizona over the weekend.
The Batmobile looks stunning but its roots are equally amazing – it is based on the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, itself a one-off. It cost Ford $250,000 to build it, the equivalent of well over $2 million today.
The Lincoln Futura was created by Ford’s star designers of the time and built by Ghia in Italy at huge expense. It toured motor shows in 1955 and was also made into a model kit and toy car – as, of course, was the Batmobile too.
Car customiser George Barris bought the Lincoln and turned it into the Batmobile in 1966. Amazingly, he paid Ford just $1 for the car!
George Barris was special guest at the Scottsdale auction. He watched form the auctioneer’s stand and also threw in his signature silk jacket too.
Batman TV producer William Dozer challenged Barris to create the Batmobile – giving him just 15 days to do so! He did also have a $15,000 budget though…
The original Batmobile is powered by a period 6.3-litre Ford V8 engine – it’s related to the motor used in the famous Ford GT 40. However, because it weighs well over two tonnes, it does not mean the Batmobile is a muscle car…
Batman ended in 1968 and, since then, the Batmobile has been used on TV and mobile sets, car shows and museums. Because the concept wasn’t road-registered, Barris was unable to drive it on the highway.
The sale of the car is a real first – the Batmobile has NEVER previously been sold, making the £2.9 million sale price a real landmark.
There’s added recent interest in the original Batmobile thanks to the recent Dark Knight Rises DVD – it was exclusively featured in Christopher Nolan’s Batmobile documentary, one of the key added extras of the film set.
Not only did thousands of people turn up to see the auction live, it was also streamed on TV for millions more to watch. As the auction got underway, the Batmobile was even top trending topic on Twitter!
MSN
The original 1966 Batmobile has sold for more than £2.9 million at a star-studded car auction in America. One of the most recognisable cars in the world, the model was sold in Scottsdale, Arizona over the weekend.
The Batmobile looks stunning but its roots are equally amazing – it is based on the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, itself a one-off. It cost Ford $250,000 to build it, the equivalent of well over $2 million today.
The Lincoln Futura was created by Ford’s star designers of the time and built by Ghia in Italy at huge expense. It toured motor shows in 1955 and was also made into a model kit and toy car – as, of course, was the Batmobile too.
Car customiser George Barris bought the Lincoln and turned it into the Batmobile in 1966. Amazingly, he paid Ford just $1 for the car!
George Barris was special guest at the Scottsdale auction. He watched form the auctioneer’s stand and also threw in his signature silk jacket too.
Batman TV producer William Dozer challenged Barris to create the Batmobile – giving him just 15 days to do so! He did also have a $15,000 budget though…
The original Batmobile is powered by a period 6.3-litre Ford V8 engine – it’s related to the motor used in the famous Ford GT 40. However, because it weighs well over two tonnes, it does not mean the Batmobile is a muscle car…
Batman ended in 1968 and, since then, the Batmobile has been used on TV and mobile sets, car shows and museums. Because the concept wasn’t road-registered, Barris was unable to drive it on the highway.
The sale of the car is a real first – the Batmobile has NEVER previously been sold, making the £2.9 million sale price a real landmark.
There’s added recent interest in the original Batmobile thanks to the recent Dark Knight Rises DVD – it was exclusively featured in Christopher Nolan’s Batmobile documentary, one of the key added extras of the film set.
Not only did thousands of people turn up to see the auction live, it was also streamed on TV for millions more to watch. As the auction got underway, the Batmobile was even top trending topic on Twitter!
MSN