Holy smokes! Original Batmobile has no scratches and goes like a rocket
It was the first time that the 1963 Batmobile, a replica of the sleek black ride used by the DC Comics superhero, was up for auction since it was cast off and forgotten decades ago, according to Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, which handled the sale.
“This is a great piece of lost pop culture and Americana,” said Margaret Barrett, director of entertainment and music at Heritage Auctions.
“There is a lot of interest in it.”
The car was put up for auction by Toy Car Exchange LLC, an online marketplace for collectible cars, which bought it and had it restored to pristine condition, Barrett said.
It was the creation of Forrest Robinson, a Batman fan who spent three years customizing a 1956 Oldsmobile 88 with a 324 Rocket engine to resemble the single-fin vehicle depicted in DC’s Batman Comics from the 1940s and 1950s. He finished in 1963.
Robinson’s Batmobile was completed before George Barris began building a Batmobile for the ABC TV series “Batman,” which aired for three seasons until 1968.
The Barris Batmobile sold at auction in January 2013 for $4 million.
