It doesn’t get much more iconic than Adam West’s original Batmobile. But a car of such stature still has its faults. In the case of this member of the pantheon of the history’s most famous vehicles, there are two fatal flaws.
The first is pretty common amongst such high-profile items; price. The real-deal Batmobile from the Caped Crusader’s small-screen adventures in the 1960s came up for auction in 2013 and hammered for an eye-watering $4.6 million, well out of reach for most would-be vigilantes out there!
Fighting corruption and chasing supervillains is where the TV’s original Bat-car also falls flat. As it is based on a massive two-door Lincoln concept car from 1955, it isn’t hard to imagine the Batmobile’s chassis being happiest on a slow cruise.
Mecum had an incredibly convincing answer to both problems drive across its auction stage this past week in Kansas City. We are, of course talking about a no expense spared restoration with extreme attention to detail. The build started with a canvas that did the Marty McFly trick of going 30 years into the future.
That canvas was none other than America’s sports car, which for ’85 could outhandle almost anything on the road and completely run circles around everything from 1955. These bones make the tribute much more agile and ready for autocross-style chases around Gotham than its inspiration ever was.
After having its frame stretched, it comes with a rebuilt title but it is a project that could fool even the nerdiest-eyed bat-aficionados out there. The body and interior are custom built to replicate the Dark Knight’s first ride and even the valve covers on the L98 V8 have been bat-ified.
Even though it could fool Dick Grayson, himself into thinking it is the genuine article, this Bat-faux-bile only reached 1/61 the price of the original in bidding this week. After stalling at $75,000, it was listed as a “Bid Goes On” auction so it can be yours if you are motivated to add this beauty to your personal Batcave!
Source:
mecum.com
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