One of the most iconic cars in movie history is about to go up for grabs.
Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies are teaming up to auction off the Batmobile from Batman Returns later this fall. The car, which will be sold on this year’s Batman Day in November, was used extensively during the shooting of the 1992 film and is expected to set a new auction record for movie cars.
James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 has plenty of partisans, but even they would agree that the Batmobile is in the conversation for the most famous movie car of all. Several versions of the Caped Crusader’s go-to vehicle have graced the big and small screen over the decades, but our favorite is the 1989 model that was featured in Tim Burton entries in the franchise, 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns.
The “Batman Returns” Batmobile
Julien’s Auctions
The 1989 or Tim Burton Batmobile was designed by Julian Cadlow and brought to life by Hollywood legend Carl Casper. It measures 19 feet, eight inches long bumper-to-bumper and has a frame crafted from two spliced-together Chevrolet Impala chassis. The frame is topped with an Art Deco-inspired body made from fiberglass that features a jet-turbine-style intake up front and two giant bat wings coming off the rear. It’s powered by a Chevy V-8 mated to a three-speed automatic transmission.
The Batmobile could sell for up to $7 million
Julien’s Auctions
This Batmobile did not just appear in Batman Returns; it also served as the film’s hero car. The auction house says the ride has even been screen-matched in the majority of the movie’s driving sequences. It even made appearances at the film’s premiere and wrap party. In the years since, the vehicle, which still maintains its original glossy black finish, has either been in storage or on display at the Marconi Automotive Museum.
If you’ve longed to have a Batmobile waiting for you in your personal Bat Cave, be prepared to spend big on Monday, November 23. Julien’s says it expects the vehicle to sell for between $5 million and $7 million. If the gavel price does fall within this range, it would make the Batman Returns Batmobile the most expensive movie car in history. The vehicle it would replace? The Batmobile from the Adam West Batman TV series, which sold for $4.2 million at auction last decade.
Click here for more photos of the Batman Returns Batmobile.
Julien’s Auctions
