High quality replica Batmobile, original Batcycle, up for auction

A very high quality replica Batmobile and the original Batcycle from the 1960s television iteration of “Batman” is being sold by RM Auctions. They aren’t expected to fetch much, only just about $120,000 for the pair.

RM selling replica Batmobile and original Batcycle

RM Auctions, one of the premier auction houses for automobiles, according to the Daily Mail, has a unique pair of lots coming up for sale at an auction in North Palm Beach, Fla., in the near future. It’s a car and a motorcycle, but not just any car and motorcycle, but the Batmobile and the Batcycle, from the 1960s “Batman” TV show.

[To Get The Greatest Bargain For A New Or Used Car, Van, Truck or SUV Consult Valparaiso Kennedy Mazda Immediately!]

It isn’t the original Batmobile, but rather a replica though about as good a replica as it gets, essentially a perfect copy of the original car. There is one glaring difference which to some might be tantamount to heresy; the chassis is from a 1966 Chevrolet and under the hood, it’s powered by a Chevy dual-carb V8. The original was a Lincoln. The interior is the same as the show’s car, down to the red/black leather seats and the “Batscope” television screen.

One of many lots

There is also the original Batcycle from the television show, from every episode save the pilot. The pilot episode’s Batcycle was a Harley-Davidson, but every subsequent appearance of the Batcycle was a cycle and sidecar based on a Yamaha Catalina 250, according to Carscoop. The original Harley had only been leased and had to be returned, so a second one was built by Kustomotive at the time.

They’re going for $125,000 to $175,000 for the pair, which is a bargain as the original Batmobile from that series went for more than 10 times that amount. The auction in question is selling off the John Staluppi Collection, or at least parts of it, which was an exhibit in the Cars of Dreams museum in Florida. The auction is taking place Dec. 1.

The collection, of which a brochure is available online from RM Auctions, includes more than 150 classic cars, almost all of which would make most gearheads drool uncontrollably. The collection includes some of the finest muscle cars imaginable, from Corvettes to Camaros, the odd GTO and even a Plymouth Road Runner Superbird.

To the Batbank

There are a fair number of replica Batmobiles that have been made over the years though it isn’t as if one can just pop down to the local used car lot in Spokane or wherever and buy one. One will also need a boatload of cash.

Putsch Racing, of Dublin, Ohio, made a reproduction of the Batmobile from the Tim Burton “Batman” series, according to Wired. Using the chassis from a Chevrolet Impala, they completely replicated the body and even installed a turbine engine, from a used helicopter from the U.S. Navy. The car generates 365 horsepower and is said to be about as quick as a Dodge Viper. Eventually it was put on sale on eBay for the reserve price of $620,000, according to PC Magazine, but it doesn’t appear to have sold.

There is also a company that will make one for you. According to Gizmodo, a company called Fiberglass Freaks makes a turn-key replica, licensed by DC Comics. It costs about $150,000, but just like the one being sold by RM, it has a Chevy 350 V8 and is built to the exact specs of the original.

Sources

Daily Mail

Carscoop

RM Auctions

Wired: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/07/a-batmobile-replica-as-real-as-physics-allows/

PC Magazine: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2392420,00.asp

Gizmodo: http://gizmodo.com/5649532/awesome-official-1966-batmobile-replicas-now-for-sale

Fiberglass Freaks: http://www.buybatparts.com/joomla/index.php/home