With its creator and owner George Barris making a specail appearance on stage to boost its appeal, the original 1966 Batmobile went on sale for the very first time at Saturday’s Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

After a heated bidding war, the Batmobile sold for $4.2 million (about €3.15 million or £2.6 million at the current exchange rates), plus another $420,000 in fees, which brings the tally to $4.62 million (€3.47 million or £2.9 million), to car collector Rick Champagne from Arizona.

Not bad considering that Barris paid Ford a measly $1 to acquire the Lincoln Futura Concept in 1959 and then spent $15,000 to turn it into the famous Batmobile for the 1966 Batman television series and movie starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin, in just 15 days.

Included in the sale were memorabilia and documentation from Barris’ personal archive.

When asked what he would do with his new prized possession, Champagne stated, “I’m going to tear down a wall and put in my living room.” Let’s hope he won’t mind us dropping in from time to time…

So, what do you think about the selling price; was it too high, too low, or something you anticipated? Tell us in the comments below.

Opening Photo Courtesy: Barrett-Jackson

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