The one and only original Batmobile, constructed by celebrity customizer George Barris, is slated to go up for auction at the Barret-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ, on January 19, 2013. For Video of Original: ClickMe



While a great many replicas and copies of the Batmobile have been bought and sold, this particular machine has been owned by Barris since 1965, when he purchased the car on which it is based, the Lincoln Futura Concept from 1955, from Ford for the sum of one dollar. Money well spent, we'd say.

When Barris was approached to build the original Batmobile, he was reportedly given just 15 days and US$15,000 to make it happen. With that kind of deadline, the Futura Concept, with its unique double-bubble roof and Ghia-styled bodywork, was an ideal starting point.

Barris added such iconic bits and pieces as "a nose-mounted aluminum Cable Cutter Blade, Bat Ray Projector, Anti-Theft Device, Detect-a-scope, Batscope, Bat Eye Switch, Antenna Activator, Police Band Cut-In Switch, Automatic Tire Inflation Device, Remote Batcomputer, the Batphone, Emergency Bat Turn Lever, Anti-Fire Activator, Bat Smoke, Bat Photoscope, and many other Bat gadgets," such as twin parachutes at the rear used to execute 180-degree turns.

 

The original 1966 Batmobile is headed to auction in Scottsdale, AZ on January 19, and we hopped down to Barris Kustoms in North Hollywood before the car left for good. George Barris has owned this particular car since 1965 when he bought it from Ford for the princely sum of $1. While it started life as the expensive and Italian-built 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept, the car would go on to worldwide fame after a hasty makeover from Barris. Over just three days, the custom car builder sank his teeth into the hand-hammered sheetmetal to create Batman's first Batmobile.

 

I thought this one should be sold by now, did a search and have confirmation that it sold for $4.2 Million Dollars at the Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. in Scottsdale, Ariz., but says the winning bidder has not been disclosed.
The car's original owner – auto customizer George Barris, of Los Angeles – transformed a one-of-a-kind 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car into the sleek crime-fighting machine. It boasted lasers and a "Batphone" and could lay down smoke screens and oil slicks.

 

Now I just saw another article that said it was Sold for $ 4.62 Million Dollars. Previous post said $4.2 Million from another source.
Damn internet inconsistency!
This source: Original Batmobile Sells For $4.6 Million | Street Legal TV

 

Apparently, there is an earlier Bat Car.
In the early '60s, All Star Dairies commissioned this machine to promote the company's Batman and Robin milk. The owner originally built the car between 1961 and 1963 using an Oldsmobile chassis (complete with a 350 V8) and a custom fiberglass body, and the dairy company approached the owner to lease it for two years to promote its comic-themed products. That makes this creation the world's first Batmobile, preceding the famous Barris machine by two years.
Unfortunately, the intervening four decades haven't exactly been kind to the vehicle, and it will need a full-on restoration. Right now there are four days left on the auction with an unanswered opening bid of US$19,800. Check out the eBay Motors auction for more information.
EBAY LINK: Other Makes : Batmobile Pre Barris - DC Comics in Other Makes | eBay Motors

 

Well, this one didn't get any action.
I just saw this above the ad: This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available.
Item Location: Ocala, Florida, United States
Ended: Feb 07, 2013 12:05:27 PST

The starting bid of 19,800 must have been put there by seller because there were exactly 0 bids, no one bidded for it.