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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Holy Bidding! The Batmobile Hits $4.2 Million At Barrett-Jackson
Legendary car customizer George Barris steps up to help sell his most-famous creation.
The Batmobile by George Barris is the most recognized and popular piece of entertainment automotive history - a fact backed up by its $4.2 million dollar sale.
The Batmobile scored big at Barrett-Jackson on Saturday night, hammered sold at $4.2 million and bringing the standing-room-only crowd in the giant auction tent to a state of cheering, clapping, picture-taking pandemonium.
The authentic, original Batmobile from the 1960s Batman TV show was expected to spark some excitement, but the raucous Scottsdale reception was far bigger than anyone expected.
So was the final bid. The buyer is businessman, car collector and lifelong Batman fan Rick Champagne of nearby Ahwatukee, Ariz., who said he’s wanted to own the Batmobile “ever since I was a kid. I had a toy model of it.”
“I’m going to keep it at home,” Champagne said. “Maybe take it out for a Sunday drive.”
The Batmobile rolled onto the stage to the familiar, blaring strains of the Batman! theme song from the TV show, with the crowd rising to its feet with loud applause when the car’s creator, legendary customizer George Barris, stepped out.
Along with him, dressed as Batgirl, was another blast from that era, the famed Linda Vaughn who is best known to racing fans as Miss Hurst Golden Shifter. Needless to say, she’s still got it.
“Thanks to all of you out there; you made this happen!” the diminutive Barris roared from the auction podium.
The bidding took off right from the get go, and as the numbers quickly rose, so did the reaction from the surging audience, reaching a fever pitch as the bids soared into the multi-millions.
Champagne, who is president and CEO of Arizona-based Champagne Logistics, said he was determined to win the Batmobile, although “I knew there were some real heavy hitters in the room.” It finally came down to him and one other determined guy sitting nearby, he said, but he prevailed, winning a coin toss against the bidding rival.
The $4.2 million price tag will swell another 10 percent when the auction’s bidder fee is added on. The Batmobile becomes the second highest-selling vehicle ever at a Barrett-Jackson auction, behind Carroll Shelby's own 1966 Cobra Super Snake sold in 2007.
After the Batmobile was wheeled outside, where it was greeted by another crush of enthusiastic auction folk, Champagne and Barris sat inside, enjoying the Bat-moment together.
The Batmobile was famously built in just a couple weeks by Barris and his crew in 1965 after they got a rush order from the studio that was about to begin production of Batman. The TV car was built from the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, which Barris had purchased years earlier from Ford for one dollar.
After the TV show ended in 1968, Barris kept the Batmobile in his possession, storing it at his North Hollywood custom-car shop and trailering it to auto events nationwide. This was the first time ever that the Batmobile was put up for sale.
Barris is known as the designer and builder of scores of fanciful custom cars for TV, films and celebrities, but the Batmobile remains his most famous creation.
“It’s the most famous car in the world!” proclaimed Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson, as the Batmobile bidding climbed.
It certainly lived up to its reputation.
Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at
The authentic, original Batmobile from the 1960s Batman TV show was expected to spark some excitement, but the raucous Scottsdale reception was far bigger than anyone expected.
So was the final bid. The buyer is businessman, car collector and lifelong Batman fan Rick Champagne of nearby Ahwatukee, Ariz., who said he’s wanted to own the Batmobile “ever since I was a kid. I had a toy model of it.”
“I’m going to keep it at home,” Champagne said. “Maybe take it out for a Sunday drive.”
The Batmobile rolled onto the stage to the familiar, blaring strains of the Batman! theme song from the TV show, with the crowd rising to its feet with loud applause when the car’s creator, legendary customizer George Barris, stepped out.
Along with him, dressed as Batgirl, was another blast from that era, the famed Linda Vaughn who is best known to racing fans as Miss Hurst Golden Shifter. Needless to say, she’s still got it.
“Thanks to all of you out there; you made this happen!” the diminutive Barris roared from the auction podium.
The bidding took off right from the get go, and as the numbers quickly rose, so did the reaction from the surging audience, reaching a fever pitch as the bids soared into the multi-millions.
Champagne, who is president and CEO of Arizona-based Champagne Logistics, said he was determined to win the Batmobile, although “I knew there were some real heavy hitters in the room.” It finally came down to him and one other determined guy sitting nearby, he said, but he prevailed, winning a coin toss against the bidding rival.
The $4.2 million price tag will swell another 10 percent when the auction’s bidder fee is added on. The Batmobile becomes the second highest-selling vehicle ever at a Barrett-Jackson auction, behind Carroll Shelby's own 1966 Cobra Super Snake sold in 2007.
After the Batmobile was wheeled outside, where it was greeted by another crush of enthusiastic auction folk, Champagne and Barris sat inside, enjoying the Bat-moment together.
The Batmobile was famously built in just a couple weeks by Barris and his crew in 1965 after they got a rush order from the studio that was about to begin production of Batman. The TV car was built from the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, which Barris had purchased years earlier from Ford for one dollar.
After the TV show ended in 1968, Barris kept the Batmobile in his possession, storing it at his North Hollywood custom-car shop and trailering it to auto events nationwide. This was the first time ever that the Batmobile was put up for sale.
Barris is known as the designer and builder of scores of fanciful custom cars for TV, films and celebrities, but the Batmobile remains his most famous creation.
“It’s the most famous car in the world!” proclaimed Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson, as the Batmobile bidding climbed.
It certainly lived up to its reputation.
Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at
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