C4-era Corvette Batmobile Replica Ready to Hit the Batcave!
Though the original was based on a Lincoln concept, this Corvette-based Batmobile is sure to land a “KA-POW! on Gotham’s worst.
Whether you saw it on TV the first time or through Nick At Night, the Sixties camp classic Batman produced not only a few memorable moments and an enduring acting icon in Adam West, but it also gave us the Batmobile. Based on a concept car from Lincoln’s back lot, the story goes George Barris was given the car for a dollar, then three weeks to make it the badass we all know and love now.
Since then, there’ve been many takes on the Batmobile, and many more replicas, to boot. Auto Evolution happened upon such a replica which recently went before the camera at Mecum Kansas City 2020. This one, though, has some LT power under the hood, and then some.
This replica of the ’66 Batmobile hides a 1985 Corvette under its iconic body. Obviously, the Batmobile is a long boy, while the C4-era Corvette is a short wedge of Eighties nostalgia. Thus, the ‘Vette’s frame received some stretching to battle the likes of The Joker, The Penguin and The Riddler. Up front, though, is a newer LT1 moving the rear wheels through an automatic.
The frame had 59,000 miles before its transformation into the Batmobile, while the LT1 received the appropriate Batmobile touches. Alas, despite its wow factor, it couldn’t land a “KA-POW!” or a “BAM!” on the auction block in Kansas City. In its brief moment in the spotlight November 21, the replica managed to pull a high bid of $75,000, though not enough to meet the reserve. And it’s not alone in this situation.
Back in September 2019, the Mecum Louisville auction in Louisville, Kentucky had this ’88 Impala-based ’66 Batmobile replica up for grabs. Yet, it failed to meet reserve, capping off at $65,000. And in 2018 at Mecum Harrisburg, one of Barris Group’s own Ford-powered replicas — driven by West himself — couldn’t get above $220,000 to hit its reserve; another Barris replica did go to new home the following year in Harrisburg. We guess it’s hard to be the Batman.
Or, perhaps, they want a different Batmobile. This ’89 replica, too, is based on a Corvette, though little else is known. This one will roll down the red carpet at Mecum Houston in December. We wish the seller all the best.
Photos: Mecum Auctions, Cameron Aubernon for LS1Tech
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