Bam! Pow! in Monaco

What does it take to turn heads in a place that’s known to be full of supercars? Something different. And boy does Bonhams have something different consigned to its “Les Grandes Marques a Monaco” sale on May 13. 

Lot 101 is a 1966 Batmobile recreation. You read that right — a double-bubble Adam West-era cruiser in black with five-spokes and bat-shaped wheel spinners. Pow!

This is part of why I love following the auction world so much. How did a Batmobile replica make it to Monaco? Can this be the first one on offer in the principality? What’s it going to bring there compared to what we see them bring in the U.S.?

This one was built by Jay Ohrberg’s Hollywood Cars, and it’s been a part of several collections, including the “Cars of the Stars” museum. It’s undoubtedly close in construction to the original Barris Batmobile, which as you may remember, sold from Barris’ collection at Barrett-Jackson back in 2013 for $4.6m. There are a good number of replicas out there as well, typically trading around $100k to $130k, but we’re used to seeing them in places such as Scottsdale, Houston, Palm Beach and Indy. Not Monaco.

This particular car has spent time in Germany and in Switzerland, and has been recently serviced by a Swiss-based shop. 

The original was based on the Ford Futura concept car, but most of the replicas are 1959 Lincolns underneath. This follows that formula, along with Ford V8 power and a variety of inoperative Bat gadgets, including a phone.

Value is generally connected to rarity and condition, but it’s also connected to region as well. So what’s a Batmobile worth in a place such as Monaco? Bonhams has a $105k to $157k estimate on this one, and we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out on May 13. This one will be fun.

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