This Running And Driving Keaton-Era Batmobile Hits The Auction Block

Most superheroes don’t drive themselves around. Superman can fly, Spider-Man swings from building to building, and the Flash just runs wherever he needs to go. But Bruce Wayne? That dude has some four-wheeled taste. From the slinky red coupe in the comics and his Lamborghini Aventador daily driver to the late-model muscle car from The Batman, Gotham’s richest superhero has always driven nice cars. But perhaps no other vehicle embodies the franchise more than the one driven by Michael Keaton in 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns. This 1989 Batmobile is a running and driving example, officially licensed by Warner Brothers, and it could be yours when it crosses the auction block at Mecum Indy next month.

Genuine Harrier Parts For This Roadgoing Jet

The Batmobile rides on a lengthened 1967 Chevrolet Impala chassis and measures nearly 20 feet long, giving it a larger footprint than a GMC Hummer EV. There’s a 5.7-liter V8 under its long, pointed hood, with an automatic gearbox sending power to a chunky set of Mickey Thompson L60-15 tires mounted on 15-inch wheels. The fiberglass bodywork is finished in black – what else – and the car implements genuine jet-engine parts and nozzles from a Harrier jet, lending an air of legitimacy to its simulated afterburner that throws non-simulated flames. The sliding canopy, towering rear batwing fenders, and an interior control panel featuring (presumably non-operational) smoke screen and oil slick defensive measures look like a shot-for-shot remake of the real-life movie car. Even the outrigger-mounted sliding windshield wipers come from the film, showing an attention to detail rarely seen in Batmobile replicas.

Considering the Batmobile is Serial No. 1 of Warner Brothers’ officially licensed stunt cars – built for Six Flags stunt shows nationwide – that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Chris Dixon and Steve Mank, the same duo that built the movie cars, constructed the replica through their shop, Wounded Knee Motors. A plaque claiming “We build for Bruce Wayne” resides behind the seats, along with Dixon and Mank’s signatures on the windshield header and on a dash panel. Fresh off a recent restoration, the Batmobile looks perfectly Gotham-chic and ready to intimidate the Dark Knight’s adversaries into surrender.

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Heading To Auction In Indianapolis

Mecum Auctions is offering the 1989 Batmobile on Saturday, May 17, as part of its Indy auction taking place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. In addition to the maker’s marks on the dashboard, the car also comes with a signed certificate of authenticity from Six Flags Great Adventure, which used the Batmobile in its Batman Arena stunt shows from 1992 to 1994.

This Keaton-mobile isn’t the only option for car-and-superhero nerds. The Dark Knight trilogy’s Tumbler recently went into 10-unit production (with a $3 million pricetag), while a Batmobile replica with an actual jet turbine engine hit Barrett-Jackson and sold for $220,000 in 2023. With a pre-auction estimated sales price of $220,000–$260,000, the Mecum offering seems well-priced for hardcore movie buffs, especially given its bona fide construction and early life as part of the Batman entertainment universe.

Source: Mecum Auctions