Although most people recall the iconic Batmoblie (George Barris' Lincoln Futura concept car) from the 1966 TV version of "Batman," it was not the first Batmobile. That honor actually goes to a customized, 1956 Oldsmobile 88 built in a barn in New Hampshire and later endorsed by DC Comics. This "original" Bat-vehicle is now up for sale to the highest bidder.
According to Heritage Auctions (via Jalopnik), 23-year-old Forrest Robinson began conceiving the car in 1960, simply to tool around town himself, and then enlisted his friend Len Perham to help build it. Their Batmobile, originally painted "space-age silver," was completed in 1963, two years before Barris began to build the famous version of Batman's ride for the TV show.
DC Comics licensee All Star Dairies leased Robinson's Batmobile for a promotional campaign, repainted it and sent it on a tour of the Eastern United States as "Batman's Batmobile." The vehicle was returned in late 1966 to Robinson, who then sold the car for the princely sum of $200.
It was left abandoned in a field for nearly 50 years before it was discovered in 2008 and passed through a few hands, including auto historian George Albright, before it ended up in early 2013 with Toy Car Exchange. There, the Batmobile was restored to pristine condition.
Hyped as the "earliest known officially licensed" Batmobile, it goes up for auction Dec. 6 in Dallas. The opening bid is $90,000, a good bit off of the $4.62 million paid in January 2013 for the original Batmobile from the 1966 TV show.
Check out a few more shots of the car below:
