Original TV Batmobile set to go under the hammer

New York: Famed auto legend George Barris is putting the original TV Batmobile, which he customized from a 1955 Ford, up for auction. The 1955 Lincoln Futura that Barris designed as Batman and Robin’s ride on the 1960s hit TV show is set to be sold on January 19. “It’s a big part of my life,” a leading daily has quoted Barris as saying on Thursday. “But I thought about it and decided it should be shared with people around the world, not sitting in my showroom in North Hollywood,” he said. Barris, who has owned the 19-foot-long, bubble-topped two-seater for 46 years, revealed that he purchased it from the Ford Motor Company for 1 dollar and spent 15,000 dollars to turn it into piece of TV history. The Arizona auctionhouse Barrett-Jackson believes the car will fetch “multiple millions” at the auction. “It is definitely the No. 1 most famous car I’ve designed,” Barris said. The Batmobile has its original souped-up V-8 engine, hydro-automatic transmission and an array of gadgets, including a Bat Ray projector, Bat Eye switch and two rear-mounted parachutes. ANI