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Dustin Hoffman Puts Iconic 1949 Buick That Starred in Rain Man Up for Auction

Award-winning movie Rain Man featured a car that became as iconic as the movie: a 1949 Buick Roadmaster. Now Dustin Hoffman has decided to put the vehicle up for auction, and it could fetch up to $250k.
Dustin Hoffman's 1949 Buick Roadmaster from Rain Man 14 photos
Photo: Bonhams
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Movie cars are in a different league, and they almost always end up in one of the actor’s garages. In the 1988 movie Rain Man, which won several Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, we get to see a 1949 Buick become an unspoken third character. In reality, there were two of them used for filming, and one remained in Hoffman’s garage as he purchased it after the film wrapped. It underwent restoration, and it made an appearance at the 1989 Buick Car Club event.

But in the last 34 years, the vehicle has rarely been seen in public. So, the actor decided to put it up for sale. He said the vehicle, described as the film’s “third character” had “been in storage too long." He added that “it should be driven, enjoyed, and cherished.

A once in a lifetime opportunity, the classic will come with quite a history, since both Tom Cruise and Hoffman filmed on board the Buick Roadmaster. When it comes to numbers, the convertible with the chassis number 15235854 has a 5.2-liter inline 8-cylinder engine, paired up to a two-speed DynaFlow automatic transmission and delivering 150 horsepower.

Jakob Greisen, head of Bonhams US Motoring division, said via The Daily Mail: “This Roadmaster presents an extraordinary, truly once in a lifetime opportunity to own the third character from the classic Rain Man movie. We are honored to have been entrusted with this special motorcar and are sure that it will be a hit with Buick enthusiasts and fans of Mr. Hoffman and Rain Man alike.

These types of cars usually fetch around $80k, when they don't come with a career in Hollywood. Back in the 1940s and '50s, they were sold for $3,150.

The 1949 Buick “Rain Man” Roadmaster Convertible is expected to fetch between $150,000 and $250,000 at The Scottsdale Auction set up by Bonhams on 27 January.
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About the author: Monica Coman
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Imagine a Wenn diagram for cars and celebrities. At the intersection you'll find Monica, putting her passion for these fields and English-Spanish double major to work. She's been doing for the past seven years, most recently at autoevolution.
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