Photo: Barrett-Jackson
You don’t necessarily have to be a Batman fan to appreciate a nice, Batman-inspired car, but in this particular case, it sure helps. The Casey Putsch-designed Batmobile replica, the only turbine-powered Batmobile in the world, is about to cross the auction block again.
All Batmobiles are legendary in their own right, but few others have inspired the kind of replica frenzy and adulation as Tim Burton’s “Keaton car.” That would be the Batmobile used in the 1989 film with Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight, which ushered in a new era for the superhero and also set the tone for the franchise in the years that followed.
The Keaton car is often replicated, but this replica is the only one to boast of being powered by a turbine engine, just like the fictional one. It was created by Casey Putsch of Putsch Racing in 2011 and has a history that’s incredibly interesting even without the Batman association. That said, it’s the latter that should get you digging deep into your pocket for when it becomes available once more, at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale event, which will take place between 21 and 29 January 2023.
Titled as a 1985 Chevrolet Corvette, the car was built from scratch on a racing-style tubular frame and a body of fiberglass and aluminum. Power comes from an actual turbine engine from a 1960s military Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH), a type of remotely-controlled aircraft used to drop torpedoes on enemy boats.
According to the auction house, Putsch had only limited knowledge about turbine engines, so he had to educate himself on the topic before he started working on the one-off. The resulting Batmobile handles like a regular car, albeit a very powerful one: the engine develops 365 hp, and sends power to the wheels through a four-speed transmission. It can also achieve a 0 to 60 mph (0-96.5 kph) acceleration in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 185 mph (298 kph).
The Batmobile runs on jet fuel, kerosene or diesel, and gets between 3 and 10 miles per gallon (78 to 24 l/100 km). That last part is important, because it’s street-legal in most states, being titled as a custom vehicle and having turn signals, air horn, taillights, and headlights. It also has adjustable suspension (like a Lamborghini, the auction house stresses, in case you needed any more convincing), a stereo, an iPad for the controls, and a cockpit that Bruce Wayne himself would approve of.
Before you get too excited about the upcoming auction, though, a word of caution. In case you didn’t anticipate this based on the description or the fact that this is billed as world’s only turbine-powered Batmobile, it won’t be cheap. Though the listing notes that it’s selling at no reserve, the last time it was offered up at auction, on eBay, in 2019, it came with a $680,000 asking price.
This makes the Batmobile quite the luxurious toy, for a millionaire who aspires to Bruce Wayne’s billionaire status. It’s still cheaper than a Batmobile prop or even some of the Batmobile replicas, some of which have sold for higher amounts, but it’s an investment for sure.
The Keaton car is often replicated, but this replica is the only one to boast of being powered by a turbine engine, just like the fictional one. It was created by Casey Putsch of Putsch Racing in 2011 and has a history that’s incredibly interesting even without the Batman association. That said, it’s the latter that should get you digging deep into your pocket for when it becomes available once more, at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale event, which will take place between 21 and 29 January 2023.
Titled as a 1985 Chevrolet Corvette, the car was built from scratch on a racing-style tubular frame and a body of fiberglass and aluminum. Power comes from an actual turbine engine from a 1960s military Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH), a type of remotely-controlled aircraft used to drop torpedoes on enemy boats.
According to the auction house, Putsch had only limited knowledge about turbine engines, so he had to educate himself on the topic before he started working on the one-off. The resulting Batmobile handles like a regular car, albeit a very powerful one: the engine develops 365 hp, and sends power to the wheels through a four-speed transmission. It can also achieve a 0 to 60 mph (0-96.5 kph) acceleration in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 185 mph (298 kph).
The Batmobile runs on jet fuel, kerosene or diesel, and gets between 3 and 10 miles per gallon (78 to 24 l/100 km). That last part is important, because it’s street-legal in most states, being titled as a custom vehicle and having turn signals, air horn, taillights, and headlights. It also has adjustable suspension (like a Lamborghini, the auction house stresses, in case you needed any more convincing), a stereo, an iPad for the controls, and a cockpit that Bruce Wayne himself would approve of.
Before you get too excited about the upcoming auction, though, a word of caution. In case you didn’t anticipate this based on the description or the fact that this is billed as world’s only turbine-powered Batmobile, it won’t be cheap. Though the listing notes that it’s selling at no reserve, the last time it was offered up at auction, on eBay, in 2019, it came with a $680,000 asking price.
This makes the Batmobile quite the luxurious toy, for a millionaire who aspires to Bruce Wayne’s billionaire status. It’s still cheaper than a Batmobile prop or even some of the Batmobile replicas, some of which have sold for higher amounts, but it’s an investment for sure.
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