Home Motors The Original ‘Batman Returns’ Batmobile Is Hitting the Auction Block for the First Time Ever
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Ask anyone who grew up between Adam West’s old school crusader and Christopher Nolan’s tactical tank, and they’ll more than likely tell you the definitive Batmobile is Tim Burton’s. It’s low slung, seemingly endless, and dripping in that dark Art Deco aesthetic. It literally turned a comic book prop into an actual, legitimate piece of automotive design.
And now the real thing is up for grabs, because Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies are selling the No. 1 hero Batmobile from 1992’s Batman Returns on November 23.
Julian Caldow penned the design under production designer Anton Furst for 1989’s Batman, and custom car legend Carl Casper built three examples for the sequel, splicing two Chevrolet Impala chassis into a single frame stretching 19 feet, 8 inches.
The hand-sculpted fiberglass body wraps around a jet-turbine-style intake up front, while a small-block Chevy V8 and a 3-speed automatic actually help the Batmobile move. And what about that afterburner exhaust? The crew used pressurized air and kerosene rig (triggered by radio transmitters) that threw real flames on set.
The Screen-Matched Article
Of the trio, this is the No. 1 hero car, and it’s screen-matched to the majority of the film’s driving sequences with Michael Keaton behind the wheel. It also wears its original glossy black paint, and has remain completely untouched since production wrapped.
After appearances at the premiere and a Warner Bros. backlot party during the movie’s original premiere, the car spent years in storage before landing on display at the Marconi Automotive Museum in 2021. This November marks the first time it has ever been offered at auction.
George Barris’ 1966 TV series Batmobile pulled $4.62 million at Barrett-Jackson back in 2013, a record that has gone unchallenged ever since (and fittingly, the Adam West show turns 60 this year).
Julien’s has hung a $5 million to $7 million estimate on the Burton car, which would make it the most expensive movie car ever sold at auction.
Vehicle: 1992 Batman Returns Hero Batmobile (No. 1 of 3)
Designer: Julian Caldow, under production designer Anton Furst
Builder: Carl Casper / Hollywood Productions
Chassis: Two spliced Chevrolet Impala chassis
Body: Hand-sculpted fiberglass
Length: 19 feet, 8 inches
Engine: Chevrolet small-block V8
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Finish: Original gloss black
Auction: The Ultimate Batmobile Auction (Julien’s x TCM)
Estimate: $5-7 million
The hero Batmobile crosses the block on November 23, 2026, live in Los Angeles and online, headlining Julien’s and TCM’s Ultimate Batmobile Auction alongside a growing roster of Batman costumes, props, and production artifacts.
1992 Batman Returns Hero Batmobile
Screen-matched to Michael Keaton’s driving scenes and untouched since 1992, the No. 1 hero Batmobile from Batman Returns heads to auction for the first time ever with a real shot at becoming the most expensive movie car in history.
