Transporting cars is special to the cars owners. The money can be high or low but to them the car is one of the most valuable things their household has. Some vehicles however get beyond this personal level and become valuable the world over. These are vehicles that require the same VIP treatment as the people who owned them. They raise the value of the car or truck from hundreds to thousands when sold in auction. Rest assured, there would be hell to pay if any fell off the trailer.
The 1966 Batmobile – Auction price: $4.62 million
There have been many live action adaptations of Batman over the years, each one offering their own version of “The Car”. A personal favourite of mine has to be the first proper version from 1966. Designed by George Barris it oozes 60’s cool from every angle. Barris built the original out of a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car so even its base is unique. Fast forward to today and the car sold at auction for over £3.5 million. The most impressive part is that the Futura that started it all cost Barris $1. This makes it potentially one of the most profitable sales in history.
The Back to the Future DeLorean – Auction price: $541,000
As a car transporter, you may have come across one of these cult classic vehicles. Some owners modify theirs to make it look like a time machine from 1985. DeLoreans are often estimated at $30,000 (£23,000). While they are classics and have an amazing retro cool factor, they are still rather infamous for being pretty bad. The DeLorean Time Machine sold at auction however was one of seven built for the movies. Also being one of allegedly only three to still exist. This car, built for Part 3 went for over four hundred thousand pounds, with some of the proceeds going to the Michael J Fox foundation for Parkinson’s research.
The 007 Aston Martin DB5 – Auction Price: $4.6 million
When it comes to movie heroes no one is as prolific as James bond. Near sixty years and twenty four movies only one car has survived more than one mission. The DB5 first appeared in Goldfinger and went on to appear in ThunderBall as well as cameo at least once with every Bond actor. It’s why Aston Martins are as synonymous with Bond as Omega watches and martinis. It’s no wonder then that the car from that first movie would sell for over £3.5 million. Truly standing it out is the fact the unlike other spy cars the DB5 was the first to put all of the Spy gadgets actually in the car ready to be used. They probably took out the live ammunition however.
The Trotters Independent Traders Reliant Regal – Auction Price: £42,000
This may have a lower number than the others but the Only Fools and Horses van deserves to be here all the same. A fan of the show bought it after filming wrapped in 2001. It had the look Del-Boy would have given it after the trotters finally became millionaires. The van was an iconic image in the show that became a staple of British TV. The fan didn’t leave it alone either. They added the fuzzy dice, tax sticker and blow-up dolls associated with the fan, as well as the glamourous tiger print fur from the finale of the show. The best feature is the smoke machine placed in the exhaust which opens to cough out black smoke just like the show.
The price it went for at auction actually doubled the estimate expected. The price is ten times more than you can expect to spend on a normal Regal.Transporting it home would have been difficult, Reliant three wheelers are never stable and most car trailers have a big gap in the middle. Then again, maybe the resulting chaos would have been fitting considering the show.
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Christopher East 2018
One Comment
That’s my actual DeLorean Time Machine