Original Batmobile from Batman TV series sells for $5.1m

PHOENIX (REUTERS) - An Arizona man with a special fondness for caped crusader Batman and his sidekick Robin bought the original Batmobile driven in the iconic television series with a bid of US$4.2 million (S$5.15 million) at an auction on Saturday.

Mr Rick Champagne, a Phoenix-area logistics company owner, came away with the black, futuristic two-seater featured in the Batman series starring Adam West and Burt Ward from 1966 to 1968, following a flurry of spirited bidding at the Scottsdale, Arizona, auction.

"I really liked Batman growing up, and I came here with the intention of buying the car," Mr Champagne, 56, told Reuters in a brief interview moments after he bought the car. "Sure enough, I was able to buy it. That was a dream come true."

The Barrett-Jackson auction was the first time the car was put up for public sale. In addition to the US$4.2 million bid price, the buyer will have to pay an additional US$420,000 in premiums.