Autoblog

Our friends over at Hemmings who follow the auction scene like crack-addled chipmunks came across the mobile bane of the Batman franchise. The Batman Forever iteration of the Batmobile is one of the worst ever devised. Universally panned along with the film in which it appeared, it was forced to do sit-com work after it was retired, appearing on The Drew Carey Show (some say the Batmobile's appearance on the show was when it officially jumped the shark). The car was recently up for auction with no reserve and sold for $297,000, less than half its estimated worth. Aside from being an abomination and afront to Bruce Wayne groupies everywhere, the car sold so low because it came with many conditions set by Warner Bros. and DC Comics, including one barring the owner from driving the car in view of the public! This car's a runner too, with a small-block Chevy V8 that can whisk it away from laughing crowds at super hero speeds. But its new owner will apparently never get the chance to be laughed at in public, because doing so would mean driving the car in public, and that would violate the contract he (or she) signed. On second thought, perhaps Warner Bros. and DC Comics was doing this guy a favor.

Check out the Batmobile's appearance on The Drew Carey Show after the jump.

[Source: Hemmings]

John O'Quinn is a lawyer. A rich one. He made his money in a tobacco lawsuit settlement, and disposable income is no longer a problem for him. He demonstrated this at this past weekend's Kruse International auction in Indiana, where a $1.3 Million shopping spree left his bank accounts a little lighter and his garage a little more crowded. His new toys included not only the 1995 Batman Forever Batmobile ($350,000), but also the following:

• A celebrity-signed 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo for $500,000 - proceeds go to charity
• A spectacular 1938 Cadillac 90 Series Town Car which was used by the Vatican and later owned by Nicola Bulgari. Cost: $250,000.
• An equally impressive 1941 Packard Super 8 Lebaron limousine for $290,000 that was used by both FDR and Harry Truman.
  

Last year, O'Quinn ponied up $690,000 for Pope John Paul II's old '75 Ford Escort. One thing's certain: the man has a very eclectic car collection, and he's not shy about opening his wallet to add to it.

As for his weekend purchases, the Gallardo money went to a children's charity, so good for him. The Caddy and the Packard are both gorgeous. Added bonus: the Caddy can now take up residence in the burgeoning Papal Wing of O'Quinn's garage.

This brings us to the '95 Batmobile from the horrible Batman Forever film. This car is not one of the Dark Knight's more memorable screen machines (Neon lighting on a Batmobile? Ugh). There are much better choices out there, and if the Tumbler ever becomes available, we strongly advise the counselor to go for it!

[Source: Houston Chronicle]