1963 Batmobile sells for $137,000 at auction

The 1963 Batmobile is shown in this photo released by Heritage Auctions, HA.com
Photo: Heritage Auctions

Though it didn't match the $4.2m fetched by a more famous later model, the 1963 Batmobile is the long-lost original, reports Reuters.

"This is a great piece of lost pop culture and Americana," said Margaret Barrett, director of entertainment and music at Heritage Auctions. "There is a lot of interest in it."

The car was put up for auction by Toy Car Exchange LLC, an online marketplace for collectible cars, which bought it and had it restored to pristine condition, Barrett said.

It was the creation of Forrest Robinson, a Batman fan who spent three years customizing a 1956 Oldsmobile 88 with a 324 Rocket engine to resemble the single-fin vehicle depicted in DC's Batman Comics from the 1940s and 1950s. He finished in 1963.