The 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car customized by George Barris of Barris Kustom City, commonly known for its appearance in the 1960s television show “Batman,”…{"id":2677,"date":"2013-02-01T09:48:09","date_gmt":"2013-02-01T17:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=2677"},"modified":"2013-02-01T10:24:54","modified_gmt":"2013-02-01T18:24:54","slug":"classic-cars-fetch-big-bucks-provide-great-value","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/01\/classic-cars-fetch-big-bucks-provide-great-value\/","title":{"rendered":"Classic Cars Fetch Big Bucks, Provide Great Value"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car customized by George Barris of Barris Kustom City, commonly known for its appearance in the 1960s television show \u201cBatman<\/a>,\u201d was recently sold at auction for a whopping $4.2 million. The original Futura, a one-of-a-kind car designed by Ford stylists Bill Schmidt, Doug Poole, Sr., and John Najjar, was built by hand by the Ghia Body Works in Turin, Italy. The cost of production was one quarter of a million dollars.<\/p>\n

The car is powered by a 390 cubic-inch Ford FE V-8 engine with a secondary rear-mounted turbine that provides a 15-second thrust (Complete specs and history can be found here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

While the Batmobile auction is the splashy news of the day, it\u2019s not the most expensive car ever auctioned. That honor may go to the 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa<\/a> racecar which sold in August of 2011 for $16.4 million.<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t have millions to spend, Jay Leno<\/a>, night-show host and avid classic-car collector, has some tips for finding a classic car that will give you years of pleasure. He says, \u201cYou can\u2019t be a snob. You\u2019ve got to be open to the weird stuff that has an interesting story.\u201d And he describes acquiring a 1941 American LaFrance firetruck for free because its previous owner, the city of Burbank, had no use for it. \u201cDon\u2019t be disappointed if what you find isn\u2019t some rare collector piece.\u201d An old car that you restore yourself gives you an experience that can\u2019t be duplicated with a new car. Leno continues, \u201cAny car can be a collector car, if you collect it.\u201d So you should look for what appeals to you, and not what you think should appeal to you. It doesn\u2019t have to be spotless or expensive either. Leno explains, \u201cIf you like old things, go talk to old guys.\u201d As Leno implies, they know where the good old stuff is.<\/p>\n