Holy car auction Batman! Original Batmobile for sale.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The Batmobile used in the 1960s Batman TV series is expected to go up for auction in January, the Barrett Jackson auto auction house said Thursday.
The car could sell for millions, said Craig Jackson, chief executive of the auction firm.

Some particularly iconic TV and movie cars have gone for very high prices. For example, a highly modified 1964 Aston Martin DB5 used in James Bond films sold for $4.6 million in 2010.
But Hollywood cars don't always command such high prices. Often there are multiple versions created for different types of shots and for promotional use, making it hard to to say that one car is definitively "the car."
Unlike most TV show cars, the Batmobile really is a singular creation. While there have been many imitations, this really is the only original.
The Batmobile started life as the Ford Motor Co (F, Fortune 500).'s 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car which, itself, was based on a Lincoln Mark II. Besides its pearl white paint job, the Futura actually looked very much like the Batmobile it would become over a decade later.   
Famed car customizer George Barris -- also known for creating the Munster Koach for the The Munsters and the Beverly Hillbillies' car -- was tasked with creating the Batmobile in 1966. With a tight deadline, he decided that modifying the Futura, rather than starting from scratch, was the way to go.
On television, the Batmobile's technology allowed it to shoot flames, squirt oil and shoot tire slashers, but the car is not actually designed to do any of that.
Barris has been the sole owner of the Batmobile since he created it for the TV show.
Unlike the Aston Martin's multi-million dollar price tag, Jonathan Klinger, with the collector car insurance firm Hagerty Insurance, thinks the Batmobile will probably sell for a few hundred thousand dollars. The trouble, he said, is that there are so many very good Batmobile replicas around.
The only thing that makes this one unique is that it's the authentic original, but hardly anyone would be able to tell that by looking at it. Very good replicas can sell for under $100,000.
"I could be wrong," said Klinger. "I'll bet George Barris hopes I'm dead wrong."   
In an interview with CNNMoney, Barris said he has been offered large sums for the car in the past but he's never considered selling before. He agreed to sell this time, he said, because he thought it was time to move the car out of his studio and put it someplace where more people could enjoy it.
Excellent replicas of rare and desirable cars like Plymouth Hemi 'Cudas and Shelby Mustangs often sell for fractions of what real ones sell for, Jackson said.
"It's just a matter of where you put the commas and the decimals," he said. "They all slide over for the real thing."

First Published: November 29, 2012: 9:04 AM ET

Source: CNN Money.

 

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High-Octane Hijinks: Is Premium Fuel Better Than Regular?

When it’s time to top-off the tank, drivers are confronted with a dizzying variety of choices at the pump. There’s premium gasoline, mid-grade, regular and – depending on where you live – some even offer ultra-high octane, with a rating of 94 or above.
Octane numbers, ethanol content and diesel get thrown in the mix, while TV commercials shout about special cleaning additives and better fuel economy. What’s a motorist to do? Is premium fuel worth the extra cost over regular? It’s more expensive so it must be better, right?
Wrong. And this is a common misconception. A lot of people seem to think higher octane gasoline will deliver better performance and economy. In many instances this is simply not the case. In fact, it’s mostly a waste of money. High-test fuel is typically priced anywhere from 20 to 40 cents more than regular-grade gas.
“Use what’s in the owner’s manual. Don’t use more, don’t use less” said Bill Studzinski, Fuels Technical Specialist at General Motors. He also said drivers “should not run the octane above what’s required in their vehicle,” because there is no real benefit.
The overwhelming majority of GM vehicles are built to run on regular-grade gasoline. Some of the company’s high-performance models like the Cadillac CTS-V and Corvette ZR1 are designed to take advantage of the additional octane found in premium fuel.
“If it says ‘premium required’ I strongly suggest using the premium gasoline,” Studzinski said. However, if a driver mistakenly puts 87-octane regular in a vehicle that needs 91 or more, the engine-control computer should be able to adjust spark timing and other variables to prevent damage. “In general, the knock sensors are pretty good,” he said, but drivers will likely experience a drop in performance and fuel economy.
Studzinski strongly discourages the use of other fuel products, though. “Say ‘NO’ to aftermarket octane boosters and organometallic octane-boosting additives such as MMT [methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl].”
“We don’t recommend using any of those,” he said because they can plug up catalytic converters, a critical and expensive-to-replace component of a vehicle’s emissions-control system. Thankfully these sorts of additives are not used in gasoline sold in the United States and Canada.
Studzinski also warned drivers to steer clear of high-octane race fuels (like those with a rating of 100) sold at some gas stations. These products can contain high amounts of ethanol or methanol and are “really not advisable” for street-driven vehicles.
Stephen Russ, Technical Leader with Ford Motor Company Engine Engineering echoed much of what his cross-town colleague had to say. If a driver runs premium fuel in a vehicle that only requires regular he said, “typically it would not be noticeable.” But there could be slight benefits in certain situations such as hot, dry weather or while towing.
In the past it was thought running premium fuel when only regular was called for could cause damage. “Most every engine, every manufacturer, can handle that higher octane so there are no deposit concerns,” Russ said. And according to Studzinski, “going up in octane is ok for the vehicle, it doesn’t damage it.”
“Under high-load conditions the additional spark advance from the premium fuel will result in higher cylinder pressures, but they are limited by the [computer] calibration to what the engine structure can handle,” Russ said, so there’s no risk of damage from running higher octane.
Occasionally, manufacturers will list specific benefits to running premium fuel. For instance, when equipped with the optional 3.8-liter V6 engine the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is rated at 344 horsepower on regular gasoline and 348 on premium. Pick your price, pick your pump and pick your performance.
Still, when it’s time to fill ‘er up most Americans go for the cheapest option. According to Studzinski “about 80 percent of the gasoline sold in the United States is regular unleaded,” that’s an estimated 140 billion gallons per year.
At the end of the road it’s a driver’s choice whether they up the octane and buy premium fuel, but experts say go by the book. “We defer to the manufacturers” said Carlton Carroll, a spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute. He also said “these are the people that have designed and built the car and they know the type of fuel required.”

Filed under: American Featured Articles Ford GM Tips and Advice
Source:Autoguide.com by Craig Cole