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Turbine-powered Batmobile goes up for sale on eBay

Turbine-Powered-BatmobileBack in July, we told you about a working version of the Tim Burton-era Batmobile created by Putsch Racing owner Casey Putsch, and powered by a turbine engine stripped from a decommissioned U.S. naval drone helicopter. At the time, we mentioned how awesome it would be to drive the two-seat, superhero-approved vehicle around town.

Well, now it looks like someone besides Putsch and his team will have a chance to do so.

Billed as the world’s only turbine-powered Batmobile, the vehicle is currently up for auction on eBay at the tidy price of $620,000. The auction ends at 3:30PM today (September 5), so if you’re thinking about making an offer, time is running out!

Here’s an excerpt from the description of the vehicle, but you can get the full specs, as well as images, video, and a number of other helpful — and let’s face it, cool — bits of information at the official auction page.

The world’s only Turbine Powered Bat Car.

Street registered in the US and ready for immediate sale, this car needs little introduction as it has found international publicity in all forms of media.

Completed in 2011, this car was constructed in a professional racing facility alongside Grand Prix, DTM, Indy and Sports Racing cars. Its construction is in a completely different league than both replicas and of course the movie prop cars. The perception of this car is best summed up by one comment from the huge cross section of media attention “Replica? I think the movie cars were replicas of this!” Having a perfect reliability record, this car is ready to be enjoyed by an enthusiast who is looking for the ultimate luxury in one-upmanship. “Born Rich” was quoted as saying “Unluckily this car is a one-off version, but had it not been so, it certainly would have been on the wish-list of every automobile lover.” Luckily though, exclusivity is ensured.

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