George Barris has become synonymous with the custom car culture, lending his name and talents to some of the most popular automotive creations of all time. Yet perhaps no creation of Barris is better known than the “original” Batmobile, which is based on the Futura concept car that he reportedly bought for just $1.

We’re not sure if Barris has a crystal ball, or just knew that this car would one day be very valuable, but he retained the rights to the original Batmobile for all these years. Finally this past weekend, this highly-collectible car went up for auction, and when the gavel fell, the sale number was $4.62 million.

Entire books have been written on the saga of the original Batmobile, a car which came together in just a few weeks and for a substantial sum of money. The car was an instant hit with audiences who tuned in to see Adam West as Batman, and Barris built several replicas to serve as stunt doubles and promotional items. But he always kept the original titled to himself.

So you can imagine the frenzy among big-time collectors when word came out that the original Batmobile would be up for grabs. While the $4.62 million selling price isn’t quite as high as some analysts had predicted, the price is still incredibly staggering. Are the old days of inflated auction sales creeping back up on Barrett-Jackson? Or is this unique car worth every penny?