The 2025 collector car season is in full swing, starting this week with Mecum’s Kissimmee auction kicking off on Tuesday. That sale should provide plenty of entertainment over the next couple of weeks. Immediately after Kissimmee is Arizona Car Week — one of the tentpole sales in the United States. Speaking of entertainment, crossing the block at Barrett-Jackson in Arizona will be an impressive collection of star cars, which I’ve chosen to feature in today’s Market Monday.

After Kissimmee, the Scottsdale auctions in January are the next big opportunity to take the pulse of the market going into 2025. Four auction houses will participate, but the company that dominates Scottsdale is Barrett-Jackson. American classics and customs are the typical fare under the Barrett-Jackson tent, and as Wolf and Mare focuses more on European cars I tend to focus more on the catalogs of RM Sotheby’s and Bonhams Cars.

This year, however, there are a handful of cars in Barrett-Jackson’s catalog that overlap with my personal interest in film and television production. “Star cars” is the term for vehicles featured in television or feature films, whether genuine production-used cars or recreations.

The 10 cars I’m featuring below are part of the Dr. Stewart A. Berkowitz Collection offered at Barrett-Jackson’s 2025 Scottsdale Arizona Auction. Dr. Berkowitz was a radiation oncologist who amassed a sizable collection of TV memorabilia, costumes, and cars, including some of the most iconic star cars from American entertainment of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.

This is said to be the third of four Batmobiles built for the 1960’s TV show “Batman.” This particular car has been auctioned a number of times over the decades, though it still has the incorrect style wheels compared to the Rader wheels of the film car. I’m no expert on the 60’s Batmobile, but modifications from the on-set spec are common for these cars. The last “real” 60’s Batmobile to sell at auction was back in 2013. That car, the first car built by George Barris, hammered for $4.6 million.

The only other genuine screen-used car on offer at Barrett-Jackson is this 1976 Ford Gran Torino, billed as the #3 car used for filming from 1975-1979. Autographed by the TV actors, the car is still finished in its eye-catching “Striped Tomato” livery and still has a Police-style radio mounted on the center column. Sadly, the sale doesn’t appear to include a magnetic bubble light to slap on the roof, but those are easy to find. A Gran Torino claimed to be a genuine filming car sold on Bring A Trailer earlier this year for just $50,900, showing that you can get a piece of TV history for not a lot of money, if you choose wisely.

Though it’s a re-creation, this “Ghostbuster” Ecto-1 replica will likely sell for significantly more than the Starsky and Hutch Gran Torino. The base car, a 1959 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Ambulance, was produced in extremely small numbers. Additionally, other coachbuilt ‘59 ambulances don’t have the movie-correct look of the actual MM built-vehicles.

This car also appears to be a nicely done replica, with the correct Force 4 XL light bars, Propello-Ray, Federal Signal siren and details on the roof. The last time a good Ecto-1 like this sold at auction was at Barrett-Jackson in 2021 where it hammered for $200,000. While a crazy amount of money, I would definitely acquire a third mortgage on my house to buy one. 

A car that probably needs no introduction is the Delorean Time Machine from Back to the Future. Like KITT from Knight Rider or the General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard, Delorean Time Machine replicas like this one are fairly plentiful compared to the number of actual production-used vehicles. This one is kitted out as the time machine from Back to the Future Part II, actually, as it has the Mr. Fusion device to convert garbage to usable plutonium to generate the 1.21 Gigawatts of electricity needed for time travel. Expect to spend over $100,000 to take this one home.

The original “Herbie, the Love Bug” was a 1963 Volkswagen, but this one certainly has all the look of the original production-used car. Disney owned that car for many years before it was sold by Barrett-Jackson at Pebble Beach in 2018. That car sold for $128,700, but this one will likely sell for well under half that price.

Given the actual make and model of the van that inspired the one used in the cartoon is subject to much debate, if you like the execution, go for it. While not my cup of tea, the paintwork on this example is a faithful re-creation of the livery on the cartoon van. The interior is nicely fitted out and looks like a nice place to hang out, which is not always the case with these replica vehicles. Expect to plunk down somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 for this one.

In the book, the original Chitty Bang-Bang was a (fictional) 12-cylinder 8-liter supercharged Paragon Panther, of which only two were made. This recreation is listed as a 1968 Ford, but details of its construction are absent from the catalog listing. Hopefully when this beast crosses the block in Scottsdale the commentary during the live stream will answer some of those questions. If you’re an obsessed fan of the film, now’s your chance to acquire a nice-looking re-creation of the car.

I’m not sure what to say about this one, other than it’s a respectable replica of the “Bamboo Island Taxi” used in the 60’s TV show to ferry The Howell’s around the island. Fortunately, this one upgrades the original pedal-powered taxi with golf cart underpinnings. I can’t imagine this goes for over $5,000.

Grandpa Munster’s hot-rod coffin is actually one of the more fun 60s TV cars, in my opinion. I saw one of these in person during a Mecum auction in Pennsylvania, and it looks like one of the most uncomfortable cars in the world to operate, especially on a hot day. That said, you won’t see another one in your town and if you love George Barris, this is a great homage.

Built on a 1989 Chevrolet Corvette platform, this “Mach 5” recreation is a pretty faithful recreation of the race car driven by Speed in the 1960s cartoon, at least on the outside. No details are provided on who executed the build, but I’d recommend a close inspection. Best to also investigate your local jurisdiction’s ordinances related to front-mounted saw blades while you’re at it.

As a child of the 1980s, the Ecto-1 and Delorean Time Machine are my personal favorites from the list above. Given the majority of these vehicles hail from the 60s and 70s, it will be interesting to see how the aura of these older famous cars extends to later generations. If you crave attention, a star car is a great way to get it while generating lots of smiles at Cars and Coffee or a local show.

The true collector vehicles are the first two screen-used cars. If your budget is unlimited, you can’t go wrong with a Batmobile, and the Gran Torino will probably be a great buy if the past sales history is any indication. Happy bidding!

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisals, and auction services for buyers and sellers of collector European cars. If you’re interested in acquiring an overseas car, give us a call or drop a line!