The wing-doored DeLorean, with an “OUTATIME” license plate and a mock-up flux capacitor, is among a host of movie memorabilia up for auction in California next month.
But unlike Thor’s Hammer, Obi Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber or Wilson the spiky-haired volleyball-cum-friend from “Castaway,” which are also on the block, the DeLorean doesn’t just have to sit on display: you can actually drive it.
“This DeLorean is fully operational, registered and insured with… current mileage of 22,532,” says the auction catalogue published by movie specialists Propstore.
“As this is a functioning vehicle, a legal transfer of title will need to take place before delivery can be arranged.”
The car, which was used for events promoting Robert Zemeckis’s “Back to the Future” trilogy, is expected to shift for between US$150,000 and $200,000.
Anyone after a slightly less Earth-bound vehicle might want to consider splashing out up to US$1 million on an X-Wing that took part in the attack on the Death Star at the end of the original “Star Wars.”
“We were able to match it to a scene where the Red leader goes down, so you actually see this particular one on screen,” said Chuck Costas, Propstore vice-president.
The catch is that it’s only around 60cm long – a little small for a stormtrooper, as the saying goes.
Other cinematic goodies expected to be snapped up by film fans include Indiana Jones’s grail diary (up to US$80,000), an expletive-laden wallet wielded by Samuel L Jackson in “Pulp Fiction” (US$50,000), Dan Aykroyd’s “Ghostbusters” costume (US$35,000), and boxing shorts worn by Will Smith in biopic “Ali” (US$2,500).
An animatronic Gizmo used in the filming of “Gremlins 2” is probably the cutest lot available, with an expected hammer price of up to US$120,000. Just don’t feed it after midnight.
“Many of the objects come from collectors, but also from the studios themselves, or they may have belonged to people who actually worked on the filming of the movies at the time,” said Costas.
“We have things that are in the hundreds of dollars all the way to hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, there’s always something from your favourite movie that’s in your price range.”
The auction takes place online and live in Valencia, near Los Angeles from June 21 to 24.