Created by the designer of the original Batmobile, the Barris Snakepit dragster has sold for far less than the auction estimate
What you are gawping at is the Barris Snakepit, a bonkers land-speed creation from the mind of late TV and movie car designer George Barris. Almost like something straight out of a comic book, this one-off dragster was recently auctioned by H&H Classics auction, selling for $65,000. Considering the beast cost a reported $100,000 to build in 1975, $1 million in today’s money, we think its new owner has bagged a bargain.
The Barris Snakepit was crafted as a gloriously fashionable dragster featuring six wheels, a forked nose, and two seats. Fit for use by any superhero, the car’s aesthetics are backed up by some serious performance. Under its lengthy bodywork sits not one, but six Cobra-Ford 351 V8 engines that work in tandem with 12 Holley carburettors, two automatic transmissions, and two fuel tanks. This monstrous concoction produces 2000 hp and was said to be capable of 300mph — although no footage seems to exist of the car attempting such speeds.
While a lack of a windscreen would have been a factor at 300mph, the two occupants would at least find the cockpit a comfortable place to be thanks to plenty of orange velvet. A horde of gauges and buttons sit on the custom aluminium dashboard to monitor the vast amount of power that could be heard via the car’s 48 exhaust pipes.
It took Barris four years to built the Snakepit, but before then George made his name creating some of the most iconic TV and movie cars. Four-wheeled stars such as the 1966 Batmobile, Black Beauty from The Green Hornet, the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard, and The Car from the horror movie The Car were all his handiwork. He actually sold his 1966 Batmobile back in 2013 for an incredible $4.62 million at a Barrett-Jackson auction.
The Barris Snakepit was sold back in 2006 for just $30,800 after residing in a private collection. However, 12 years later it was offered for sale with a whopping $750,000 price tag. While selling for more than it did in 2006, the car’s most recent auction was still miles off that slightly crazy six-figure 2018 valuation.
Source: H&H Classics
