"World Of Wheels" Show Rolls Back Into Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Holy millions, Batman! The TV Batmobile commanded $4.2 million at a recent auction in Los Angeles.

A replica of that 1966 vehicle and hundreds of other custom cars, rolled into the David L. Lawrence Convention Center for this weekend's Baierl Subaru "World of Wheels."

It's one of three Bat vehicles at the show.

"This is the first movie Batmobile," spokesman Larry Way points out the car that appeared in the film starring Pittsburgh native Michael Keaton.

"It's a direct replica of the car," Way said. "It was built by the same guy who built the car for the movie."

Then, there's "Tumbler," which tumbled through Pittsburgh streets two summers ago during filming of "The Dark Knight Rises."

A replica was constructed by Bob Dullam of Michigan. Mechanic? No, he's an artist.

"I had never built a car before," he admits. "Actually, I didn't know how to change the oil before this started. I really didn't."

The show also features a replica of "Dragula" from "The Munsters" TV series. There's a gleaming '32 Ford from Michigan, valued at a million or so.

The "World of Wheels" is a cornucopia of custom cars.

"We have over 500 cars on the floor," says Way. "They try to have a cross section. You don't want to have all '60s cars. You don't want to have all hotrods, or all trucks or motorcycles. They try to have something for everybody."

He says you don't have to know what's under the hood to appreciate the show.

"Rolling pieces of automotive art is what it is," he added. "The money that's spent and the time it takes to make these cars, it's really art. It's really neat to see."

The "World of Wheels" opens Friday at 3 p.m., and continues through Sunday at David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

For more information on the show, visit: http://www.autorama.com/?page_id=227

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