Great Scott! It’s almost time to buy a time machine at replica car auction

CANAL FULTON Low to the ground, sleek and menacing, the Batmobile magnetized the eyeballs of spectators and employees of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Parked in the lot of Skipco Auto Auction, the replica movie vehicle is a beast, fictionally or up close.

Mounted near the front was dual artillery — the guns don’t actually open fire, however. Sweeping, grooved fins are another trademark.

Inside the vehicle are a steering wheel emblazoned with the Batman emblem and a maze of switches, gauges and buttons.

Most of those are for visual styling only.

But when the ignition is powered, the automotive warhorse rumbles to life. Out the back shoot flames, true to the authentic car showcased in the “Batman” blockbuster released in 1989.

And the fantasy ride can be yours for a price.

The Batmobile is up for auction starting 9 a.m. Saturday at Skipco Auto Auction at 700 Elm Ridge Ave. as part of a forfeiture sale for the U.S. Marshals Service.

Bids also will be taken in person or online for replica versions of the cars featured in “Back to the Future” and “Ghostbusters.”

A mirror image of the DeLorean that whisked Marty McFly, played by actor Michael J. Fox, to both the past and future. And the Ecto-1, a modified 1959 Cadillac adorned with ghost-slaying props resembling those from the film.

Health care fraud

The cars were owned by Ryan P. Sheridan, 39, operator of Braking Point Recovery Center in the Youngstown and Columbus areas. He was sentenced in January to 7 1/2 years in prison for crimes related to health care fraud. He was ordered to pay nearly $24.5 million in restitution.

The auction will be conducted outdoors to allow for social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and face masks or coverings must be worn by attendees, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Auction participants are encouraged to register online at www.skipco.com, and then call Skipco at 330-854-4900 for an access code. Online registration is required no later than Friday.

However, those attending the event also can register in person.

The auction will be livestreamed on Skipco’s Facebook page.

Skipco Auto Auction expects to fetch between $300,000 and $400,000 total for the three vehicles, estimated Dustin Rennie, sales manager.

“Being a car guy, you’ll never see anything that unique,” he said of the Batmobile. “When you drive past it, you can’t help but stare at it.”

The U.S. Marshals Service routinely sells vehicles, real estate and other assets to return proceeds to victims of federal crimes.

This is the first time the Cleveland office of the Marshals Service has seized and auctioned replica movie vehicles.

“This is pretty exciting for us and we’re excited to share the information with the public and movie buffs who may be interested in purchasing these vehicles,” said Janet Duncan, district asset forfeiture coordinator for the Cleveland office of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Duncan hosted a media event Tuesday in advance of the auction along with Lynzey Donahue, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Marshals headquarters in Arlington, Va.

“We have had so much interest all across the country,” Duncan said of the upcoming auction. “There’s been a lot of phone interest. So we do anticipate high volume (for bidding), both in person and online.”

`Part of your childhood’

Signature touches were aplenty in the DeLorean, the unique doors open vertically, allowing for an interior gander.

Chief among them was the “flux capacitor,” the fictional gizmo allowing the car to break the barriers of physics and time travel when it reaches 88 mph.

Time travel dates, faithful to the movie, are programmed near the dashboard. Another tribute to the iconic franchise is the “plutonium chamber.”

Penned inside the vehicle are the autographs of some of the actors who appeared in “Back to the Future.”

The trio of souped-up rides drew the intrigue and curiosity of passersby and those who live near the auction business.

Steve Chamberlin, 46, and his son, Alex, are fans of the films, watching “Back to the Future” together multiple times.

“I’ve been able to share my childhood with him and share the movies together,” the father said.

The youngster has Lego versions of all three cars.

Asked his favorite, the father smiled as he stood next to the Batmobile, a replica built with the chassis of a 1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic: “I would say this guy right here.”

“It’s part of your childhood,” the elder Chamberlin said. “You watch these things on TV for years, and then to see it in real life, to see a Batmobile (near) your home, come on.”

Alex is such a fan of “Back to the Future” he dressed up as Marty McFly for Halloween.

Asked what era he would travel to if the DeLorean time machine actually worked, dad said: “I’d go back to the ’50s, something like that. Simple times.”

Patti Iorio, 55, of Canal Fulton, said that physically seeing the replica vehicles is a bigger deal than watching the originals on the movie screen.

“I like the guns in the front, the bullets,” she said of the Batmobile, grinning. “It looks super sporty.”

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ed.balint@cantonrep.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP