The annual Burning Man festival has produced some weird art cars over the years. Now a few of them will be offered for sale, among some other notable art works and artifacts.
Held over nine days in the Nevada desert, the event attracts thousands of artists and lately, Silicon Valley-types. One feature that has been a staple of the festival is its Department of Mutant Vehicles, which showcases creative cars in all shapes and sizes. The Sotheby’s sale features three automotive lots, including this 40-foot art car based on a 1970s Cadillac.
The creation, called the Rocket Car, was designed and built by artist David Best. Based on a 1973 Cadillac Sedan DeVille, the car was first constructed in 2003.
Measuring more than 40 feet in length, the Rocket Car was made using scrap metal and specially fabricated parts, as this video published by KQED shows.
To create the steampunk-esque roadster, Best and his team hacked the roof off the vintage Cadillac before setting to work tweaking the bodywork. Once all the panels had been stripped, the team began fabricating the huge cones that run the length of the car, almost doubling its dimensions.
While Best was sure to remove any trace of the car’s original shell, he retained the Cadillac’s running gear to ensure it could be driven whenever he needed.
The Rocket Car is being sold online as part of the “Boundless Space… The Possibilities of Burning Man” sale. It’s joined in the auction by a custom car build from one of the festival’s resident artists, as well as artwork and NFTs.
The Rocket Car is the standout of the sale, and would surely stick out whenever its prospective buyer takes its for a spin around town. For anyone in the market for a 40-foot convertible Caddy, the Rocket Car is being sold here. With an estimated sale price of $30,000 - 50,000, it’s actually one of the cheaper vehicles being sold in this auction. One car based on a Mayan mask is pegged to sell for $50,000 - 70,000, while a custom vehicle built by Henry Chang could run you $2,500,000. As far as we’re concerned, the Rocket Car is the way to go if you’re after a piece of automotive Burning Man history.