The Mirthmobile is back! The 1976 AMC Pacer driven in the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World will again be offered at Barrett-Jackson, crossing the block on January 26 as the Scottsdale, Arizona, auction parties on.
The Pacer, known in the movie as the Mirthmobile and with such ironic custom touches as flame stickers behind the front wheels and a red-licorice dispenser in the ceiling, last sold in 2016 at Barrett-Jackson’s auction in Las Vegas. After receiving a boatload of attention, the Pacer went for $37,400, no doubt boosted considerably by its movie fame.
In the movie, the Pacer is owned by Garth, played by Dana Carvey, and used for local cruising along with Wayne, the title character played by Mike Meyers, and their crew. Most memorable was the head-banging rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody blasted inside the car in the opening scenes of the movie.
The Pacer at auction has been fully refurbished to its film condition, including prop features, camera mounts and mismatched hub caps, still powered by its original 6-cylinder engine and automatic transmission.
Barrett-Jackson is well-known for auctioning off famous Hollywood prop cars, from the original TV-series Batmobile, created by George Barris, to the Volkswagen Beetle from Herbie the Love Bug. The return of the Mirthmobile should provide some comic relief to the buying and selling of nearly 2,000 collector cars.
Barrett-Jackson’s 50th anniversary Scottsdale auction will be held January 22-30 at WestWorld. For more information, visit the auction website.
Being in one of my favorite movies does not take away my dislike for these weird and ugly vehicles.