Snapshot
- The original Mirthmobile from the 1992 film Wayne’s World
- Restored for the Pawn Stars TV show and sold in 2016
- Latest sale more than doubles previous price
Party on, dude! The original Mirthmobile, driven by Dana Carey aka Garth Algar in the 1992 comedy flick Wayne’s World has sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona for US$71,500.
The Mirthmobile began life as a 1976 American Motors Corporation (AMC) Pacer. The humble Pacer was an unloved footnote of automotive history by the early 1990s, so it was well-suited to play the role as humble transport for the slacker pair of Garth and his buddy Wayne Campbell.
Modifications for Mirthmobile spec included blue paint with flame decals, mismatched chrome rims on the back, a thumping audio system, a roof-mounted licorice dispenser and a plastic cup dispenser in the dash.
The car stars in one of the film’s most iconic scenes, where our pair and their mates rock out to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
According to Hemmings, the Mirthmobile was given away by MTV at the end of filming. It spent some time in a museum in Eugene, Oregon, before being purchased by a speculator from Florida, who then sold the worse-for-wear Pacer to Rick Harrison for of Pawn Stars fame in 2015 for $9,500.
The car was restored and sold at auction for 2016 for US$37,400. The latest sale therefore represents a handsome profit.
Two more Pacers were constructed for 1993’s Wayne’s World 2. One was the stretched, six wheel Mirthlimo, used to ferry about the members of Aerosmith in one of the film’s alternative endings.
The second was a custom convertible Pacer, used for a Thelma and Louise style alternate ending. Both cars still exist, with the convertible hanging on the wall of the New York Planet Hollywood, at least as recently as 2009.
Given the big dollars the original has just sold for, perhaps we’ll see the other two given the restoration they deserve before long.
Keyword: Wayne's World AMC Pacer sold for record amount