The car, designed by Andy DiDia in 1953 was one of the most fabulous custom cars ever built with every futuristic innovation money could buy.
It cost Darin more than $93,000 and took seven years to build. Darin drove the car to special events, including the Academy Awards presentation. Darin, who died at 37 in 1973 of heart problems, was best known for his 1959 rendition of "Mack the Knife."
The car, which looks like a square version of the Batmobile, was the creation of a clothing designer, not a car manufacturer. The story goes that Darin struck up a friendship with DiDia, a well known clothing designer from Detroit. DiDia, an auto buff, designed the car on a whim and showed it to Darin. Darin loved the lines and made a few suggestions.
They dubbed the "DiDia 150" the "Bobby Darin Dream Car." Originally, the car had 30 coats of paint, mixed with a diamond dust from Sweden.
The "Dream Car" featured a list of innovations, including thermostatically controlled air-condtioning that keeps the temperature constant, hidden headlights, taillights that swivel when the car turns a corner, glass windows on hinges and rust leather bucket seats, each with its own ash tray, cigarette lighter and radio speaker.
It cost Darin more than $93,000 and took seven years to build. Darin drove the car to special events, including the Academy Awards presentation. Darin, who died at 37 in 1973 of heart problems, was best known for his 1959 rendition of "Mack the Knife."
The car, which looks like a square version of the Batmobile, was the creation of a clothing designer, not a car manufacturer. The story goes that Darin struck up a friendship with DiDia, a well known clothing designer from Detroit. DiDia, an auto buff, designed the car on a whim and showed it to Darin. Darin loved the lines and made a few suggestions.
They dubbed the "DiDia 150" the "Bobby Darin Dream Car." Originally, the car had 30 coats of paint, mixed with a diamond dust from Sweden.
The "Dream Car" featured a list of innovations, including thermostatically controlled air-condtioning that keeps the temperature constant, hidden headlights, taillights that swivel when the car turns a corner, glass windows on hinges and rust leather bucket seats, each with its own ash tray, cigarette lighter and radio speaker.
