Burning Man is the yearly confab in the Nevada desert for retro-future celebrations and post-apocalyptic fun. One of the festival’s hallmarks is the Department of Mutant Vehicles. Odd-themed vehicles and weird four-wheel wonders share the spotlight with the rest of the antics on display. Now Sotheby’s has gathered a bunch of the motoring monstrosities for an online auction.

One of the featured Burning Man art cars is the 40-foot Rocket Car. Created by artist David Best, it is a hap dash rebody of a 1973 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. It made its Burning Man debut in 2003. The freakishly fun convertible’s body was made from scrap metal and bit from other cars.

The Rocket Car was made from a 1970s Cadillac Sedan DeVille

The entire outer skin of the Caddy was torched off along with the roof. Best started fabricating the cones at either end of the Rocket Car, before creating the center panels tying it all together. The added body protrusions doubled the length of the Sedan DeVille. With the drivetrain and inner structure/frame of the Cadillac retained, it drives and handles much like those pillowy-soft Cads your grandfather owned. 

The estimated selling price for the Rocket Car is between $30,000-50,000

Though it is hard to see the craftsmanship; or lack thereof, the estimated selling price of between $30,000 and $50,000 seems reasonable. It’s currently bid to $10,000. The only downside we see to owning it is that you can’t park it in a garage, and can’t drive it in the rain. Being more of an art piece than a car, we doubt anyone would seriously use it for much.

Sotheby’s calls this auction “Boundless Space-The Possibilities of Burning Man.” 

Now, if artist Alex Grey’s Mask of the Mayan Warrior is more your taste, it is also for sale. Not the whole vehicle, just the fiberglass front end. It is estimated to sell for between $50,000 and $70,000. 

And Henry Chang’s Metal Mutant Masterpiece is being auctioned. It doesn’t exist, but it will be yours and you can have input during the build. It is slated to be completed in time for the 2023 Burning Man festival with an estimate between $2,200,000 and $2,500,000. We’ve included an earlier vehicle design from the fertile mind of Chang. 

In all, there are almost 200 pieces of arts and crafts up for auction. Most are at no reserve, while some that we have mentioned here do have minimum bids. If you’re curious or interested you can check out Sotheby’s website with pictures and descriptions of everything.