Spawnmobile: Todd McFarlane’s Custom Hellish Hot Rod

A Spawn-Themed Supercar is Born

In the early 1990s, comic creator Todd McFarlane was riding high on the success of Spawn, his new hit superhero. Never one to do things subtly, McFarlane decided to promote his fledgling franchise with a literal Spawnmobile – a full-sized, tricked-out funny car dragster decked out in Spawn’s demonic style. This one-of-a-kind vehicle was originally built in 1992 as a promotional showpiece for McFarlane’s convention appearances. In fact, by 1993 a “Spawnmobile” super-competition funny car was touring car shows and drawing crowds, right alongside the booming sales of Spawn comics and toys. The car even popped up in a few TV commercials in the early ’90s, cementing its status as part of Spawn’s over-the-top marketing blitz.

Design and Devilish Details of the Spawnmobile

The Spawnmobile’s design is pure 90s comic flair, from its flame-and-blood paint job to the coffin cockpit.

True to its comic book roots, the Spawnmobile looks like it drove straight out of Hell – in the best way. McFarlane personally designed this dragster-style funny car with countless Spawn-inspired details. The exterior features a striking two-sided paint scheme: one side of the car is jet-black with green flame decals, while the other side is bone-white with bright red “blood” splatters. Each side even sports a different rendition of the classic Spawn logo, so the car has a split personality depending on which side you view.

The interior is just as wild. There’s only one seat (it’s a single-seater hot rod), and it’s crimson red and shaped like Dracula’s coffin – because of course it is! Up front, the steering wheel is wrapped by a sculpted pair of skeletal hands, as if a corpse itself were gripping the wheel. Even the windows got the spooky treatment, with skeletal patterns etched into the glass. And in true over-the-top comic fashion, the hood is outfitted with a giant exposed engine blower flanked by twin Gatling gun barrels – purely decorative, but undeniably cool. (Don’t worry, those guns don’t actually fire – the auction listing joked that it didn’t specify whether the guns were functional, “we kid, we kid”.

Despite looking like a high-octane racer, the Spawnmobile was always more showpiece than speedster. It was built as an “inoperable art piece” from the start – essentially a custom fiberglass car body on a dragster chassis meant for display, not driving. In drag racing terms, it’s a “funny car” with a lightweight body that can actually lift up off the frame, just like real drag racers, to reveal the chassis beneath. Under the hood sits a massive mock V8 engine with a blower, but it’s not a functional engine – the car was never truly drivable on the street. In fact, by 2024 the poor Spawnmobile wasn’t in running condition at all (the years sitting in storage took a toll). The auction description made clear it’s non-operational and not street-legal, noting even the tires no longer hold air after all these years. Essentially, this beast would need a lot of TLC (and probably a mechanic or two) to ever roar to life again. But as a static display, it’s still metal and fiberglass eye-candy of the highest order.

The 2024 Auction: Spawnmobile Finds a New Home

After sitting in storage for years, the original Spawnmobile roared back into the spotlight in 2024 – not on the road, but on the auction block. Todd McFarlane decided it was time to let this beast go and offered the Spawnmobile up for sale to the fans. The auction took place on April 12, 2024, via the live auction app Whatnot, during their inaugural virtual comic convention event (WhatnotCon). McFarlane himself hosted a live-streamed auction session, treating viewers to the Spawnmobile’s backstory and even doing giveaways of Spawn merchandise during the event. In the lead-up, Todd’s excitement was palpable – he posted behind-the-scenes peeks, including climbing back into the driver’s seat. “Feels great to step into the Spawn-Mobile again after 20 years!” he wrote, sharing his personal joy at revisiting the car. For many fans, seeing Todd reunite with the Spawnmobile (even briefly on a livestream) was a heartwarming full-circle moment.

The auction itself was as unique as the car. Bidding started at $19.92 – a clever nod to the car’s birth year (1992). Of course, it didn’t stay there for long. Interest was high, even though the listing clearly warned that the Spawnmobile comes “as-is” – meaning non-working, needing restoration, and definitely not street legal. The winner wouldn’t be driving this car home; they’d be towing it on a trailer (in fact, the car’s custom transport trailer was included in the auction). Only bidders from the continental U.S. were allowed to participate, since shipping such a giant collectible overseas would be a nightmare. These practical limitations didn’t deter die-hard fans. After a flurry of bids, the Spawnmobile ultimately sold for around $19,850 USD, landing in the hands of one very dedicated Spawn collector. Considering this machine is a one-of-a-kind piece of comic history (and comes with its own trailer), that price tag almost feels like a bargain.