LEGO Ecto-1 vs DeLorean vs 1989 Batmobile: Which to Buy Now
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Three 1980s movie cars LEGO built for adults, and only one is still sold. The Ghostbusters ECTO-1 and the 1989 Batmobile have retired, and the Back to the Future Time Machine is expected to leave at the end of 2026. Here is how the three compare, and which current sets take their place.
LEGO built three 1980s movie cars as large adult models, and in 2026 only one is still on sale. The Back to the Future Time Machine (10300) is the one you can buy new, and our catalog expects it to leave LEGO's range on December 31, 2026. The Ghostbusters ECTO-1 (10274) and the 1989 Batmobile (76139) have retired. So the real question is whether to buy the Time Machine before the end of the year, which retired car to look for second hand, and what the current alternatives are.
The three cars at a glance
| ECTO-1 (10274) | Time Machine (10300) | 1989 Batmobile (76139) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film | Ghostbusters (Afterlife version) | Back to the Future trilogy | Batman (1989) |
| Released | 2020 | 2022 | 2019 |
| Status in our catalog | Retired, expected exit end of 2024 | On sale, expected exit December 31, 2026 | Retired, expected exit end of 2021 |
| Length | About 47 cm | About 35 cm | Over 60 cm |
| Minifigures | None | Doc Brown, Marty McFly | Batman, The Joker, Vicki Vale |
| Signature feature | Extending rear gunner seat, ghost trap | Builds as 1 of 3 versions | Pop-up machine guns, rotating stand |
List prices and piece counts are on the cards below.
Back to the Future Time Machine (10300): the one still on sale
The DeLorean time machine, built as one of three versions from the trilogy, with gull-wing doors, folding wheels for flight mode, a light-up flux capacitor and Doc and Marty minifigures.
The Time Machine is the most flexible of the three: you build it as one of the three versions of the car from the films, and it carries the details fans look for, from opening gull-wing doors and wheels that fold for flight mode to a light-up flux capacitor, printed dashboard dates, a hoverboard and swappable licence plates. It is also the most compact, at about 35 cm long. With an expected exit date of December 31, 2026 in our catalog, this holiday season is the last one in which LEGO itself sells it.
Ghostbusters ECTO-1 (10274): retired
The converted 1959 Cadillac ambulance from the Ghostbusters movies, in its Afterlife version, with working steering, a trapdoor, a ghost trap and an extending rear gunner seat.
The ECTO-1 recreates the converted 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance as it appears in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, with working steering, a trapdoor, a ghost trap, an extending rear gunner seat and a proton pack. It has no minifigures, so the car is the whole display. Our catalog lists it as retired, so it is now a secondary-market purchase; check that a used copy has its roof equipment, which is where the small parts are.
1989 Batmobile (76139): retired
The Batmobile from the 1989 Batman film, over 60 cm long, with a slide-open cockpit, pop-up machine guns and a rotating display stand, plus Batman, The Joker and Vicki Vale.
The 1989 Batmobile is the biggest of the three by far, over 60 cm long, with a slide-open cockpit, two hidden machine guns that pop up when you turn the turbine exhaust, grappling hooks, and a rotating display stand with an information plate. It is also the only one of the three with three minifigures: Batman in his 1989 suit, The Joker and Vicki Vale. Our catalog lists an expected exit at the end of 2021, the earliest of the three.
The current sets that take their place
The Batman Returns Batmobile, the car from the 1992 sequel, released September 4, 2026, an 18+ model whose side panels release to reveal the Batmissile.
For a Tim Burton Batmobile you can still buy new, the Batman Returns Batmobile is the current choice: the car from the 1992 sequel, released to everyone on September 4, 2026, an 18+ model with a Batman minifigure on a display stand and side panels that release at the press of a button to reveal the Batmissile inside.
The Batman Forever Batmobile, a smaller model with an expected exit at the end of 2026.
The Speed Champions Time Machine from Back to the Future, a small, inexpensive version of the DeLorean expected to stay on sale until the end of 2028.
Which to buy
- You want one of these three new: the Back to the Future Time Machine, and buy it before the end of 2026.
- You want a big Batmobile new: the Batman Returns Batmobile.
- You want the ECTO-1 or the 1989 Batmobile specifically: look on the secondary market, and ask for photos of the minifigures, stand and instructions.
- You want a small Back to the Future car: the Speed Champions Time Machine.
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