Christopher Nowak says none of his friends were surprised when he and his wife decided to use a down payment for a home on a monorail car instead.After all, this was no ordinary monorail car, and Nowak is not your average collector.
This was the front cab of an original monorail train that transported millions of visitors throughout Walt Disney World in the 1970s and 1980s. The original Mark IV monorail trains were retired in 1989 to make room for a new generation of models, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Nowak and his wife are Disney fanatics who honeymooned at Disney World and once visited all the Disney parks in the world (minus Paris) in a month. He's also a self-described artist, inventor and collector of "weird old vehicles," including an articulated bus he claims to have transformed into a mobile nightclub.
The couple from Chico, California, purchased the cab in 2014, dreaming of the day they might use it to drive their kids to school or bring it to the annual Burning Man festival. But plans change, and now the ultimate Disney collectible could be yours with just a few clicks and a whole lot of cash. Nowak declined to say what he paid for the rail car.
Nowak listed the item last week on eBay for $260,000 with a starting bid of $169,000. More than 1,500 people were watching the auction as of Saturday night, though no one had bid. The listing itself was pulled from eBay on Sunday.
Nowak, who owns a sound and lighting custom stage design company, had told CNN he and his wife needed the money to fund their next big project, but he declined to provide details.
"My wife and I had plans for it, but we're kind of strapped for cash, so we figured, let's put it out and see what happens."
The listing provided some insight into what Nowak might have had in mind for the cab.
"Some people have train cars in their back yard, imagine your own monorail guest room, or man cave. Mount it on a bus chassis and drive it around!! Turn it into your kids' ultimate clubhouse," the description on the eBay page read. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a very serious piece of Disney history."
The listing said the vehicle is available for viewing in Tampa, where Nowak left it with a friend after buying it from a seller in Georgia via eBay last year. CNN could not independently confirm its authenticity. Nowak says he did not receive a title or certificate of authenticity when he purchased the cab but he is confident that it's the real deal.
"I guess there's chance it could be a reproduction, but I'm not too worried," he said.
The listing promised free shipping, but Nowak is not sure that he's ready to part with the item.
"I'm sure I'd have salty taste in my mouth if if gets sold, but we'll see what happens," he said.
"If this thing gets sold, I know that in 20 years, I'll look back and think that of all the things I got rid of, this is the coolest."
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