Batmobiles
The Batmobile is the automobile of DC Comics superhero
Batman. The car has evolved along with the character from comic books to
television and films reflecting evolving car technologies. Kept in the Batcave
accessed through a hidden entrance, the gadget-laden car is used by Batman in
his crime-fighting activities.
The Batmobile made its first appearance in Detective Comics
#27 (May, 1939). Then a red sedan, it was simply referred to as "his
car". Soon it began featuring an increasingly prominent bat motif,
typically including distinctive wing-shaped tailfins. Armored in the early
stages of Batman's career, it has been customized over time into a sleek street
machine. Originally, the vehicle was a simple red convertible with nothing
special in its functions. Although the Batplane was introduced in Detective
Comics No. 31, the name "Batmobile" was not applied to Batman and
Robin's automobile until Detective Comics No. 48 (February 1941). Other
bat-vehicles soon followed, including the Batcycle, Batboat and Robin's
Redbird.
The car's design gradually evolved. It became a
"specially built high-powered auto" by Detective Comics #30, and in
Batman #5, it began featuring an ever-larger bat hood ornament and an
ever-darker paint job. Eventually, the predominant designs included a large,
dark-colored body and bat-like accessories, including large tailfins scalloped
to resemble a bat's wings.
Batman No. 5 (Spring 1941) introduced a long, powerful,
streamlined Batmobile with a tall scalloped fin and an intimidating bat head on
the front. Three pages after it was introduced, it was forced off a cliff by
the Joker to crash in the ravine below. However, an identical Batmobile
appeared in the next story in the same issue.
The live action television series was so popular that its
campy humor and its Batmobile (a superficially modified concept car, the
decade-old Lincoln Futura, owned by George Barris whose shop did the work) were
quickly introduced into the Batman comic books. But the high camp and general
silliness of the television show did not sit well with long-time Batman comic
book fans. So, when the series was canceled in 1968, the comic books reacted by
becoming darker and more serious, including having Batman abandon that
Batmobile. Its replacement for a number of years was a much simpler model with
a stylized bat's head silhouette decal on the hood being the only decoration of
note. The 1960s TV style Batmobile still appears from time to time in the comic
books, most recently in Detective Comics #850 and the issues of Batman
Confidential.
In mid-1985, a special variation of the Super Powers toyline
Batmobile appeared in both Batman and Detective Comics. This design had a full
set of front and rear canopies, "Coke-bottle" sides, integrated fins,
and generally rounder features, just like the toy. The only difference between
this car and its toy counterpart is the nose, which was occasionally drawn to
appear longer and more pointed.
In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the Batmobile has been
modified into a tank-like armored riot control vehicle, complete with machine
guns shooting rubber bullets, a large cannon mounted on the front, and large
tank treads in place of tires. According to Batman's narration, the only thing
that can penetrate its armor "isn't from this planet." Batman also
mentions that it was Dick Grayson who came up with the name. The tank-like
vehicle appears to take up two lanes of traffic on a normal road, evidenced
when returning from Batman's initial fight with the leader of the Mutants, and
thus is too big for normal land travel around Gotham. In the scenes prior to
Batman's last stand with the Joker, Batman uses a motorcycle to traverse the
city, using the tank again after the attempted nuclear strike and fires in
Gotham. This Batmobile reappeared in All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder
#4, which shows its construction by robots in the Batcave.
Beginning in the 1990s, the number of comics featuring
Batman mushroomed with spin-off titles, limited series, and graphic novels. At
the same time, there was considerable experimentation with styles of
illustration. With different illustration styles in so many different books,
there was naturally a corresponding diversity of designs for the Batmobile.
This has continued with designs for the Batmobile ranging from conservative and
practical to highly stylized to outlandish.
During the Cataclysm storyline, it is revealed that Batman
has hidden a number of spare vehicles across the city just in case. A Humvee
serves as a primary mean of transportation to cross the earthquake-ravaged city
during the Aftershock storyline, as most of the Batmobiles are wrecked by the
quake. These vehicles are not as sophisticated as the Batmobiles, but some of them
are armored to withstand weaponry mounted on military automobiles.
In the Batman: Hush storyline, a splash page by Jim Lee
shows all the previous Batmobiles (from comics, movies, and all TV series) in
storage in the Batcave. In addition, some incarnations of the character, such
as Batman: The Animated Series, establish that Batman has a large ground
vehicle fleet of various makes and models as well as utility vehicles to use
when the Batmobile would be too conspicuous. In issue 9 of the third volume of Teen
Titans, Robin and his friends use a Batmobile that he shipped out to San
Francisco, hiding the expense "in the Batarang budget".
In Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder,
the car can morph into a harrier jet and a submarine. Dick Grayson comments
that the name Batmobile is "totally queer".However, in Batman: The
Dark Knight Returns, which exists in the same continuity, Grayson was stated as
the one who invented the name.
The metafictional Batmobile Owner's Manual, released in
2008, gives theoretical specifications of the car as if it were real. The book
states that the Batmobile's five cylinder engine is more powerful than turbine
jet engines, and capable of achieving up to 1,700 horsepower (1,300 kW).
In the new series Batman and Robin, a new Batmobile is
unveiled. This model is capable of flight, although is not as maneuverable as
the Batwing. It can fire 19 types of projectiles, one of which is a flame
retardant non-toxic foam, and features a concussive sonic blast device.The new
Batmobile was designed and constructed by Bruce Wayne; however, its
construction was the source of great frustration to him, as mentioned by
Alfred. In Batman and Robin #1 it is revealed that Bruce's son, Damian Wayne,
solved the problem of its inability to fly.
Batmobile Specs
Batman (TV Series)
In late 1965 20th Century Fox Television and William
Dozier's Greenway Productions contracted renowned Hollywood car customizer Dean
Jeffries to design and build a "Batmobile" for their upcoming Batman
TV series. He started customizing a 1959 Cadillac, but when the studio wanted
the program on the air in January 1966, and therefore filming sooner than he
could provide the car, Jeffries was paid off, and the project went to George
Barris.
What became the iconic Batmobile used in the 1966–1968 live
action television show and its film adaptation was a customized vehicle that
originated as a one-off 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, created by Ford Motor
Company lead stylists Bill Schmidt, Doug Poole Sr., and John Najjar and their
design team at the Lincoln Styling Department.
In 1954, the Futura prototype was built entirely by hand by
the Ghia Body Works in Turin, Italy, at a reported cost of US$250,000—the
equivalent of approximately US$2 million in 2009. It made its debut in
pearlescent Frost-Blue white paint on 8 January 1955 at the Chicago Auto Show.
In 1959, sporting a fresh red paint job, the Futura was featured in the film It
Started with a Kiss, starring Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford.
Barris was trying to get Hollywood's attention with the
Futura, which he had purchased from Ford for the nominal sum of $1.00 and
"other valuable consideration",but aside from its film appearance the
Futura had been languishing in his Hollywood shop for several years. With only
three weeks to finish the Batmobile (although in recent years Jeffries says
that his car was dropped because he was told it was needed in "a week and
a half",he was quoted in 1988 as saying "three weeks" as well),
Barris decided that, rather than building a car from scratch, it would be
relatively easy to transform the distinctive Futura into the famous
crime-fighting vehicle. Design work was conducted by Herb Grasse, working as an
associate designer for Barris.
Barris hired Bill Cushenbery to do the metal modifications
to the car and its conversion into the Batmobile was completed in just three
weeks, at a reported cost of US$30,000. They used the primer-painted,
white-striped car in October, 1965, for a network presentation reel. Shortly
afterward, the car was painted gloss black with "fluorescent cerise"
stripes. Barris retained ownership of the car, estimated to be worth $125,000
in 1966 dollars,leasing it to 20th Century Fox and Greenway Productions for use
in the series.
When filming for the series began, several problems arose
due to the car's age: it overheated, the battery went dead, and the expensive
Mickey Thompson tires kept blowing. By mid season, the engine and transmission
were replaced with those of a Ford Galaxie. The most frequent visual influence
of this car is that later Batmobiles usually have a rear rocket thruster that
fires as the car makes a fast start.
In November 2012 Barris Kustom and George Barris announced
the sale of the Batmobile at the Barrett-Jackson car show and auction held in
Scottsdale, Arizona. The vehicle fetched $4.2 million on January 19, 2013.
Technical specifications
Curb weight: 4500 lb
Wheelbase: 126 in
Length: 226 in
Width: 90 in
Height: 48 in
Fins: 84 in
Engine: 390 in³ Ford FE V-8
Transmission: B&M C-6 Automatic (2nd transmission)
Features
This Batmobile's gadgets include a nose-mounted aluminum
Cable Cutter Blade, Bat Ray Projector, Anti-Theft Device, Detect-a-scope,
Batscope, Bat Eye Switch, Antenna Activator, Police Band Cut-In Switch,
Automatic Tire Inflation Device, Remote Batcomputer—radio linked to the main
Batcomputer in the Batcave, the Batphone, Emergency Bat Turn Lever, Anti-Fire
Activator, Bat Smoke, Bat Photoscope, and many other Bat gadgets. If needed,
the Batmobile is capable of a quick 180° "bat-turn" thanks to two
rear-mounted ten-foot Deist parachutes. The main license plate seen throughout
the series was 2F-3567 (1966). Some changes were made during the run of the
series, including different license plates (TP-3567; BT-1), removal of the
Futura steering wheel and substitution with a 1958 Edsel steering wheel, and
the addition of extra gadgets such as a net in the trunk, remote-controlled
driving, a rear-facing camera under the turbine exhaust port, and the Bat Ram.
Other devices included:
·
Emergency Bat-turn Lever (releases the
Batmobile's parachute that enables quick turns)
·
Bat-ray (capable of many tasks, such as remotely
opening quarry's vehicle doors)
·
Automatic fire extinguisher
·
Mobile Batcomputer (in trunk)
·
Bat Beam
·
Emergency tire inflator
·
Bat Smoke Screen
·
Bat-tering Ram (also known as the Bat-ram, used
for knocking down reinforced doors)
·
Voice Control Batmobile Relay Unit
·
Bat-photoscope (works in conjunction with the
Microfilm Crime File in the Batcave. Through this device a photo from the crime
file can be reproduced remotely in the Batmobile.)
·
Batphone
·
Police band cut-in switch
·
Mobile tracking scope
·
Remote Bat Computer Switch
·
Anti-theft switch
·
Other appearances
Barris built two fiberglass copies of the original Batmobile
for exhibition on the car show circuit and a third for exhibition drag racing.
Eventually, the three copies (and the screen-used metal Futura Batmobile) were
covered with a black velvet "fuzz" paint, presumably to hide stress
cracks in the fiberglass bodies. Later, all three were restored to their gloss
black paint job. The three replicas are all based on a 1965–1966 Ford Galaxie.
Barris The #1 Batmobile sold at Barett-Jackson Auctions on January 19, 2013 for
$4,620,000, of which $ 420,000 was paid to Barrett-Jackson in commissions. The
three Barris copies all reside in private collections, including the exhibition
drag racing version driven by wheelstanding driver Wild Bill Shrewsberry. This
car was built with a dual-quad Holman Moody Ford 427 V8 engine, Art
Carr-prepared Ford C6 automatic transmission and 5.14 gears in the rear end.
Quarter-mile times were in the mid-12 second range, primarily because
Shrewsberry would launch the car in second gear and smoke the overinflated rear
tires for show down most of the strip. The "rocket exhaust" was made
functional via a tank filled with either gasoline or kerosene which was pumped
out the exhaust port and ignited electrically.
The #1 Barris-built Batmobile, built from the original 1955
Lincoln Futura concept car was purchased by Richard Champange of Auwatukee,
Arizona at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in January 2013 for $ 4,620,000.
The #2 Barris-built Batmobile is owned by Dr. Anderson,
Virginia, and has not been repaired or restored. Original purchase price was $
225,000.
The #3 Barris-built Batmobile was purchased and restored by
Mr. Dennis M Danzik of Paradise Valley, Arizona. It was reportedly purchased
for $600,000. Danzik also owns the majority of the Warner Brothers 1989
Batmobile.
The #4 Barris-built Batmobile is owned by Mr. Doug Jackson,
and is located in Southern California.
The so-called #5 Batmobile, originally built by Bob Butts,
is owned by George Barris and is located in Southern California.
Replicas
In October, 2010, DC Comics authorized Fiberglass Freaks in
Logansport, Indiana, to build officially licensed 1966 Batmobile replicas.
These replicas have been sold to customers in England, Italy, Canada, and
across the U.S. One of Fiberglass Freaks' 1966 Batmobile Replicas sold at an R
& M auction for $216,000. Fiberglass Freaks' owner Mark Racop has been a
1966 Batman fan since he was two years old, and he built his first 1966
Batmobile replica when he was seventeen.
A replica Batmobile is displayed alongside two of the movie
batmobiles at the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Keswick, England.
A replica of the Barris-built Batmobile is owned by Andreas
Ugland. He bought the Batmobile at a London car auction in 2007. Both Batmobile
and Batcycle at the London car auction were replicas. It is displayed at the
Cayman Motor Museum.
·
A replica Batmobile was sold at the Coys Spring
Classic Cars Auction on February 27, 2007 at the Royal Horticultural Hall in
London. Coys Auctions had said it expected the car to fetch more than £75,000-
the final and closing bid was £119,000, equivalent to $233,000 USD at the time.
·
In the movie Rock Star, Mark Wahlberg's
character is given to extravagant spending; one of his first purchases is the
original Batmobile from the TV series.
·
An episode of The Simpsons guest-starred Adam
West with the Batmobile. Another episode featured the Batmobile in a museum of
famous cars next to Herbie the Love Bug and a car from Mad Max. The latter
episode featured a live Batman and Robin in the vehicle, who had both tried
poorly to conceal the fact that they were not dummies.
·
On an episode of The Man Show, a guest won a
ride in the Batmobile with Adam West in the "Wheel of Destiny"
segment.
·
The Lincoln Futura version of the Batmobile is
seen in the movie The Benchwarmers, driven by Jon Lovitz.
·
The Batmobile appears as an Easter Egg in the
video game King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne, accompanied by a version of
the 1966 TV theme.
·
In 2003, Adam West and Burt Ward reunited for a
tongue-in-cheek telefilm titled Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of
Adam and Burt which combined dramatized recreations of the filming of the
original series (with younger actors standing in for the stars), with modern
day footage of West and Ward searching for a stolen Batmobile.
·
In issue 9 of the comic series Justice (February
2007), Batman dons a suit of armor visually influenced by the original
Batmobile from the TV series.
·
Hobbyists have built a number of duplicates of
the TV Batmobile, sharing sources for parts and assembly kits.
·
A functional replica of the Batmobile was
finished in 2010 in Arboga, Sweden, for a reality show to be shot in the United
States. In 2011, the vehicle, valued to 4 million SEK (more than US$ 600,000)
was reported stolen, and is currently (March 2013) unlocated.
Animated Batmobiles
The Batman/Superman Hour
According to the site BatmobileHistory.com, the Batmobile
created for the 1968-1969 Filmation Associates TV series was not strongly based
on its immediate predecessor (save for sharing dual rear cockpit canopies with
the Barris/Futura Batmobile) or any version appearing in DC Comics publications
of the time. Furthermore, Filmation's Batmobile featured a long, black body
with what is described as a "Coke bottle" profile, with a large,
light blue bat emblem set across the hood, which, when a dashboard control was
activated, the metal bat symbol folded its "wings" up at its center,
forming a barricade/chain cutter. There were no door-mounted bat symbols.
Another departure from the Barris Batmobile was the design of a single
windshield and large, elevated bat-fins. Curiously, the car's underside was
colored light blue, and appeared to conseal the car's chassis, save for a
motorized panel from which devices such as the Bat-winch would emerge. It is
assumed the The Filmation Batmobile colored this underside light blue to make
the panel & devices easy to see. Additionally, the cockpit seating was
colored a vibrant red with a dashboard panel using bat accents around an inset
monitor screen, among other details. Filmation's Batmobile used parachutes,
inflatable pontoons and in case of damaged tires, vertical and rear-mounted
jets to lift and propel the car—essentially functioning as a high-powered
hovercraft. The Batman/Superman Hour/Filmation Batmobile was one of the few to
not see adaptation in any of DC Comics' publications, or produced as a
commercially available replica (toys, diecast cars, plastic model kits, etc.).
Super Friends
The Batmobile as seen in the early episodes of Super Friends
was based on the Lincoln Futura design as seen on the live-action TV series
starring Adam West. The main difference with the Super Friends version was that
the lines of the car were modified substantially for use in animation. The most
obvious change was to the nose of the car, where the hood received a
"V" depression that echoed the lower fascia. This was also the first
Batmobile (of any medium) to feature yellow bat emblems on the doors. This
particular feature would be quickly adapted by the comics.
Beginning with the Challenge of the Super Friends in 1978,
the Batmobile got revamped. This new version was developed to have a more
aerodynamic hard-edged style. In addition, this Batmobile was smaller than its
predecessor. It contained a sloped nose and flying buttress B-pillars. Features
that were carried over from the original Super Friends Batmobile were the
Bat-mask, low horizontal fins, twin bubble windshields, and blue coloring
scheme.
In 1984, Super Friends revamped its format (first as Super
Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and then as The Super Powers Team:
Galactic Guardians) to serve as a tie-in to Kenner's Super Powers Collection.
Batman: The Animated Series
The Batmobile in Batman: The Animated Series combined style
elements from various eras to produce a long, low vehicle with square lines,
long fins and a blunt nose with a massive chrome grill that could have been
from any time from the 1930s to the 1990s. This version of the Batmobile also
vaguely resembled the Batmobile from the first two Tim Burton movies. Despite
the obvious presence of the jet exhaust, the show frequently used sound effects
from a reciprocating engine for the Batmobile's driving scenes. This, plus
direct views of the engine (as seen in the episode "The Mechanic"),
suggest that the car used a large piston engine for primary power and an
auxiliary jet for high-speed acceleration. Among the features of the Batmobile
were: smoke and oil dispensers, wheel slasher hubs, a missile rack, tear gas
dispensers, ejection seats, titanium alloy wheels and body panels and
reversible jet exhausts. It also had an armoured stationary mode to prevent
people from tampering with the car when it was left unattended, though it was
not as overt as the "shields" used in the 1989 movie Batmobile. The
original Batmobile design had many design variants as well as Bruce Wayne's limosine
seen in Batman Beyond which the producers referred to as 'an upside-down
Batmobile'.
The Batmobile was redesigned in The New Batman Adventures
with its jet engine being most notably absent. This Batmobile design is re-used
in Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited, though appears somewhat more
blue than black in paint color.
A new flying Batmobile design appears in Batman Beyond used
by the new Batman (Terry McGinnis). This version of the vehicle made multiple
appearances in the future of the DC Universe as flying cars were shown as
commonplace technology in this future. This design is a radical departure from
the usual style of Batmobiles, as they usually have a bat motif, from a bat
faceplate on the grill, to tail fins resembling bat wings. The new Batmobile is
a simple sleek pod with sharp angles and rounded sides. Its interior is a red
illuminated single person cockpit, with computer circuitry and displays visible
all around.
The Batman
In the animated series The Batman, the Batmobile resembled a
sports coupe with multiple jet exhaust slits protruding from the back bumper.
In the third season episode "RPM", this Batmobile was wrecked beyond
repair, and Batman completed a prototype design that included a Wayne
Industries 'EXP' power generator. This Batmobile was longer and had a lower
profile with only one triangular jet exhaust coming from the rear of the car
resembling the one from Batman: The Animated Series. At the end of the episode,
Batman remarks that due to the Batmobile EXP's success, it is a 'keeper'. In
the fourth season, the episode "Artifacts" explores Gotham City in
the year 2027, complete with a new tank-like Batmobile reminiscent of Frank
Miller's design for the Batmobile in The Dark Knight Returns.
Batman: Gotham Knight
In the straight-to-DVD animated shorts collection Gotham
Knight, the Batmobile makes an appearance in the feature entitled "Field
Test". While set in the same continuity as Christopher Nolan's films, it
is visually a pastiche of the Batmobile as it has appeared in various films.
Also, the Batmobile appears in the feature entitled "Working Through
Pain"; wherein Alfred arrives to pick up Batman. The Batmobile appearing
in this scene seems to be inspired by its appearance in the 1989 live-action
film.
Batman: The Brave and The Bold
The Batmobile in Batman: The Brave and the Bold takes design
elements from the Golden Age Batmobiles and the Lincoln Futura. This Batmobile
has the ability to transform into other vehicles.[27] The tie in toyline's
Batmobile shares this feature, transforming from car to jet. On at least one
occasion, it has converted into a mecha similar to the Bat-Bots seen in Kingdom
Come. In the episode "Game Over for Owlman", Batman is forced to use
a back-up Batmobile which resembles a Studebaker.
Other Appearances
The Batmobile made a brief cameo at the end of the Looney
Tunes Show episode "Reunion". Bugs Bunny drove off in it after seeing
the Bat-Signal because, in that show, he is secretly Batman. This Batmobile
slightly resembles the Golden Age version.
Batman and Batman Returns
Tim Burton's live-action films Batman and Batman Returns
presented a different version of the Batmobile, which reflected those films'
Art Deco version of Gotham City, both of which were designed by Anton Furst. It
was long, low and sleek, and was built on a Chevy Impala chassis.
Technical specifications
·
Length: 260.7 in
·
Width: 94.4 in
·
Height: 51.2 in
·
Wheelbase: 141.0 in
·
Wheels: Cast alloy, 15 × 6.5
·
Tires: High aspect L60-15
·
Acceleration: 0-60 in 3.7 seconds
·
Maximum Speed: 330 mph with booster
·
Engine: Jet Turbine
·
Fuel: High octane; 97% special (gasoline
paraffin mixture)
·
Torque: 1750 lbf.ft at 98.7% ROS
·
For quick maneuvers, this Batmobile had
side-mounted grappling hook launchers and a central "foot" capable of
lifting the car and rotating it 180°.
Features
Spherical bombs could be deployed from its sides. An
afterburner was housed in the back. Two M1919 Browning machine guns were hidden
behind flaps in each fender. Its grappling hook, once hooked on a structure,
serves as an anchor to allow the batmobile to make an extremely sharp turn at
high speed that its pursuers typically cannot duplicate. It had superhydraulics
for course changes, and a batdisc ejector (side-mounted) that could fire
precisely 15 Batdiscs in the 1-second pulse. Other gadgets included
chassis-mounted shinbreakers, oil slick dispensers and smoke emitters. Inside,
the two-seat cockpit featured aircraft-like instrumentation, a passenger's side
monitor, self-diagnostics system, CD recorder, and voice-command recognition system.
In Batman Returns it is shown to have a secondary mode referred to as the
"Batmissile", where the wheels would retract inward and the sides of
the vehicle would break off, converting the car into a thin bullet train-like
form capable of squeezing through tight alleyways. Obviously, this secondary
mode would require the car to be reassembled and significantly repaired.
The Batmobile's shields are made of ceramic fractal armor
panels. They explode outward when struck by projectiles, deflecting injurious force
away from the car and its occupants. If Batman must leave the Batmobile for an
extended period of time, he can, through a voice command spoken into a wrist
device (specifically, the word "shields"), activate the Batmobile's
shielding system. This prevents anyone from tampering with the vehicle while it
is left unattended. Bulletproof and fireproof steel armor plates envelop the
body and cockpit entirely. While this armor is in place, the vehicle cannot be
driven. In Batman the shields were not fully functioning. In reality, a
life-size model was built, and the shield activation sequence was created with
stop motion animation technology. In Batman Returns, the shields[31] held the
same characteristics. However, the design was slimmer and the special effects
were provided by computer-generated imagery. In shield mode, a small but
powerful bomb can be deployed.
Other appearances
·
The only actual turbine powered Batmobile in
existence is a replica of the 1989 film car. It is powered by a military Boeing
turboshaft engine driving the rear wheels through a 4 speed semi-automatic
transmission and is street registered. This car was designed and constructed by
Casey Putsch of Putsch Racing in 2011. Putsch Racing also created a V8 powered
replica complete with retractable firing machine guns, automated canopy,
internet, GPS, police/military scanner, etc.. That car was also street
registered in the United States.
·
Replicas of the Tim Burton-era Batmobiles are on
display in front of several Batman: The Ride roller coasters and also in the
street near Batman Adventure – The Ride 2 at Warner Bros. Movie World in
Australia.
·
Historic auto attractions in Roscoe, Illinois
displays a replica Batmobile from Batman Returns as well as the
"Batmissile" in addition to a replica of the Batmobile from the 1960s
television series.
·
A series of Onstar TV advertisements featured
this particular Batmobile being equipped with the system. OnStar allowed Batman
to call various Gotham characters, summon police, remotely unlock the vehicle's
doors and find the nearest jet fuel station.
·
This version of the Batmobile was later seen in
the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman episode called "Don't
Tug on Superman's Cape", an episode which shows that some collectors had
apparently stolen the Batmobile.
·
In the movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Daffy
Duck drives the Tim Burton version of the Batmobile into the water tower on the
Warner Bros. studio lot, causing it to fall over and nearly crush Jenna
Elfman's character.
·
On the TV series Animaniacs, the Tim Burton
version of the Batmobile approaches the WB studios front gates, the guard at
the door greets the driver by saying "Good afternoon Mr. Keaton."
·
Yet another Animaniacs cartoon features a parody
of the poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. As the WB studios empty out for
the Christmas break, the Tim Burton version of the Batmobile pulls up to the
gate, and Ralph the Guard waves it through, saying, "Goodnight, Mr.
Keaton, that's a lovely sedan."
·
In a third Animaniacs appearance, Dot Warner's
interpretation of a Puck soliloquy from A Midsummer Night's Dream renders the
line, "And Robin shall make amends ere long" as "And the Boy
Wonder will save us." The Tim Burton version of the Batmobile then drives
up to the Warner siblings and opens its canopy; Robin pulls the trio into the
car, which departs, saving them from an angry fairy.
·
In the "RPM" episode of the animated
series The Batman, one of Bruce Wayne's Batmobile prototypes is the Batmobile
from the Tim Burton films.
·
In the animated film Batman: Gotham Knight
segment "Working Through Pain", Alfred uses the 1989 Batmobile to
pull the sewer gate to rescue Batman trapped underneath.
Batman Forever
As the Batman films were handed over to director Joel
Schumacher from Tim Burton, the design for the Batmobile updated. Decorative
lighting was added to the vehicle's rims, sides and front edge, and the
wing-shaped fins reached further into the air. New abilities included a
grappling hook allowing the Batmobile to drive up walls, as well as the speed to
perform large jumps from surface to surface during chases across Gotham City's
elevated freeways and gigantic statues.
The Batman Forever Batmobile's ability to drive up walls was
displayed as Batman eludes a dead-end provided by Two-Face and his henchmen.
Later in the film, Dick Grayson takes the Batmobile for a joy ride without
Batman's permission or awareness. Ultimately, it was destroyed when the Riddler
deposited a sack full of explosives in the cockpit. Batman Forever is also
notable for the phrase uttered by Batman to Dr. Chase Meridian "It's the
car, right? Chicks dig the car."
The design of the Batmobiles of the Schumacher films have
garnered criticism for allegedly resembling giant phalli.
Technical specifications
The Batman Forever Batmobile had a Chevrolet 350 ZZ3
high-performance motor. The body is made from a vacuum-bagged high-temperature
epoxy fiberglass laminate. The wheelbase is 118 in. (118 inches (3.0 m)), the
average car wheelbase measures around 103 (USDOT Data 1980–2000) inches. In all,
its size was 300 in long and 126 in high. Carbon fiber was used to build the
body of this particular Batmobile. The specifications for the Batmobile in this
film are:
Length: 300 in (7.62 m)
Width: 94.4 in
Height: 126 in (3.20 m)
Maximum Speed:330 mph with booster
Engine: Off-road running engine
Wheelbase: 118 in
Tires: Pivotable
Features
The Batmobile depicted in Batman Forever sought to
accentuate its intricate lines. To do this, the filmmakers equipped it with
engine panels, wheels, and undercarriage that were indirectly lit so that they
appeared to glow blue. The Batman Forever car also had a split cockpit canopy,
separate fenders, and jet exhaust. The roof fin could be opened into a
"V" shape for a more contemporary look, though the only time this was
shown is during the scene when Dick Grayson is taking the car out for a joyride
through the city. The wheels were made to keep the bat emblems upright when the
wheels are turning. The bat-emblem hubcaps was a counter-rotating gear that
transferred into a stationary point. The two-seat cockpit featured a rear-view
monitor, system diagnostics display, and custom gauge cluster. H. R. Giger was
chosen to design the Batmobile in the very early stages of production. He left
due to creative differences. His designs are on his official website in
illustrated and 3D Graphic Art form. There were two primary avoidance/defense
features on the Batman Forever version. First, it had the ability to lock all
four wheels perpendicular to its centerline, to allow for quick sideways
movement. Second, for more dire circumstances, the Batmobile could reroute the
jet exhaust to under its front end and launch grappling cables at overhead
anchors. With the nose up and the lines in place, the car could climb sheer
vertical surfaces like building walls as if it were driving on flat ground.
Other appearances
In episode 53 of the TV series The Drew Carey Show, Drew
Carey won the Batman Forever version of the Batmobile as a prize. Lewis and
Oswald take it on a joyride dressed as Batman and Robin without Drew's
permission. Oswald was played by Diedrich Bader (Batman's voice in Batman: The
Brave and the Bold).
In The New Batman Adventures episode "Legends of the
Dark Knight", three teenagers discuss their ideas about what Batman is
really like. They briefly meet an effeminate youth named Joel in front of a
shoemaker's shop, whose idea of Batman consists mainly of a fascination with
the tight rubber suits and a Batmobile that can drive up walls (as seen in
Batman Forever). The other three children treat Joel's ideas with utter
disdain.
In the 2011 remake of the comedy film Arthur, Arthur (played
by Russell Brand) drives the Batman Forever version of the Batmobile.
Batman & Robin
A new Batmobile is seen in the 1997 film Batman & Robin.
It is prominently featured in one scene in which, as Batman and Robin are in
pursuit, Mr. Freeze shoots the underside of the car for several seconds with
his freeze-gun, before the car crash-lands. However, in the next scene in the
Batcave, the Batmobile is sitting back on its pedestal appearing to be in
perfect condition.
Technical specifications
·
In Batman & Robin, the aerodynamic chassis
design and "T" axis wheelbase provided the Batmobile counterbalance
gyrometric stability, allowing for high velocity 90-degree turns at speeds
greater than 70 mph without losing momentum. Initial plans had the Batmobile
being able to transform into the "Bathammer" vehicle seen in this
film,[A] but were abandoned. The specifications for the Batmobile in this film
are as follows:
·
Length: 396 in (33 feet (10 m)) long. The six
flame columns formed a V-shaped output of 71 in (1.80 m) length.
·
Height: 59.05 in (1.5 m)
·
Maximum Speed: 230 mph on open road, 350 mph
with afterburner thrust; TFX road tested the Batmobile at 140 mph. 350 km/h and
the additional jet propulsion brings the cars to 530 km/h.
·
Engine: Chevy 350 ZZ3 (off-road racing motor).
Instead of a single jet exhaust, this Batmobile had a "boattail" rear
flanked by separate fenders, each with three smaller exhaust nozzles.
·
Axle Base: 388 in
·
Tires: It rode on custom 22" wheels with
prototype, 55 in GoodYear tires with Batsymbols in the treads.
Features
The second Schumacher era Batmobile featured neither a
passenger seat nor a canopy. Like the Batman Forever car, this Batmobile (which
was designed by Harald Belker) featured light-up wheels and engine panels. The
displays were much more involved with this car, however, with red, orange,
yellow, and blue lights, as well as special pulsating lights in the
counter-rotating turbine intake. The nozzles were canted away from the
centerline of the car slightly, so the final effect was that the six exhausts
made a "V" pattern to keep the car pointed straight ahead. A bat mask
was incorporated in the nose of the car, though the sculpted lines made it
somewhat difficult to make out at first. The fins were unmistakable, though,
and remain as the largest set ever built into a real-world Batmobile. On the
Batman & Robin version the arsenal of weaponry and gadgets is controlled by
an onboard voice-activated computer which surrounds the single-seat cockpit.
From behind the wheel, the driver has access to a multifunctioning key command
response system which delivers immediate weapon activation during attack and
defensive procedures. The Batman & Robin version of the Batmobile was
equipped with dual-mount, subcarriage rocket launchers, front and rear
grappling hooks, multipoint infrared and laser scan tracking units,
anterior/posterior wheel-based axle bombs, catapult ejection seat, and
disguised central carriage, which detaches to become an emergency road vehicle.
The single-seat cockpit featured a two-way videoconferencing screen, radar
unit, and Redbird communication switch.
Christopher Nolan trilogy
The Batmobile from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
The Batmobile depicted in Christopher Nolan's trilogy of
Batman films owes much to the tank-like vehicle from Frank Miller's Batman: The
Dark Knight Returns and has a more 'workhorse' appearance than the sleek
automobiles seen in previous incarnations. While the films never refer to the
vehicle as the "Batmobile", it is still referred to as such in the
scripts and does not have a front axle. The film's production designer
described the machine as a cross between a Lamborghini and a tank.
In Batman Begins (2005), Bruce Wayne utilizes the prototype
vehicle known as the Tumbler designed by Wayne Enterprises' Applied Sciences
Division as a bridging vehicle for the military. It includes weaponry and the
ability to boost into a rampless jump. The Tumbler's armour is strong enough to
break through concrete barriers without sustaining significant damage. Two
full-sized driving versions were used in exterior shots while another
full-sized model with hydraulic enhancements was used in jump sequences. A
further full-sized, functional version carried propane tanks to fuel the rocket
blast out of the rear nozzle. A radio controlled, 1/3-scale electric model also
performed stunts in the film including the roof-top chase sequence. Six
vehicles were built for the production of the film.
In The Dark Knight (2008), the Tumbler returns and appears
twice in the movie: where Batman captures the Scarecrow and in a chase where
it's damaged by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by the Joker that causes a
terminal crash to which Batman ejects from the Tumbler in the Batpod (a
motorcycle formed by the front wheels and struts of the Tumbler) as part of a
self-destruct sequence which sees the remainder of the vehicle explode. The
Tumbler is also seen in the trailers in a deleted scene, exiting the improvised
Batcave.
In The Dark Knight Rises (2012), several new Tumblers are
seen. Each of these vehicles had the original Tumbler's camouflage color scheme
and are used by Bane's gang stolen from Wayne Enterprises.The stolen Tumblers
are used in Bane's attempt to control Gotham and are notably seen when the mass
of police and criminals are about to battle. One of the Tumblers fires at the
crowd of police, only for the Bat to intercept the shot. Three of the Tumblers
are destroyed by Batman using the Bat and Selina Kyle using the Batpod.
Technical specifications
·
Length: 15 feet 2 inches (4.62 m)
·
Width: 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 m)
·
height 4 feet 11 inches (1.50 m)
·
Weight: 2.5 short tons (2.3 t)
·
Acceleration: 0-60 in 5.6 seconds.
·
Engine: 5.7 liter GM V8 engine capable of 500
horsepower (370 kW).
·
Fuel: The "jet engine" on the back of
the car was fed by propane tanks.
·
Tires: 4 Interco "Super Swamper TSL"
tires standing 44/18.5-16.5 in the rear, and two 94.0/15.0-15 Hoosier
Checkerboard dirt tires on the front, with superior grip.
Features
The Christopher Nolan version of the Batmobile has a pair of
autocannons mounted in the nose of the car between the front wheels. In
"Attack" mode, the driver's seat moves to the center of the car, and
the driver is repositioned to lie face-down with his head in the center section
between the front wheels. This serves two main purposes: first, it provides
more substantial protection with the driver shielded by multiple layers of
armor plating. Second, the low-down, centralized driving position makes extreme
precision maneuvers easier to perform, while lying prone reduces the risk of
injury a driver faces when making these maneuvers. Other devices included:
·
Rear flaps to assist brakes
·
Dual front autocannons
·
Rocket launcher
·
Landing hook to Sprung landing stabilization
·
Integrated fire-extinguishing system
·
Integrated safety connection to gasoline control
·
Jet engine (ram jet afterburners) on back of car
for quick boosts/"rampless" jumps
·
Stealth mode, which turns off the car's lights
and cuts off the main engine. The vehicle is powered by an electric motor
making the car very hard to find in dark places (which makes the mode most
useful at night), and as demonstrated by the car chase in Batman Begins, can
easily throw off pursuers.
·
Explosive caltrops are deployed from the rear of
the vehicle, which can take out any cars that make contact with them.
·
Front of car is heavily armored, so the car can
ram as a practical offensive attack, and also protects the driver while in the
prone driving position/"Attack" mode
·
Both front wheels can eject when the vehicle is
damaged to form the Batpod, a motorcycle-like vehicle (the rest
self-destructs).
·
The new Tumblers are modified with experimental
weapons:
·
A set of missile launchers
·
A retractable artillery cannon on a turret
Production process
The new incarnation of the Tumbler was proposed by Nolan
after he built a proof-of-concept model design out of Play-Doh - a model he
admitted looked "very very crude, more like a croissant than a car".
Nathan Crowley, one of the production designers for Batman Begins, then started
the process of designing the Tumbler for the film by model bashing based on
that shape. One of the parts that Crowley used to create the vehicle was the
nose cone of a P-38 Lightning model to serve as the chassis for the car's jet
engine. Six models of the Tumbler were built to 1:12 scale in the course of
four months. Following the scale model creation, a crew of over 30 people,
including Crowley and engineers Chris Culvert and Andy Smith, carved a
full-size replica of the vehicle out of a large block of Styrofoam, which was a
process that lasted two months.
The Styrofoam model was used to create a steel "test
frame", which had to stand up to several standards: have a speed of over
100 mph, go from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5 seconds, possess a steering system
to make sharp turns at city corners, and to withstand a self-propelled launch
of up to 30 feet (9.1 m). On the first jump test, the Tumbler's front end
collapsed and had to be completely rebuilt. The basic configuration of the
newly designed vehicle included a 5.7-liter Chevy V8 engine, a truck axle for
the rear axle, front racing tires by Hoosier, rear 4×4 mud tires by Interco.,
and the suspension system of Baja racing trucks. The design and development
process took nine months and cost several million dollars.
With the design process completed, four street-ready cars
were constructed. Each vehicle possessed 65 carbon fiber panels and cost
$250,000 to build. Two of the four cars were specialized versions. One version
was the flap version, which had hydraulics and flaps to detail the close-up
shots where the vehicle propelled itself through the air. The other version was
the jet version, in which an actual jet engine was mounted onto the vehicle,
fueled by six propane tanks. Due to the poor visibility inside the vehicle by
the driver, monitors were connected to cameras on the vehicle body. The
professional drivers for the Tumblers practiced driving the vehicles for six
months before they drove on the streets of Chicago for the film's scenes.
The interior was an immobile studio set and not actually the
interior of a street-capable version. The cockpit was oversized to fit cameras
for scenes filmed in the Tumbler interior. In addition, another version of the
car was a miniature model that was 1:6 scale of the full-sized one. This
miniature model had an electric motor and was used to show it flying across
ravines and between buildings. However, a full-size car was used for the
waterfall sequence. The scale model scenes were filmed on a massive set built
on a stage at Shepperton Studios in England over the course of nine weeks. The
full-sized vehicles were driven and filmed on the streets of Chicago. In The
Dark Knight, the Batpod ejects from the Tumbler, with the Tumbler's front
wheels as the Batpod's wheels; this was rendered using computer-generated
imagery when attempts to achieve the separation through practical effects
proved impossible.
Toys
·
Hot Wheels released a version of the 1960s batman
TV show's Batmobile, as well as the Batmobile from Batman and Batman Returns
and the Tumbler from Nolan's Batman films.
·
Corgi Toys of England has produced a wide range
of Batmobiles ranging from the original sedan to the latest movie Batmobiles.
They also have produced a Batboat, Red Bird & Jokermobile for their diecast
toy lines.
·
Mego produced the Batmobile for its World's
Greatest Super Hero line in the 1970s. It could seat two 8 inch action figures.
·
The Batmobile that was produced for Kenner's
Super Powers Collection toyline allowed two figures to sit in it, had a
battering ram grille, and trapping claw in the back.
·
The Batmobile was released as part of the
original Lego Batman toy line and its DC Universe Superheroes remake, with both
sets featuring Two-Face and his armored truck. A Nolan-style Bat-Tumbler set
was also released to tie in with The Dark Knight. This set included the Joker
and his ice cream truck.
·
A toy, Gotham City Playset with Batman and the
Scarecrow even a subway is inside a Batmobile which transforms into it.
·
Eaglemoss released a magazine, 'Batman
Automobilia' featuring models of most Batmobiles.
Video games
·
In the Sega CD adaptation of Batman Returns, the
Batmobile was controlled during the time bonus stages after missions were completed.
·
There are two Batmobile levels in the 2005 video
game adaptation of Batman Begins. Electronic Arts used the Burnout 3: Takedown
engine for these levels. Batman has to ram enemy cars off the road which
results in a "Take down" while picking up Nitro boosts along the way
that float on the road in holographic bubbles. Xbox World Australia called
these sequences the highlight of the game.Cheatcc.com called them "by far
the best Batmobile levels ever featured in a game".
·
In the 2009 game Batman: Arkham Asylum, the
Batmobile appears with a design resembling the one used in Batman: The Animated
Series. In the game, it is vandalized by Harley Quinn and the Blackgate
prisoners. Batman later controls the Batmobile remotely using his utility belt
to take Bane into the sea along with it.
·
In the PlayStation game Batman: Gotham City
Racer, the player gets the full independence to drive the Batmobile.
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