The Evolution Of The Batmobile

Sure “The Dark Knight” is smashing box office records thanks to Batman’s cool gadgets and the Jokers surprising disappearing tricks. But where would the Batman franchise be without its ‘Dark Horse’? The ride that has saved his bat-hide countless times. From the 1955 Lincoln Futura to the 15′ 2.5 ton Hybrid Tumbler, the batmobile has evolved faster than Batman franchise itself.

Continue reading below……….

“Batman” 1966

With a three week deadline, custom car builder George Barris built the first Batmoble for the big screen using a customized 1955 Lincoln Futura. Barris further enhanced the car by converting the nose into an integrated bat mask. He also opened the wheel wells and modified the Futura’s fins into bat wings by extending their leading edges into the doors and scalloping the trailing edges. Once bodywork was complete, the car was painted gloss black with red trim to accentuate the various lines of he car.

Gadgets:

• nose-mounted chain slicer
• rockets
• lasers
• on-board telephone (WOW)
• radar
• on-board computer (Whoa!)
• police beacon
• smoke emitter and a nail spreader (delay pursuit)

“Batman” 1989 and “Batman Returns” 1992

With Tim Burton’s ‘unique’ style and Anton Furst as production designer, the Batmobile was to be unlike any previous incarnation, a combination of brute force and classic design aesthetics. To build the car, the production team spliced together two Impala chassis, and the car was powered by a Chevy V8. The body as a custom-built fabrication, and the whole thing rides on a set of Mickey Thompson racing tires on ustom wheels.

The nose featured a large jet turbine intake. Air intakes for the afterburner were mounted in front of the rear fenders. Inside, the two-seat cockpit featured aircraft-like instruments, a passenger side monitor, self-diagnostics system, CD recorder, and voice-command recognition system.

Gadgets:

• spherical bombs
• side-mounted disc launchers
• chassis-mounted shinbreakers
• forward-facing Browning machine guns
• side-mounted grappling hook launchers
• central foot for lifting and rotating the car 180 degrees
• oil slick dispensers

“Batman Forever” 1995

With Joel Schumacher at the helm, the Batmobile was given a makeover in comparison to that seen in Batman and Batman Returns. The design team spent six weeks on five different concepts before coming up with Barbara Ling’s design. Two cars were constructed, one for stunts and one for close ups with both showcasing the V8 engine.

Ling wanted to have a more organic aesthetic, and so designed a car that looked like it actually had ribs and wings. To accentuate the intricate lines of the car, the engine panels, wheels, and undercarriage were indirectly lit so that they appeared to glow blue. The car recalled previous Batmobiles with a split cockpit canopy, seperate fenders, and jet exhaust. The roof fin is pulled from some of the earliest batmobiles and can be opened into a “V” shape for a more contemporary look. In another unique design feature, the wheels were made to keep the bat logos upright when the wheels are turning.

Gadgets:

• rear-view monitor (seriously!)
• system diagnostics display
• custom gauge cluster
• for 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
• ability to lock all four wheels perpendicular to its centerline, to allow for quick sideways movement

“Batman and Robin” 1997

With Joel Schumacher as director (still), the design for the Batmobile became increasingly fanciful, as decorative lighting was added to the vehicle’s rims, sides and front edge, and the wing-shaped fins reached further into the air. The car was 33′ long with a chevy 350 Z3 (Off Road Racing Engine). The aeronomical chassis design and “T” axis wheelbase provided the Batman & Robin Batmobile counter-balance gyrometric stability, allowing for high velocity 90-degree turns at speeds greater than 70 mph without losing momentum.

Gadgets

• subcarriage rocket launchers
• front and rear grappling hooks
• multipoint infrared and laser scan tracking units
• anterior/posterior wheel-based axle bombs
• catapult ejection seat (cool for nagging girlfriends)
• two-way videoconferencing screen
• radar unit
• Redbird cutoff switch

“Batman Begins” 2005 and “The Dark Knight” 2008

Movie car engineers Chris Corbould and Andy Smith’s primary focus was to make this Batmobile as real as possible: at 9 feet wide and 15 feet long, the car weighed in at 2.5 tons but was still capable of 0-60MPH in under six seconds with a top speed of 110MPH. Thanks to its unique design, it is also capable of making unassisted jumps up to 30 feet.

Primary power for this Batmobile came from a 500-HP Chevy 350 V8 driving four 44″ Super Swamper tires via titanium axles. The cabin seats a driver and one passenger, with a unique arrangement for the driver: for normal driving situations, the driver simply sits in the left seat. In “attack” mode, the driver’s seat moves to the center of the car, and the driver is repositioned to lay 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 prone position reduces the risk of injury a driver faces when making extreme driving maneuvers (stunt drivers are at risk of spine compression when doing jumps - laying down virtually eliminates this risk). In addition to performance and protection, this Batmobile was also capable of attack, with a pair of machine guns mounted in the nose of the car between the front wheels.

Gadgets: (SPOILERS)

• Batpod
• bulletproof glass and tires
• stealth mode that allows it to travel limited distances in complete blackout using electric drive motor(s)
• “loiter” mode - capable of arriving at the scene of a crime and waiting
• “intimidation” mode - firing warning shots past criminals to cause fear and confusion

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Stay tuned to next week, when we break down the evolution of the …………………..