Batmobile: Difference between revisions

A sentient, talking version of the Batmobile appears in the ''[[Batwheels]]'' animated TV series, voice-portrayed by ''[[Cobra Kai]]''<nowiki/>'s [[Jacob Bertrand]].

==== ''Scooby Doo and Guess Who?'' ====

The [[#Batman (1960s film/television series)|60s incarnation]] of the Batmobile appears in the [[Steven Spielberg]] 2018 film ''[[Ready Player One (film)|Ready Player One]]'', based on the [[Ready Player One|novel of the same name]] by [[Ernest Cline]]. Appearing as part of a race alongside many famous vehicles from pop culture, the Batmobile is destroyed when it is struck by another vehicle and explodes. As it skids out, the skidding sound effect is the same cadence as the "Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na" from the opening credits of the ''Batman'' TV theme.

==== ''[[Batwheels|Batwheels: The Series]] ''====

*There are two Batmobile levels in the 2005 [[Batman Begins (video game)|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 "Takedown" while picking up Nitro boosts along the way that float on the road in holographic bubbles. ''[[Xbox World 360|Xbox World]] Australia'' called these sequences the highlight of the game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xboxworld.com.au/games/xbox/batman-begins/review.htm|title=Batman Begins|publisher=Xbox World Australia|access-date=November 30, 2009|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120918225838/http://www.xboxworld.com.au/games/xbox/batman-begins/review.htm|archive-date=September 18, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Cheatcc.com'' called them "by far the best Batmobile levels ever featured in a game".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheatcc.com/xb/rev/batmanbegins.html |title=Xbox Review: Batman Begins |publisher=Cheatcc.com |access-date=November 30, 2009}}</ref>

* Hybrid:Turbochargerd Turbocharged Combustion Engine / Honeywell AGT1500C multi-fuel jet turbine

* Acceleration: {{convert|0.0|to|96.6|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} in 2.7 seconds;

'''Battle Mode'''<ref name="batmobilehistory.com"/> transforms the Batmobile's appearance into an off-road [[tank]]-like armored ''Tactical Assault'' form; capable of raising/lowering/widening its suspension, [[wheelbase]] and [[axle track]], depending on its combat or navigational situations. This provides a wider, more stable footprint and increased maneuverability thanks to individually articulated wheels with 360° of lateral spin. Its LED headlights alternate from blue to red. In battle mode a remote-controlled turret rises from the top of the vehicle with an array of weapons for [[anti-armor]], [[anti-air]] and non-lethal [[anti-personnel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/27/batman-arkham-knight-what-you-really-need-to-know|title=Batman Arkham Knight: What You Really Need To Know|work=IGN|date=March 27, 2014}}</ref>

Some enemies will run away at the sight of the vehicle, eliminating the need for Batman to fight them, and enemies attacking the car can be subdued by its automated taser defenses.<ref name="2014MarGIMobile">{{cite magazine|first=Jeff |last=Cork |title=The Keys To The Batmobile&nbsp;– Designing Batman's Iconic Vehicle|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/03/07/the-keys-to-the-batmobile-designing-batman-s-iconic-vehicle.aspx |publisher=GameStop |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |date=March 7, 2014 |access-date=March 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308000142/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/03/07/the-keys-to-the-batmobile-designing-batman-s-iconic-vehicle.aspx |archive-date=March 8, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Like Batman, the Batmobile can be upgraded with new abilities.<ref name="IGNHandsOn">{{cite web|first=Daniel |last=Krupa |title=Batman Arkham Knight: What You Really Need To Know | url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/03/27/batman-arkham-knight-what-you-really-need-to-know |publisher=IGN |date=March 27, 2014 |access-date=March 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327193535/http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/27/batman-arkham-knight-what-you-really-need-to-know |archive-date=March 27, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Batplane|Batwing]] is used in conjunction with the Batmobile to deliver upgrades, while providing real-time [[Surveillance aircraft|surveillance]] and [[close air support]].<ref name="DuelPlayBatwingCastAzRoNiCa">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/batman-arkham-knight-trailer-shows-familiar-faces/ |title=Batman: Arkham Knight trailer shows familiar faces |last=Senior |first=Tom |work=[[PC Gamer]] |date=April 27, 2015 |access-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428204621/http://www.pcgamer.com/batman-arkham-knight-trailer-shows-familiar-faces/ |archive-date=April 28, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Riddler challenges also feature objectives requiring the Batmobile, such as timed races in tunnels beneath Gotham City, where the environmental obstacles change during each lap, and invisible question marks that must be revealed using the Batmobile's scanner.<ref name="2014MarCVG" /><ref name="15MayGIPrev">{{cite magazine |first=Kimberly |last=Wallace |title=Batman: Arkham Knight |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/games/batman_arkham_knight/b/playstation4/archive/2015/05/28/five-exciting-things-we-did-in-batman-arkham-knight.aspx |publisher=GameStop |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |date=May 28, 2015 |access-date=May 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530202833/http://www.gameinformer.com/games/batman_arkham_knight/b/playstation4/archive/2015/05/28/five-exciting-things-we-did-in-batman-arkham-knight.aspx |archive-date=May 30, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

What became the iconic Batmobile used in the 1966–1968 live action television show and [[Batman (1966 film)|its film adaptation]] was a customized vehicle that originated as a [[one-off]] 1955 [[Lincoln Futura]] [[concept car]],<ref>George Barris, David Fetherston, ''Barris TV and Movie Cars'', pages 20–27 (MBI Publishing Company, 1996) {{ISBN|0-7603-0198-0}}</ref> created by [[Ford Motor Company]] lead [[Automotive stylist|stylist]]s Bill Schmidt, Doug Poole Sr., and [[John Najjar]]<ref name="AutoLife">{{Cite news | first= Douglas A. |last=Bakken|title= Automotive Design Oral History Project: Remembering John Najjar|url= http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Design/Najjar1_interview.htm | work=[[University of Michigan]] |date=1981–1984 |access-date= July 22, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Bryant and Stratton.">{{Cite news| first= Detroit| last= Prototypes| title= Detroit's Prototype and Concept Vehicles: 1955 Futura| url= http://www.design.bryantstratton.edu/students/ro.thompson.erik/100/project1/ford.html| work= [[Bryant & Stratton College]]| access-date= July 22, 2012| url-status= dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160307145808/http://design.bryantstratton.edu/students/ro.thompson.erik/100/project1/ford.html| archive-date= March 7, 2016}}</ref> 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$2.5 million in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dollartimes.com/calculators/inflation.htm |title=Dollar Times.com Inflation Calculator |publisher=Dollartimes.com |access-date=September 16, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909130326/http://www.dollartimes.com/calculators/inflation.htm|archive-date= September 9, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> The chassis was an early prototype Y-shaped backbone perimeter frame that would go into production on the 1956–1957 Contential Mk II. It made its debut in pearlescent Frost-Blue white paint on January 8, 1955, at the [[Chicago Auto Show]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1966batmobile.com/background.htm |publisher=1966 Batmobile official website |title=1955 Lincoln Futura Concept Car |access-date=September 16, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100913003820/http://www.1966batmobile.com/background.htm| archive-date= September 13, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> In 1959, sporting a fresh red paint job, the Futura was featured in the film ''[[It Started with a Kiss (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",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1966batmobile.com/fordletter100.jpg |publisher=1966 Batmobile website |title=letter of sale from Ford Motor Company to George Barris |access-date=September 16, 2010}}</ref> 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",<ref>St. Antoine, Arthur, ''Motor Trend'' interview</ref> he was quoted in 1988 as saying "three weeks"<ref>Van Hise, James, p.24</ref> 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,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1966batmobile.com/spec.htm |publisher=1966 Batmobile website |title=1966 Batmobile Specifications |date=December 21, 1965 |access-date=September 16, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904225012/http://www.1966batmobile.com/spec.htm| archive-date= September 4, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> leasing it to 20th Century Fox and Greenway Productions for use in the series.

*Fins: {{convert|84|in|m}}

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. To answer viewer complaints about the parachutes being jettisoned on to the street as litter after deployment, the producers included a parachute pickup crew that is on standby to recover them, completed with a van so labelled. 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 and BAT-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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://AdamWest.tripod.com/equip.htm |title=Batman's Crime-Fighting Equipment - Batmobile |publisher=Members.tripod.com |access-date=September 16, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100910003245/http://adamwest.tripod.com/equip.htm| archive-date= September 10, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>

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. The #1 Barris-built Batmobile sold at Barrett-Jackson Auctions on January 19, 2013, for $4,620,000,.<ref name=LATimes2013>{{cite news|author1=Brian Thevenot|title=Batmobile sells for $4.62 million at classic car auction in Arizona|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2013-jan-19-la-fi-autos-batmobile-sells-for-462-million-at-barrettjackson-auction-in-scottsdale-20130119-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=January 19, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203143647/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/19/business/la-fi-autos-batmobile-sells-for-462-million-at-barrettjackson-auction-in-scottsdale-20130119|archive-date=December 3, 2015}}</ref> The three Barris copies all reside in private collections, including the exhibition drag racing version driven by [[wheelstand]]ing driver [[Wild Bill Shrewsberry]]. This car was built with a dual-quad [[Holman Moody]] [[Ford 427 engine|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.

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 RM 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 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 [[Swedish krona|SEK]] (more than US$600,000) was reported stolen, and is currently (March 2013) unlocated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article16356950.ab|title=Batmobilbyggaren i polisförhör i dag|work=Aftonbladet|date=March 5, 2013 }}</ref>

*The episode "[[Mr. Plow]]" of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' guest-starred [[Adam West]] with the Batmobile at an auto show, with West later driving the car. The later episode "[[Beyond Blunderdome]]" featured the Batmobile in a museum of famous cars next to [[Herbie|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.

[[Tim Burton]]'s live-action films ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' (1989) and ''[[Batman Returns]]'' (1992) presented a different version of the Batmobile, which reflected those films' [[Art Deco]] version of Gotham City.<ref name=NYTimes>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DA163DF935A15752C1A967958260 Anton Furst, 47, Dies; Designer of 'Batman'], ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 26, 1991,</ref> The car was designed by conceptual illustrator Julian Caldow and built by John Evans special effects team at Pinewood Studios in England. The body of the car was sculpted out of foam by Keith Short in collaboration with Eddie Butler and the fiberglass work being done by John Lovell. It was long, low, and sleek, and was built on a [[Chevrolet Impala]] chassis. Two cars in total were built for the movie. The back of the Batmobile resembles the back of the [[Fiat Turbina]], which was a gas-turbine concept from the 1950s. For ''Batman Returns'' in 1992, Carl Casper and Tom Oberhaus of Hollywood Productions were contracted to build 3 Batmobiles for principal photography. Carl Casper retained the number 1 hero car until recently (2021). That car is now in a private collection in California. The number 2 car was last known to be in a private collection in Japan since 1992. The number 3 car is owned by comedian Jeff Dunham.

=== ''The Batman'' (2022) ===

*[[Hot Wheels]] released a version of the 1960s ''Batman'' TV show's Batmobile, as well as the Batmobile from ''Batman'' and ''Batman Returns'', the Tumbler from Nolan's ''Batman'' films, and the ones from ''Batman Forever'', ''Batman & Robin'', ''Batman: theThe Brave and the Bold'', ''The Batman'', ''Batman: theThe Animated Series'', ''Arkham Asylum'', ''Arkham Knight'', ''Batman Live'' and some original Hot Wheels' Batmobiles.

*[[Jada Toys]]<ref>{{cite web|title = Jada Toys, Inc.|url = http://www.jadatoysinc.com/products?brand=Metals&pagenum=1&id=3407|website = www.jadatoysinc.com|access-date = January 31, 2016|archive-date = February 7, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160207135947/http://www.jadatoysinc.com/products?brand=Metals&pagenum=1&id=3407|url-status = dead}}</ref> released a 1:24 die-cast model kit of the Batmobile from the 2016 movie ''[[Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice]]'', as well as the Batmobile from ''Batman'' TV show's, the Batmobile from Burton's ''Batman'' films and the Tumbler from Nolan's ''Batman'' films.

*[[Chupa Chups]] released Batmobile and Batwing from ''[[Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice|Batman v Superman]]'' movie in 2016.

*[[Hot Toys]] has released multiple variations of the Batmobile from various live-action films and TV series. Currently, they are working on the ''Batman v Superman'' version, which is armed with various accessories and can fit up to two Hot Toys 1/6 scale figures at any given time.<ref>{{cite web|title = Hot Toys BvS: Dawn of Justice 1/6th scale Batmobile Collectible Vehicle Reveal|website = [[YouTube]]| date=December 15, 2015 |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5U3PI7ykG4|access-date = December 15, 2015}}</ref>

*Plastic models of various Batmobiles, mostly in the 1/25th scale have been released by AMT (currently owned by Round 2) since the Adam West TV Showshow. These include but are not limited to the 1960s TV show Batmobile (based on the Futura), the 1989 Tim Burton Batmobile, and the variation, the Batmissile. You can see most of these at Round 2 main home page or [http://round2corp.com/ Home]. Meanwhile, Moebius releases the Tumbler and the ''Batman vsv Superman'' Batmobile, also on a 1/25th scale.