A few things may come to mind when thinking about Batman and his world: his sidekick Robin, the Batcave, his butler Alfred, and perhaps one or two enemies, such The Joker or The Riddler. Of course, you’ll also probably immediately picture the Batmobile in your mind. Batman must navigate Gotham City fast in order to do his job, and the Batmobile is a crucial tool for ensuring that he arrives at the crime site before anything too serious occurs. A crucial component of Batman mythology, the Batmobile is his own distinctive and unusual car that is (typically) easily recognisable. The Batmobile first appeared in “Detective Comics” #27 from DC Comics in May 1939. (per Old News Club). Both Bruce Wayne during the day and Batman at night relied on it. The legendary car has seen numerous changes throughout the years, changing from its original red coloration.
Michael Keaton’s Batman operates a Batmobile in “Batman” and “Batman Returns,” which is based on a Chevrolet Impala frame but features unique design features. The effect was that the car, with its bright headlights and bat wings on the back, looked like it had been plucked from a comic book page. Then, using components from Chevrolet, Val Kilmer’s Batman in “Batman Forever” also received a Batmobile (via Old News Club). The body of this Batmobile was intricately detailed, and it had a sizable bat wing perched atop the vehicle, giving it a very unusual appearance.
There are other kinds of superhero cars, but the one everyone is thinking about right now is the new Batmobile from Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.”
The Batman’s Batmobile is a modified Dodge Charger
Before the release of “The Batman,” director Matt Reeves and production designer James Chinlund spoke with GQ about the Batmobile piloted by Robert Pattinson’s Batman. Reeves said in the interview that he wanted the new Batmobile to “appear something retro and familiar, like a Dodge Charger or Challenger,” and Chinlund later confirmed that a 1969 Dodge Charger was used as part of the vehicle’s construction. When asked about the legendary car, he replied, “We took the roof off a ’69 Dodge Charger.” Although it is not a Dodge Charger in its entirety, the superhero’s vehicle is built around one.
According to MotorBiscuit, “The Batman” has a prequel novel where Bruce Wayne competes in street races in a 1968–1970 Dodge Charger. But as the teenage Wayne starts battling crime as Batman, he changes and modifies the vehicle to suit his demands. Motor Biscuit explains these changes and displays them on the large screen: The rear-mounted V10 engine, enormous tyres, elevated suspension, and swooping fender flares distinguish this Batmobile. A Ford Triton V10 serves as the new Batmobile’s rear engine, giving it some considerable power. This engine produces around 362 horsepower @ 4,750 RPM (via Ford Authority).
Additionally, a Tesla drivetrain was present in one of the Batmobiles featured in the film. According to MotorBiscuit, “The Batman” required the construction of four stunt vehicles. The first three meet the criteria listed above, but the fourth car had a Tesla drivetrain and was electric. A crew member at a “The Batman” showing claimed in a YouTube video that this was done “so it was quiet: they could use it on stage, they could use it for night work.”
Matt Reeves says the Batmobile is made to intimidate
According to Matt Reeves, who likened the new Batmobile to a monster from a horror film, his goal with the vehicle was to make it menacing. He clarified, “For me, the car was meant to resemble a monster from a horror movie. It’s designed to frighten.” He continued by saying that he had a very clear idea of how he wanted his Batman and Batmobile to look since he thinks “auto culture is a crucial aspect of who and what Batman is.”
The director spoke about his Batman in a manner you’d anticipate from a regular car mechanic working in his garage. He revealed to GQ, “Bruce had to custom-design [the Batmobile] and build it by hand, piece by piece. The body constructed itself around the assumption that it was a vehicle meant to ram through objects. The engine is visible because of the open back.”
He hired digital artist Ash Thorp to assist in bringing this concept to life. As can be seen on the artist’s Instagram, he has experience both digitally depicting cars and building actual cars. Thorp posted the final designs he submitted to Warner Bros. in an Instagram post. According to Thorp, the bumper on the car used in the movie was modified somewhat from his original design. He also talks about his logic on the car’s design, writing, “A theme I tried to push through on almost the entire project mimicking the inner workings of Bruce himself (the vehicle is him and he is the vehicle, thematically).” Overall, the new Batmobile is a beast of a car and extremely awesome. Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne drives around the tricked-out muscle car in many action-packed scenes of “The Batman.”
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