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The world’s most famous car collector, Jay Leno, might not strike you as a big Batman fan. But when he saw Christopher Nolan’s new batmobile in person, he was amazed at the vehicle’s craftsmanship.

The Batmobile “Tumbler” starred in Nolan’s Batman trilogy

Movie prop Batmobile Tumbler driving the red carpet at the UK premier of Batman Begins.
Batmobile at Batman Begins premiere | MJ Kim/Getty Images

Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005) is a reboot of the Batman franchise. The director pioneered the gritty/realist tone that would define early 21st century films. To this end, the movie revolves around what drives Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne to put on a mask and fight crime as Batman.

For a realistic explanation of all Batman’s gadgets, Nolan leans on the Wayne family’s history as defense contractors. The resulting “Tumbler” Batmobile is an abandoned military prototype.

The Batmobile in Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is an ultra-fast armored vehicle. It features Hummer-size mud tires and long-travel suspension. But instead of a truck, it has a cabin large enough for one or two people. Its body is covered in armored panels and aerodynamic flaps.

Christian Bale’s Batman uses his Batmobile to chase down bad guys while avoiding gunfire. In The Dark Knight he even reveals a sort of escape pod feature where two wheels can transform into a “Batpod” motorcycle.

The movie prop visited Jay Leno’s garage

The Tumbler on display at Batman film premiere.
Batmobile at Batman Begins premiere | Gareth Davies via Getty Images

When Warner Bros was promoting Batman Begins, the crew brought the Tumbler Batmobile to Jay Leno’s garage. Though Jay Leno has never professed to being a comic book fan, he was instantly taken with the vehicle.

Leno said, “We’re all about unique driving experience here (Jay Leno’s garage) and it doesn’t get more unique than this!”

Then the retired Tonight Show host immediately began questioning the crew about the custom vehicle built for the movie. What he found was stunning.

A crew of 30 designers and fabricators built the all-new Batmobile. The first prototype took over a year to get right. But the result was able to perform the stunts seen on screen.

Warner Bros built four specialized street-ready stunt cars, at a cost of $250,000 each. The Tumblers are powered by a Chevy 350 V8. This engine is paired to a manual transmission with straight-cut gears and a ratchet shifter.

The Tumbler also has a rear axle from a truck. The team engineered an axle they could remove without removing the rear wheels to swap out rear end ratios between stunts. Leno learned the vehicle once hit 85 or 90 mph on the set.

The Tumbler also features trophy-truck suspension with over a foot of travel engineered for the stunt jumps. It rides on 44-inch dirt-track racing tires. One Tumbler even has a hot air balloon burner and propane tanks to create an “afterburner” effect.

World’s most famous car collector taken by the custom work

The Tumbler firing its propane jet afterburners at the Dark Knight premiere
Batmobile at The Dark Knight premiere | Samir Hussein via Getty Images)

Jay Leno hopped in the Batmobile Tumbler and took it for a spin. As he tore through the streets of Los Angeles he decided, “This thing is really cool.”

The comedian makes no secret of his love for unique and hand-built vehicles and his respect for the craftspeople who assemble them. When he finally climbed out of the Tumbler he said, “The coolest thing is it’s a real car that is built by real craftsmen who know their stuff! And it’s really fast, it’s a lot of fun to drive.”

Check out the new muscle car Batmobile from 2022’s The Batman or see Jay Leno test drive the 2005 Tumbler in the video below:

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.

Henry has earned a peer tutoring certification from the College Reading and Learning Association. He has also completed Northfield Mount Hermon School’s teaching intern program. Additionally, Henry is an MFA candidate at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. When he’s not writing, Henry enjoys reading the work of Zack Courts and Andrew P. Collins.