This Superhero Utility Vehicle Is for Sale, and It’s Toyota V8 Powered
Does it come in black? We’re calling this SUV a Superhero Utility Vehicle. If you have the cash, and act fast, you could pick up this fan-built Tumbler replica Batmobile from ExoticCarTrader.com.
Sure, it’s awesome, but let’s get a few things out of the way on this listing: it’s not street legal, it’s in Kazakhstan, and it’s not from the movies. It’s also expensive, at $399,000 at ExoticCarTrader.com. But, come on, it’s cool, right?
It certainly looks the part
In the listing, ExoticCarTrader says the bat-fan did most of the work himself. It has all the requisite Batmobile stuff, like four rear wheels and the funky front wheels with no axle.
The Tumbler was the Batmobile for the three movies: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. These were the more gritty Batman films that Christian Bale as Batman.
Later movies have used different Batmobiles, and of course bat-fans have made replicas of those, too.
There’s no Bat-phone or Geiger counter on this replica Batmobile, but it does have TPMS
Like other modern SUVs this Tumbler has a backup camera and a tire pressure monitoring system. This Tumbler is unique in that it is powered by a Toyota V8. The movie cars had Chevrolet V8 engines are one is used for special appearances.
The listing isn’t specific, but we don’t think that it comes with the bat-goodies you’d expect like the twin machine guns, the rocket launcher or mines.
Other replica Batmobiles have come up for sale before
While this particular Batmobile is for sale at $399,000, other replicas have sold for much more, including on that sold for $1.6 million. So, maybe it’s a bargain at $399,000? For those of us of more modest means than Bruce Wayne, there’s always The Gotham Golfcart, which is a Tumbler-inspired golf cart sold by Hammacher Schlemmer.
Of course, you can always build your own replica Batmobile, too.
The Batmobile has a long, and very cool, history
At 32:24 in the movie, Batman director Christopher Nolan explains how he tried to create something that combined a Lamborghini supercar with a muscular off-road Hummer H1. Unlike other Batmobiles that didn’t run, or were simply movie props, the Tumbler had to work. Nolan didn’t want to use CGI or other computer trickery in the movies. The movie cars had to do all the jumps, crashes, and stunts and not break.
The original Batmobile from the 1960s TV show was create by George Barris. Barris was he made the Munster Koach, the car from Mannix, the car from My Mother the Car and other TV shows. It was based on a Lincoln Futura concept car, and he made five. The original still survives and collectors have made fiberglass replicas that show up on auction sites occasionally.
There was a Batman serial that was shown in movie theaters in the 1940s. In that show, Batman Lewis Wilson drove a completely stock 1939 Cadillac. At least it was black.
In 1989 the Batmobile returned in Batman and Batman Returns. The car has a 10,000-horsepower turbine motor and a top speed of 330 mph. Allegedly. Of the three cars made for the film, one is owned by comedian Jeff Dunham.
The 1995 and 1997 films Batman Foreverand Batman & Robin used a different version of the Batmobile that was adorned with more lights and a grappling hook that allowed it to scale vertical walls.