Batmobile technical specifications

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The Batmobile is the fictional personal automobile of comic book superhero Batman. The car has followed the evolution of the character from comic books to television to films.

The Batmobile has gone through numerous incarnations, and as state-of-the-art technology has continued to advance, the Batmobile has had to change to stay a step ahead of real-life cutting edge advances.

The current Batmobile is heavily armored against small arms fire and is bolstered by impact-resistant hydraulics. The Batmobile also lists specifications that are more advanced (by at least ten years) than the latest Formula One racers. Its various extras are more commonly associated with Stealth aircraft.

[edit] Comic book continuity

[edit] BM1-BM5 designs

See also: Car body style
For more details on this topic, see Batmobile#The_first_Batmobile_-_1941.
  • BM2: Sedan[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] - This particular Batmobile sported a bat-headed grille, designed as a formidable battering ram to smash barriers with its knife-edged, steel reinforced nose.
For more details on this topic, see Batmobile#The_classic_Batmobile_-_1941.
For more details on this topic, see Batmobile#The_.E2.80.9Cnew_look.E2.80.9D.2C_1964.
For more details on this topic, see Batmobile#The_.E2.80.9Cdiscreet.E2.80.9D_Batmobile.2C_1971.
For more details on this topic, see Batmobile#A_return_to_style.2C_1980.

[edit] BM6

[17][18][19]

[edit] Specifications

  • Length: 19.7 ft
  • Width: 7.9 ft
  • Height: 4.5 ft
  • Acceleration: 0-60 in 3.1 seconds
  • Maximum Speed: 245 mph
  • Engine: 1,200 hp jet turbine
  • Fuel: Hi-octane jet fuel
  • Transmission: 5-speed manual
  • Drive Train: 4WD

This particular Batmobile was one of the fastest ever built. The BM6 was the first to include variable-polarization windshields. This allowed Batman to alter the Plexiglas from transparency to opaqueness when ferrying passengers he considered a security risk. Radar-sensors allowed for subsequent "blind-driving." The extended length and powerful afterburner of the BM6 required the use of braking parachutes and lateral grapnel launchers to assist high-speed cornering. The BM6 also included a hydraulic telescoping ramp that rotated the entire chassis upon a reinforced axis for fast reverses.

The BM6 had "breakaway" side and tail sections, as well as diving wheel assemblies. The resulting "Bat-Missile" could negotiate alleys that are too narrow for ordinary four-wheel pursuit vehicles.

The BM6's exterior is covered with ceramic fractal armor panels that exploded outward when struck by projectiles, thus deflecting potentially injurious force away from the car and its occupants.

The interior include:

[edit] BM7

[20]

[edit] Specifications

  • Length: 16.6 ft
  • Width: 6.4 ft
  • Height: 4.8 ft
  • Acceleration: 0-60 in 2.4 seconds
  • Maximum Speed: 266 mph
  • Engine: 1,500 hp jet turbine
  • Fuel: Gasoline/ethanol mix
  • Transmission: 6-speed manual

The BM7 was a turbo-charged and armor-plated just like its predecessors. Equipped with the latest technology - including several pirated WayneTech prototypes - the BM7 worked as not only a heavily armored high-speed transport, but also a roving forensics lab. The BM7 included auto-engaged twin auxiliary fuel-tanks and seven-day emergency rations and water stores in the trunk.

The BM7's gel-filled Kevlar-reinforced tires were puncture-proof and flame-resistant. The pressure of the tires were regulated by the dashboard controls. Tire over-inflation extruded embedded studs in all-weather treads for extra grip on icy roads.

The BM7 was installed with a variety of rear defenses. These included high-viscosity, Teflon-based lubricant slicks, blinding smoke-screen clouds, and tire piercing caltrops.

The BM7 was a fully-automated Batmobile. It could be operated by voice-command radio links in Batman's cowl, as well as by a limited-function, hand-held key pad and Remote System Controller.

The BM7's dashboard computer was linked to the Batcave via a cellular modem. Its back-scoop concealed a satellite dish for television/radio/GPS linkage. Other features included a speed-measuring radar, landsat videomapper, police band monitor, and controls for external loudspeakers.

[edit] Exterior features

  • Ceramic-composite exterior
  • Rear-wheel independent drive
  • Adhesive-trap foam gun
  • Aerosolized regurgitant sprayer
  • Digital wheel locks
  • Anti-lock double-disc brakes
  • Floodlights
  • CO2-propelled grapnels
  • Chain and barrier cutters
  • Infrared camcorder
  • Halogen headlights
  • Variable-polarization windshield
  • Side-impact air-bags

[edit] Anti-theft devices

  • Phase 1: Proximity alarms enact lock-down and surface electrification.
  • Phase 2: Regurgitant gas deployed in immediate proximity while recorded SOS is relayed to the Batcave.
  • Phase 3: Hypersonic trilling spheres are released.
  • Phase 4: Motion-tracking glue nozzles eject super-adhesive foam.
  • Phase 5: The Batmobile self-destructs!
See also: Batmobile#A_multiplicity_of_styles.2C_1990s_to_the_present

[edit] Television

[edit] Batman (TV series)

[21][22]

[edit] Specifications

  • Curb weight: 5500 lb
  • Wheelbase: 129 in
  • Length: 230 in
  • Width: 90 in
  • Height: 48 in
  • Fins: 84 in
  • Engine: 390 in³, V-8 (atomic turbine)
  • Transmission: B&M Hydro Automatic (2nd transmission)

[edit] Gadgetry

This Batmobile had a nose-mounted chain slicer, lasers, rockets, an on-board telephone, radar, dash monitor, on-board computer, and police beacon. If needed, the Batmobile is capable of a quick 180° "bat-turn" thanks to two rear-mounted 10' parachutes, and it is equipped with a smoke emitter and a nail spreader to discourage pursuit. Some changes were made during the run of the series, including different license plates, a change in steering wheel, and the addition of extra gadgets such as the rear-facing camera and battering ram.

[edit] Full list
  • Bat-glove Compartment
  • Infrared Bat-dust (glows in light and in dark, but only visible when viewed through the Batmobile's specially tinted windshield)
  • Emergency Bat-turn Lever (releases the Batmobile's parachute that enables quick turns)
  • Bat-deflector (diverts a criminal tracking signal, leading them to a miniature Batcave in the middle of nowhere)
  • Bat-ray (can do many things, such as open van doors)
  • Super-powered Bat-magnet (for opening steel doors from a distance)
  • Odor Sensitometer Radar Circuit (puts a certain scent on the radar screen)
  • Ultrasonic Recorder (also records regular sounds)
  • Batmobile Parachute Pickup Service Signal (calls aforementioned service to pick the Batmobile's parachute off the city street)
  • Emergency Bat-trunk Lock
  • Bat-zooka (can fire explosive blasts, or is used to fire bat-ropes to tops of very tall buildings)
  • Anti Mechanical Bat-ray (renders mechanical apparati useless)
  • Bat-tering Ram (also known as the Bat-ram, used for knocking down reinforced doors)
  • Library Paste Bat-dissolving Switch
  • Bat-safety Belt
  • Bat-radarscope
  • Bat-alert Buzzer (in all Bruce's cars, indicates when the Batphone in the Batcave is ringing)
  • Bat-scope (television screen that can be used to monitor someone's movements)
  • Anti-theft Activator (can be disguised as the Start button, fires fireworks from the car)
  • Anti-fire Activator (fills Batmobile with extinguishing foam)
  • Bat-ray Projector (fires blue ray from headlights that shut down a car's ignition)
  • Hidden Bat-laser Beam
  • Homing Receiver Scope
  • Inflatable Batmobile (kept in Batmobile for use as a decoy)
  • Anti-crime Recorder (with remote radio pick-up, kept in trunk)
  • Ultrasonic bat-ray (used for flushing villains out of hiding places)
  • High Energy Radar (for probing large, potentially dangerous objects)
  • Anti-theft Device (to prevent undesirables from stealing Batmobile)
  • Bat Armor (protects Batmobile from explosives; unfortunately leaves tires unprotected
  • Automatic Tire Repair Device (automatically repairs Batmobile's damaged tires)
  • Bat-o-meter (for tracking radioactive material within a 50 mile radius)
  • Tiny TV Transmitter (sends TV signal from Batmobile to Batcave)
  • Emergency Bat-turn Lever (for making 360 degree turns when at full stop)
  • Super-speed Afterburner (when engaged, the Batmobile goes very fast)
  • Bat-smoke (pressing this button releases a smokescreen)
  • Remote Control Batmobile Circuit (should a villain steal the Batmobile, Batman can control it by starting this circuit via a relay link in the Batcave)
  • Bat-scope (basically a TV which picks up the local stations)
  • Bat-photoscope (works in conjunction with the Microfilm Crime File back in the Batcave. Through this device a photo from the crime file can be reproduced in the Batmobile.)
  • Alf-cycle

[edit] Batman: The Animated Series

The same year that the second Batman movie, Batman Returns, was released, a new television series began. Batman: The Animated Series used a distinctive visual combination of film noir imagery and Art Deco designs with a very dark color scheme. The show created an "otherworldly timelessness" by combining "vintage" design elements like police blimps and pre-World War II vehicle styles with modern components like jet propulsion and computers.

[edit] Specifications

The Batmobile for the series also combined style elements from various eras to produce a long, low vehicle with square lines, long fins, and a blunt nose with a massive chrome grill that could have been from any time from the 1930s to the 1990s. Despite the obvious presence of the jet exhaust, the show frequently used sound effects from a reciprocating engine for the Batmobile's driving scenes. This, plus direct views of the engine (as seen in the episode "The Mechanic"), suggest that the car used a large piston engine for primary power and an auxiliary jet for high-speed acceleration.

[edit] Gadgetry

Among its features were:

  • Smoke and oil dispensers
  • Wheel slasher hubs
  • A missile rack
  • Tear gas dispensers
  • Ejection seats
  • Titanium alloy wheels and body panels
  • Reversible jet exhausts.

It also had a "shield" mode to prevent people from tampering with the car when it was left unattended, though it was not as overt as the "cocoon" used on the 1989 movie Batmobile.

[edit] Motion pictures

[edit] Batman (1989 film)

[23][24][25] and Batman Returns[26][27]

[edit] Specifications

  • Length: 260.7 in[28]
  • Width: 94.4 in
  • Height: 51.2 in
  • Acceleration: 0-60 in 3.7 seconds
  • Maximum Speed: 530 km/h with booster
  • Engine: Jet Turbine[29]
  • Fuel: High octane; 97% special (gasoline paraffin mixture)
  • Torque: 1750 lbf.ft at 98.7% ROS
  • Wheelbase: 141.0 in
  • Wheels: Cast alloy, 15 x 6.5
  • Tires: High aspect L60-15

For quick maneuvers, this Batmobile had side-mounted grappling hook launchers and a central "foot" capable of lifting the car and rotating it 180°.

[edit] Gadgetry

  • Spherical bombs [30]
  • Afterburner in the back
  • Two Browning machine guns hidden behind flaps in each fender
  • Grappling hook - Once hooked on a structure, it serves as an anchor to allow the batmobile to make an extremely sharp turn at high speed that its pursuers typically cannot duplicate.
  • Cocoon[31][32] (heavy armor) mode, (similar to the protective cocoon of some insects)
  • Superhydraulics for course changes
  • Batdisc Ejector (side-mounted) - Could fire precisely 15 Batdiscs in the 1-second pulse.
  • Can "transform" into the Batmissile[33][34] - The Batmobile sheds all material outside of the central fuselage and reconfigures the wheels & axles to fit through narrow openings. Once employed, however, the Batmissile mode essentially destroys much of the car, and it must be rebuilt afterwards.
  • Chassis-mounted shinbreakers
  • Oil slick dispensers
  • Smoke emitters

Inside, the two-seat cockpit[35] featured aircraft-like instrumentation, a passengers' side monitor, self-diagnostics system, CD recorder, and voice-command recognition system.

The Batmissile (or Bat-Missile) is a secondary mode of the Batmobile. The Batmobile becomes the Batmissile when the wheels would retract inward and the sides of the vehicle would break off, converting the car into a thin bullet train-like form capable of squeezing through tight alleyways. Once employed, however, the Batmissile mode essentially destroys much of the car, and it must be rebuilt afterwards.

[edit] Batman Forever

This Batmobile sought to accentuate its intricate lines. To do this, the filmmakers equipped it with engine panels, wheels, and undercarriage were indirectly lit so that they appeared to glow blue. The Batman Forever car also had a split cockpit[36][37] canopy, separate fenders, and jet exhaust. The roof fin could be opened into a "V" shape for a more contemporary look. The wheels were made to keep the bat emblems upright when the wheels are turning. The bat-emblem hubcaps was a counter-rotating gear that transferred into a stationary point.

The two-seat cockpit featured a rear-view monitor, system diagnostics display, and custom gauge cluster.[38][39][40]

[edit] Gadgetry

There were two primary avoidance/defense features[41][42]. First, it had the ability to lock all four wheels perpendicular to its centerline, to allow for quick sideways movement. Second, for more 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.

[edit] Specifications

The Batman Forever Batmobile had a Chevy 350 ZZ3 high-performance motor. It had high compression, 345 horsepower, aluminum heads, angled plugs and a good valve grind. The body is made from a high-temperature epoxy fiberglass laminate. All of the air was extracted though vacuum bagging.

The wheel base is 118 inches, the average car wheel base measures around 103 (USDOT Data 1980-2000) inches. In all, its size was 7.62 m long and 3.20 m in height.

Carbon fiber was used to build the body of this particular Batmobile. Carbon fiber is the same material that's normally used for Formula One racing cars and F-16 jet fighters.

  • Length: 7.62 m
  • Width: 94.4 in
  • Height: 3.20 m
  • Maximum Speed: 530 km/h with booster
  • Engine: Off-road running engine
  • Wheelbase: 118 in
  • Tires: Pivotable

[edit] Batman & Robin

Like the Batman Forever car, this Batmobile featured light-up wheels and engine panels. The displays were much more involved with this car, however, with red, orange, yellow, and blue lights, as well as special pulsating lights in the counterrotating turbine intake. The nozzles were canted away from the centerline of the car slightly, so the final effect was that the six exhausts made a "V" pattern to keep the car pointed straight ahead. A bat mask was incorporated in the nose of the car, though the sculpted lines made it somewhat difficult to make out at first. The fins were unmistakable, though, and remain as the largest set ever built into a real-world Batmobile.[43][44][45]

[edit] Specifications

[46]

  • Length: 33 feet long; 10 meters long. The six flame columns formed a V-shaped output of 1,80 m length.
  • Height: 1.5 m
  • Maximum Speed: 230 mph on open road, 350 mph with afterburner thrust; TFX road tested the Batmobile at 140 mph. 350 km/h and the additional jet propulsion brings the cars to 530 km/h.
  • Engine[47]: Chevy 350 ZZ3 (off-road racing motor). Instead of a single jet exhaust, this Batmobile had a "boattail" rear flanked by separate fenders, each with three smaller exhaust nozzles.
  • Axle Base: 388 m
  • Tires: It rode on custom 22" wheels with prototype, 55 m GoodYear tires.

The aerodynamic 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.

[edit] Gadgetry

[48] Its arsenal of weaponry and gadgets is controlled by an onboard voice-activated computer which surrounds the single-seat cockpit. From behind the wheel, the driver has access to a multifunctioning key command response system which delivers immediate weapon activation during attack and defensive procedures.

The Batman & Robin Batmobile was equipped with dual-mount, subcarriage rocket launchers, front and rear grappling hooks, multipoint infrared and laser scan tracking units, anterior/posterior wheel-based axle bombs, catapult ejection seat, and disguised central carriage, which detaches to become an emergency road vehicle.

The single-seat cockpit[49] featured a two-way videoconferencing screen, radar unit, and Redbird cutoff switch.

[edit] Full list
  • Rocket launcher
  • Grappling hooks in front and in the back
  • Infrared and laser beams for pursuit
  • Tire bombs
  • Ejection seat
  • Independent suspension in the back

[edit] Batman Begins

[50][51]

[edit] Specifications

  • Length: 15 ft (4.572 m)[52]
  • Width: 2.8448 m broad
  • Weight: 2.5 tons
  • Acceleration: 0-60 in 5.3 seconds. Under full acceleration, the car could actually rise up on its front "legs" while the front wheels stayed planted on the ground creating an effect like a giant spider.
  • Maximum Speed: 266 mph
  • Engine[53]: 350-cubic-inch Chevy engine capable of 500 horsepower. 340-horsepower General Motors V8 engine. The jet engine and vector controls could jump up to 6 feet vertically and 40 feet horizontally.
  • Fuel: The "jet engine" on the back of the car was fed by propane tanks.
  • Tires: "Super swamper" tires standing 44 inches tall (via titanium axles).

[edit] Gadgetry

The Batman Begins Batmobile had a pair of autocannons mounted in the nose of the car between the front wheels. In "attack" mode[54], the driver's seat moved 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 served 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.[55]

[edit] Full list
  • Rear flaps for brake
  • Front autocannons
  • Rocket launcher
  • Landing hook to Sprung landing stabilization
  • Integrated fire-extinguishing system
  • Integrated safety connection to gasoline control
  • Jet engine on back of car for quick boosts/rampless jumps
  • Stealth mode, which turns off the car's lights and reduces the engine sound enormously, resulting in making the car very hard to find in dark places
  • Caltrops are deployed from the rear of the vehicle. Batman uses this to immobolize a police vehicle following him.
  • Front of car is heavily armored, so the car can crash into and destroy objects, and also protects the driver (Batman) while in the prone driving position/"Attack" mode

[edit] References

  1. ^ Batmobiles 1941
  2. ^ This six-page tale, entitled “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate,” was the first published appearance of Batman, although the text makes it clear that it is not Batman’s first case — he is already wanted by the police. Bruce Wayne smokes a pipe in this story, as he did in a number of stories through the mid-forties. Batman’s car in this tale and in subsequent early adventures was a red coupé, later replaced by the more flamboyant Batmobiles.
  3. ^ Batmobiles 1941 - 1950
  4. ^ Batmobiles 1944 - 1950
  5. ^ Batmobiles 1950
  6. ^ Batmobiles 1952
  7. ^ Batmobiles 1955
  8. ^ Batmobiles 1958
  9. ^ This issue introduced the distinctive Batmobile that Batman used throughout the forties. It was loosely similar to General Motors’ 1941-1942 fastback coupes (such as the Cadillac Series 61 Club Coupe): It was a dark blue, supercharged car with an enormous bat-shaped ram on the nose, external exhaust pipes on the hood, and a tall, scalloped vertical fin extending from the rear edge of the roof to the tail. This model Batmobile remained basically unchanged (except for minor detail and stylistic variations) until February 1950 (Detective Comics #156). BATMAN 5 (Spr 41)
  10. ^ Batmobiles 1967 - 1969
  11. ^ Batmobiles 1968
  12. ^ Batmobiles 1968 - 1983
  13. ^ Batmobiles 1978 - 1987
  14. ^ Batmobiles 1978 - 1987
  15. ^ Batmobiles 1992
  16. ^ Batmobiles 1992 - 1995
  17. ^ Batmobiles 1995
  18. ^ Batmobiles 1996
  19. ^ Batmobiles 1997
  20. ^ Batmobiles 1998 - 2000
  21. ^ Batman: Yesterday, Today, And Beyond ~ The Batman Homepage ~ The Largest Batman Site on the Net!
  22. ^ Batmobiles 1966 - 1979
  23. ^ Batman (1989 film) - Batmobile
  24. ^ Batman: Yesterday, Today, And Beyond ~ The Batman Homepage ~ The Largest Batman Site on the Net!
  25. ^ Batmobiles 1989 - 1992
  26. ^ Batman: Yesterday, Today, And Beyond ~ The Batman Homepage ~ The Largest Batman Site on the Net!
  27. ^ Batman Returns - Batmobile
  28. ^ Keaton Car - Specifications
  29. ^ Keaton Car - Turbine
  30. ^ Keaton Car - Batmobile Gadgets
  31. ^ Cocoon
  32. ^ Keaton Car - Batmobile Cocoon
  33. ^ Batmissle
  34. ^ Keaton Car - Batmissile
  35. ^ Keaton Car - Dashboard
  36. ^ Chicks Did the Car! Dashboard
  37. ^ Kilmer Car - Batmobile Dashboard
  38. ^ Batman: Yesterday, Today, And Beyond ~ The Batman Homepage ~ The Largest Batman Site on the Net!
  39. ^ Batmobiles 1995
  40. ^ Batman Forever - Batmobile
  41. ^ Kilmer Car - Batmobile Gadgets
  42. ^ Chicks Dig the Car! - Gadgets
  43. ^ Batman: Yesterday, Today, And Beyond ~ The Batman Homepage ~ The Largest Batman Site on the Net!
  44. ^ Batmobiles 1997
  45. ^ Batman & Robin - The Batmobile
  46. ^ Clooney Car - Specifications
  47. ^ Clooney Car - Batmobile Turbine
  48. ^ Clooney Car - Batmobile Gadgets
  49. ^ Clooney Car - Batmobile Dashboard
  50. ^ Batman: Yesterday, Today, And Beyond ~ The Batman Homepage ~ The Largest Batman Site on the Net!
  51. ^ Batmobiles 2005
  52. ^ Bale Car - Specifications
  53. ^ Bale Car - Jet Burner
  54. ^ Bale Car - Batmobile Dashboard
  55. ^ Bale Car - Batmobile Gadgets

[edit] External Links

v • d • e
Batmobile
Television series
Batman (Live action, 1966) · Super Friends (1973) · Batman: The Animated Series (1992)
Films
Batman (Live action, 1989) · Batman Forever (Live action, 1995) · Batman & Robin (Live action, 1997) · Batman Begins (Live action, 2005)
Designers
George Barris (Batman, 1966) · Anton Furst (Batman, 1989) · Keith Short (Batman, 1989) · Bo Welch (Batman Returns, 1992) · H. R. Giger (Batman Forever, 1995; Designs unused)
Miscellanea