The New Batmobile

Excerpts of article By Eric Mayne / The Detroit News
Batmobile specs
Engine: 5.7-liter Chevy V-8 (jet engine simulated by hot-air balloon burner) Output: 340-horsepower 0-60: 5 sec. (approx.) Width: 9 ft, 4 in. Length: 15 ft. Weight: 2.5 tons Cost: $500,000 (estimated)
The Batmobile, a car buff's ultimate dream machine, has been redesigned for "Batman Begins" -- the latest installment of the movie franchise. Wednesday.
This is definitely not your father's Batmobile. Gone are the clean lines and sleek profile that inspired generations of caped crusader fans. The new Batmobile is all business, from its menacing face to its 44-inch off-road rear tires.
And in keeping with the times, the new design is a hybrid -- though not the fuel-stingy, gasoline-electric variety currently coveted by car-buyers. The Batmobile's 5.7-liter Chevy V-8 is mated to a jet engine that enables the car to leap tall buildings in a ... wait, that's another superhero. "Batman Begins" producers call it a "sports tank," blending the sexiness of a high-performance car with the ruggedness of an SUV.
In the movie, the car is developed for military use by Gotham-based Wayne Enterprises. Called "The Tumbler," it is designed to move soldiers and equipment over hostile terrain -- hence its jet-powered jumping capability. Working with director Christopher Nolan, production designer Nathan Crowley conceived the car's shape by combining scale models of Humvees and Lamborghinis. Professional car designers are impressed.
"I give the new Batmobile two thumbs up," saidPatrick Schiavone, Ford Motor Co.'s director of car design. "The new Batmobile should be considered a character in the film, reflecting Chris Nolan's vision of a simpler, darker, more dramatic Batman.