Equipment of the Batmobile

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Main article: Batmobile#Technical description

The Batmobile is bulletproof and is bolstered by impact-reistant hydraulics. The Batmobile also contains engine 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 jets.

Contents 1 Comic book continuity 1.1 BM1-BM5 designs 1.2 BM6[17][18][19] 1.2.1 Specifications 1.3 BM7[20] 1.3.1 Specifications 1.3.2 Exterior features 1.3.3 Anti-theft devices 2 Television 2.1 Batman (TV series)[21][22] 2.1.1 Specifications 2.1.2 Gadgetry[23] 2.1.2.1 Full list 3 Motion pictures 3.1 Batman (1989 film)[24][25] and Batman Returns[26] 3.1.1 Specifications[27] 3.1.2 Gadgetry[29] 3.2 Batman Forever[35][36] 3.2.1 Specifications[41] 3.3 Batman & Robin[42][43] 3.3.1 Specifications[44] 3.3.2 Gadgetry[46] 3.3.2.1 Full list 3.4 Batman Begins[48][49] 3.4.1 Specifications[50] 3.4.2 Gadgetry[52] 3.4.2.1 Full list 4 Batmobile images 5 References 6 Sources

[edit] Comic book continuity

[edit] BM1-BM5 designs

See also: Car body style

• BM1: Roadster^[1][2]
• BM2: Sedan^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]} - This particular Batmobile sported a bat-headed grille, a formiable battering ram to smash barriers with its knife-edged, steel reinforced nose.
• BM3: Hot Rod^[10][11][12]
• BM4: Sport Coupe^[13][14]
• BM5: Drag Racer^[15][16]

[edit] BM6^[17][18][19]

[edit] Specifications

• Length: 19.7 ft
• Width: 7.9 ft
• Height: 4.5 ft
• Accerleration: 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: 4MD

This particular Batmobile was one of the fastest to ever be built. The BM6 was the first to include variable-polarization windshields. This allowed Batman to alter the Plexiglas from transparency to opaqueness when ferrying security-risk passengers. 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 which 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 negoicate alleys that are too narrow for ordinary four-wheel pursuit vehicles.

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

The interior include:

• Bulletproof windshield
• Afterburner ignition
• Ramp engage
• Police band shortwave
• Driver ejector-seat
• Automatic pilot
• Defense console
• Computer linked to Batcave mainframes
• Directional-mic surveillance controls
• GPS satellite navigation modem
• Rear-view VDU
• IR/thermal imaging VDU

[edit] BM7^[20]

[edit] Specifications

• Length: 16.6 ft
• Width: 6.4 ft
• Height: 4.8 ft
• Accerleration: 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-reinfored tires were puncture-proof and flame-resistant. The pressure of the tires were regulated by the dashboard controls. Tire over-inflation extruded imbedded studds in all-weather treads for extra grip on icy roads.

The BM7 was installed wih 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 immeditate proximity while recorded SOS os relayed to the Batcave.
• Phase 3: Hypersonic thrilling spheres are released.
• Phase 4: Motion-tracking glue nozzles eject super-adhesive foam.
• Phase 5: The Batmobile self-destructs!

[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^[23]

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 the 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)
• Odour Sensitometer Radar Circuit (puts a certain scent on the radar screen)
• Ultrasonic Recorder (also records regular sounds)
• Batmobile Parachute Pickup Service Signal (calls forementioned 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] Motion pictures

[edit] Batman (1989 film)^[24][25] and Batman Returns^[26]

[edit] Specifications^[27]

• Length: 260.7 in
• Width: 94.4 in
• Height: 51.2 in
• Accerleration: 0-60 in 3.7 seconds
• Maximum Speed: 530 km/h with booster
• Engine: Jet Turbine^[28]
• 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^[29]

• Spherical bombs
• Afterburner in the back
• Two Browning machine guns hidden behind flaps in both fenders
• 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^[30][31] (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^[32][33] - The Batmobile sheds all material outside of the central fuselage and reconfigures the wheels & axles to fit through narrow openings. Once employed, however, the Batmissle 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^[34] featured aircraft-like instrumentation, a passengers' side monitor, self-diagnostics system, CD recorder, and voice-command recognition system.

[edit] Batman Forever^[35][36]

This Batmbobile 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^[37][38] 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. There were two primary avoidance/defense features^[39][40]. 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^[41]

The Batman Forever Batmobile had a Chevy 350 ZZ3 high-performance motor. It had high compreeion, 345 horsepower, aluminum heads, angled plugs and a good valvr 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^[42][43]

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.

[edit] Specifications^[44]

• 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^[45]: 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 aeronomical 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^[46]

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^[47] 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^[48][49]

[edit] Specifications^[50]

• Length: 15 ft (4.572 m)
• Width: 2.8448 m broad
• Weight: 2.5 tons
• Accerleration: 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^[51]: 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^[52]

The Batman Begins Batmobile had a pair of machine guns mounted in the nose of the car between the front wheels. In "attack" mode^[53], 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.

[edit] Full list

• Rear flaps for brake
• Front machine guns
• Rocket launcher
• Landing hook to Sprung landing stabilization
• Integrated fire-extinguishing system
• Integrated safety connection to gasoline control

[edit] Batmobile images

The Batmobile as seen on the live-action Batman television series.	The Batmobile as seen in the 1989 Batman film.	The Batmobile as seen in Batman Returns.	The Batmobile as seen in Batman Forever.
The Batmobile as seen in the 1997 film, Batman & Robin.	The Batmobile as seen in Batman Begins.

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

• Chicks Love the Car
• Batmobile History
• Batman: Yesterday, Today, and Beyond
• BATMAN-NEWS
• Batmobile Gadgets - Special equipment on the 1966 Batmobile
• 1966 Batmobile Site
• BATMAN: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE DARK KNIGHT