The Batmobile was built upon a Chevrolet Impala chasis with a Chevy V8 engine, and was based on and modified from a 1970 Corvette body when previous development with a Jaguar and Ford Mustang failed. A second car was based on an Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible.
Originally it started off as a $250,000 1955 Ford Lincoln Futura concept car. With a deadline of 3 weeks this Lincoln was transformed into the world's most famous car.
Keaton played Batman in the two live-action films on the Caped Crusader directed by Tim Burton. In the films, he is seen 'driving' the car as he goes up against supervillains to save Gotham City. After its use in the 1992 film, the car ended up at New Jersey's Six Flags.
What car is the Michael Keaton Batmobile based on?
Almost 20 feet in length, the Batmobile driven by Michael Keaton in the 1989 and 1992 movies was based upon a 1967 Chevy Impala found in a London junkyard. It was powered by a 327-cubic inch V-8 Chevrolet engine mounted low in the frame in order to maintain a low hood line and enhance the car's sleek profile.
The Batmobiles built for the series were never bought by ABC but became the possession of their creator, George Barris who rented them out around the country. The first and second car are still owned by George Barris. The third car is on exhibit in a Gatlinburg, Tennessee museum (along with the Batcycle).
Mr Racop, a fan of Batman since the age of 2, studied all 120 episodes of Batman in creating his Bat 1 replica car in 2000. He has since made 10, one of which was bought recently by Mark Perkins – the only British owner of a Batmobile.
1. The Tim Burton Batmobile. A vehicle so good they could have gotten away with never designing another. The “car,” as Batman likes to call it, from Tim Burton's two films is the platonic ideal of a Batmobile as far as we're concerned.
The Batmobile used by actor Adam West in the original TV series of Batman has sold for $4.2m (£2.6m) at a US auction. The car was bought by Rick Champagne, a logistics company owner from Phoenix, Arizona. The 56-year-old, who was just 10 when the high-camp TV series began in 1966, said it "was a dream come true".
The Batmobile can enter a "stealth mode", making it practicably invisible in the night. In The Dark Knight, the Batmobile demonstrates artificial intelligence when it bids Batman "Goodbye".
How much did Michael Keaton get paid for Batman? Keaton reportedly earned $5 million for his work in Batman (1989). In today's money, that equates to about $10 million—which is an astronomical rate for an actor.
Jack Nicholson was the highest-paid actor for a single movie for his role as Joker in 1989's Batman, earning around $90 million. Nicholson's contract included a $6 million upfront payment and a percentage of the final box office gross and profits from Joker-related merchandise.
The first Dark Knight in the modern era was brought to life by Michael Keaton. The Golden Globe-winner portrayed Bruce Wayne and his alter ego in two different films directed by Tim Burton, Batman and Batman Returns. Even now, these films are central to Batman's history in Hollywood.
A recent 9th Circuit decision has endorsed copyright protection for Batman's four-wheeled sidekick, confirming that copyright protection can extend to "sufficiently distinctive" elements of an original work, like comic-book characters, even if the "character" is a car. The decision affirms DC Comics v. Towle, 989 F.
The Batmobile weighed an incredible 5,500 lbs., due to its all-steel body. It was powered by a 390 cu. in. V8 engine with a three-speed automatic transmission.
The 1966 Batman movie and TV series debuted a car that for many remains the one true Batmobile. Driven by the legendary Adam West and lightyears ahead of its 1940s counterparts, the 1966 Batmobile was based on the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car.
Post-Crisis. In his early days as Batman, Bruce Wayne realized he needed a method of transportation that allowed him to get around Gotham City in a faster way. He started building the vehicle and in a short time, he had a customized powerful car that Alfred called "Batmobile".
The Batmobile was built upon a Chevrolet Impala chasis with a Chevy V8 engine, and was based on and modified from a 1970 Corvette body when previous development with a Jaguar and Ford Mustang failed.
What was the highest price paid for the Batmobile?
Hosted at the Barrett-Jackson classic car auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, on 19 January 2013, businessman Rick Champagne's winning bid of $4.6 million (more than R84 million by today's money) secured his ownership of the original Batmobile.
