We’ve seen numerous Batmobile replicas built to varying standards of accuracy over the past couple of years, but none have come as close to the real thing as the one Warner Bros. just unveiled. Licensed by the studio, the running and driving Tumbler is headed to limited production with some of the same features that Batman has used, a tried-and-true powertrain, and a price tag you’d expect to see on an exotic Italian car.
Finished in Vanta Black, the Tumbler measures approximately 183 inches long, 111 inches wide, and 60 inches tall. Put another way, it’s almost exactly as long as a Subaru Forester and about as tall as the new BMW M5, yet a full 30 inches wider than a Chevrolet Tahoe. It’s built around a tubular aeronautical-grade steel frame and its body is made with a blend of Kevlar, carbon fiber, fiberglass, and steel. Up front, there’s a pair of ultra-wide 15-inch wheels; out back, you’ll find four 18.5-inch wheels wrapped by Interco Super Swamper tires. Yes, this Batmobile is a dually.
While interior pictures haven’t been released, we’re told the cabin features two seats, a pair of 10-inch displays for the infotainment system, and a headliner upholstered in black Alcantara. Air conditioning is standard for those hot summer days when you want to wear shorts but you’re stuck in your Batsuit. Navigation is standard as well, but for better or worse it doesn’t sound like the rocket launchers made the jump to production.
Some of the other features that helped Batman clean up the streets of Gotham in The Dark Knight trilogy are accounted for, including a smoke screen. There’s even what’s referred to as a “Jet Engine Simulation” system, though the builders stress that the plane-like exhaust outlet isn’t equipped to shoot flames.
Power comes from a General Motors-sourced 6.2-liter LS3 V8 rated at 525 horsepower and 486 lb-ft of torque. This is the same basic eight-cylinder that powered Chevrolet’s fifth-generation Camaro SS and C6 Corvette, though it’s also available as a crate engine. It’s presumably mounted behind the passenger compartment, and it spins the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission also sourced from the GM parts bin. Performance figures haven’t been released, but keep in mind that at 5,511 pounds, the Tumbler is not light.
California-based Action Vehicle Engineering will build only 10 examples of the Tumbler, and pricing starts at a hypercar-like $2.99 million. Unsurprisingly, the Tumbler isn’t street-legal; can you imagine rolling up to the DMV and telling the clerk you want to register a Batmobile?
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