It's hard to admit that Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy concluded about a decade ago, but even harder to forget the scene-stealing Tumbler/BatPod that Christian Bale's Caped Crusader drove. The fictional Billionaire playboy has always had an impressive garage that he flaunts to the public, but it's the Batcave where the real marvels reside.
From the dawn of Detective Comic books to the silver screen, Batman has always been accompanied by the Batmobile. It has evolved many times over the years but when it comes to Nolan's interpretation of Batman, it evolved in its most realistic way. The second installment of the trilogy, The Dark Knight, brought to life a fictional U.S. government developed, military-grade prototype, The Tumbler, ushering a new era of toys for Bruce Wayne's alter ego.
Designed by Nolan and production designer Nathan Crowley, The Tumbler has a beefy truck-like stance with a sleek low profile. Little known (Until near the end of the 2008 blockbuster), the Tumbler had a secret. When damaged beyond repair the Tumbler would self-destruct and relinquishes the BatPod. The BatPod or BatCycle has many features.
Let's take a detailed look at the impressive tactile equipment and engineering feats the 2008 Dark Knight's motorcycle was capable of.
Electric Powered?
As it turns out, the sound you hear from the Batpod in the movie as it zooms across the screen actually came from a first-generation Tesla Roadster. Made to make it sound like a futuristic, new-age gadget, but that's just for the cameras. What really powered the prop was a trusty Honda 750 Motorcycle motor, according to an auction website that sold it last year for upwards of $80,000.
Explosive Projectile Cannons
If you remember, the movie had plenty of scenes with pyrotechnics. The most protruding of the equipment fixed to the front axle are some sort of explosive projectile cannons. In many instances, Batman needed to clear debris from his path and these did just the job. Getting rid of cars, a garbage dumpster at one point, and even walls. The explosive cannons packed quite a punch — they were capable of launching an undisclosed amount of explosive force.
Gun Turrets On Both Sides Of The Lower Front Axle
Batman doesn't use guns? At least not on people. Affixed to the bottom of the weapons cluster on the Batpod are two gun turrets. If you look closely, you can even see the perforations of the muzzle. When needing to take out the bad guy's tires, these come in handy. When Batman was zooming through the underground train station in the film, he used this very weapon to clear some lightweight glass obstructions. Of course, Batman wouldn't shoot a person with them.
Keep Your Hands And Arms Inside The Ride At All Times
The BatPod requires its rider to essentially lay down. In a position akin to flying like superman, Batman cannot steer the Batpod the way you steer a motorcycle. Inspiration was taken from Grand Prix riders where they make themselves as small as possible for aerodynamics. The handle bars stick out and above the sleek two-wheeled ride and affixed to them are shields designed to protect Batman's hands and arms while chasing the Joker at high speeds.
Two Grappling Hooks Fixed Atop The Front Axle
Rounding out the heavy mix of artillery on the front of the Batpod are the grappling cannons. These high powered hooks are able to penetrate just about anything. Sharp and stable, these hooks were used to pierce the front axle of an 18-wheel semi, with the help of some Hollywood magic.
Huge 31'' Almost Spherical Tires
The huge bulbous tires that the Batpod rides on are actually racing tires from Hoosier. Thirty-One inches in circumference, these tires were made for the drag strip. Obviously, not the same tires from the Tumbler but with a bit of Hollywood magic who can tell the difference. They still make for a menacing bad-guy-catching ride befitting for the Dark Knight.
Side Rolling Front/Rear Axles
One of the Batpod's most innovative features is its ability to roll sideways. Because of the large round-like tires, it's easy to imagine. Furthermore, the axles are actually designed to do so. Double-jointed, the Batpod suspends its occupant like gyroscope technology. The front and rear axles within the tires have a connecting joint that separates the suspended rider portion from the tire portion. This allows the tires to rotate on their side without the rider rotating. A useful maneuver Batman used in the movie to perform quick 180 degree turns and when necessary, in the place of drifting.
Ultra-Strong Reinforced Cables
Attached to those razor-sharp grappling hooks are some of the strongest reinforced cables known to man. The movie showed Batman grappling the front of a semi, then racing off underneath the truck, bobbing between a few street lamps, before detaching the end of the cable into the concrete street.
The stunt, according to a behind the scenes clip, was accomplished by placing a massive TNT stuffed piston in the middle of the truck to launch it straight into the air. Not wanting to use CGI, Nolan and his team performed the stunt twice. Once in the parking lot of the demolished hospital, and agin for the final sequence in on S La Salle street in Chicago, IL.
The truck needed to stay relatively straight since it was surrounded by buildings and streetlights. In fact, because of the location, surrounded by banks and their underground vaults, they only had a 1/2 mile strip to get it perfect.