Here we go, the first in a two part series of some serious Bat Facts in the run up to the Dark Knight Rises hitting big screens. First up, is the Batmobile itself, the Tumbler.
●The Batmobile has not changed sinceBatman Begins, but in The Dark Knight Rises, a number of tumbler vehicles appear in their original camouflage colors.
●There are three different types of customized camouflage tumbler, one with a swivelling turret gun, another with a guided missile launcher and a third with a gun.
●The Batmobile was designed by Christopher Nolan and Production Designer Nathan Crowley in the filmmaker's garage in Los Angeles. The prototype was made by sticking together toy cars, eventually combining a Hummer and a Lamborghini – the inspiration being an ex-military vehicle.
●The tumbler name comes from its military history due to its ability to jump and tumble.
●The car has no front axel. Nolan wanted the wheels to be held from the side, which, at first, was believed to be impossible. However, Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould and Workshop Supervisor Andy Smith did eventually find a way to make side-mounted wheels work.
●Everything on the Batmobile has been built from scratch. It is not an existing vehicle that has been remodelled or customized.
●The Batmobile has six wheels – two in the front and four at the back, which are monster truck tires. Three different sets of tires with varying amounts of tread were created so that stunt driver George Cottle could decide how much skid power he required at any one time.
●The vehicle runs on regular unleaded fuel and weighs two-and-a-half tons.
●The vehicle can jump six feet in height and has jumped a distance of 60 feet.
●Its top speed is 105 miles per hour and acceleration is 0-60 in five seconds
The Dark Knight Rises is released on July 20th
