The new Batmobile: Batman drives American Muscle, but which car?

Director Matt Reeves likes to show snapshots of his work on Twitter. Tonight, he shared three images of the new Batmobile from the film "The Batman", which is due to be released in cinemas on 25 June 2021.

Batman's new car breaks new ground in terms of the Batmobile. Until now, the cars in the films featuring the Dark Knight of Gotham were custom-built vehicles. In Tim Burton's interpretation, the Batmobile is the brainchild of artist Julian Caldow, while in the Schumacher films it was Tim Flattery and in Nolan's triology Nathan Crowley designed the Tumbler.

The front of the new Batmobile looks like there's a real car underneath. Just like it was in the Batman TV series in the 1960s. The only question is which one?

The setting: Batman at the beginning of his career

"The Batman" is set in the early days of the Batman's career and is intended to be more of a detective story with a Hitchcock or film noir feel than an action epic.

It makes sense that Batman (Robert Pattinson) doesn't yet have all the specialised equipment and customisation that he will have later on as the Caped Crusader. This is probably why the Batmobile is reminiscent of an American muscle car, possibly even of an older vintage.

The new Batmobile in detail

Only three images of the Batmobile have surfaced so far. Of these, only one is really revealing, as the car has been heavily modified. The most striking thing is the placement of the engine. The Batmobile has a V8 engine where the boot is, in the back. All the suggestions that follow in the rest of this article have their engines at the front under the bonnet.

The V8 in the boot appears to be powered by some kind of jet engine. Or it has the biggest, loudest exhaust in the universe. The picture provides a view of the Cockpit. A touchscreen is installed in the centre.

This indicates that the Batmobile's base vehicle can't be that old in the real world after all. So somewhere plus-minus the iPhone era, so since around 2007. Or else Batman has upgraded. The rest of the rear is completely useless for identifying the vehicle, as the conversion work for the V8 jet engine has more or less changed everything behind the driver's door.

The wings seem to follow the idea of a widebody. That makes sense, because if there's a jet engine, Batman needs grip. Widebodies allow wider tyres to be fitted, which in turn increases grip on the road. Nevertheless, the rear lights and the generally curved shape of the rear end do not look like anything that has been fitted as standard anywhere.

This leaves only the front to try and identify the car.

Suggestion #1: Dodge Challenger

The first thought at the sight of the front: Dodge Challenger, vintage somewhere around 2010.

The assumption that the Batmobile was once a Dodge Challenger is mainly due to the shape of the front and the slightly overhanging bonnet as well as its shape.

The design language is lost in the ventilation slits, which are reminiscent of a shaker.

But: If Batman's car has its engine at the rear, it makes little sense to install a shaker system at the front where there is no engine. Unless, of course, the Batmobile has two engines for some reason. It makes perfect sense for the film, because there the rear engine is very likely a prop that looks like much more than it actually is with a few special effects. That's why the engine that drives the car should still be installed in the front. But without the shaker.

Proposal #1.5: Dodge Challenger Shakedown Concept

Dodge presented a concept car at the SEMA 2016 motor show. The Dodge Challenger Shakedown combines modern technology with classic looks, especially at the front.

Think away the Shaker and the 1971 body fits pretty well. The concept has evolved and came onto the market in 2018 as a bonus package for the Challenger https://www.motor1.com/news/235489/dodge-challenger-shakedown-package/. This would lend itself particularly well to a film production, as the cars wouldn't have to be painstakingly found and modified first. If Dodge were so inclined, the company would be able to build the front of the Batmobile off the shelf using current resources. In a film with action scenes, where there is the occasional fender bender, this is quite useful.

Suggestion #2: Chevrolet Camaro

It's the air vents that suggest the Batmobile was once a Chevrolet Camaro. The ZL1 version of the Camaro in particular leaves onlookers wondering what the huge shaker - which has no obvious ventilation elements - is for. At the end of the questions, the ZL1 has a larger bonnet area that looks cut out but is actually part of the sheet metal above the engine.

So if Batman doesn't need shaker-style front ventilation, he can close the cut-out, which isn't one in real life, with armour plates. In general, only the Camaro's design language suggests that the vehicle was a Batmobile. However, since the bonnet is custom anyway, that shouldn't mean anything.

The strongest indication of a Camaro is the heavily overhanging bonnet. This is the hallmark of the current Camaros, although they are usually tapered.

The Batmobile doesn't do that. With regard to the bonnet, which would be replaced anyway, replacing the radiator grille would be the same thing.

So, that's it. I say that was a Challenger. What do you think? I'd like to open the discussion and have it in the comments column. <p