The Batmobile somehow just got even more badass.
An Illinois man recreated the Caped Crusader’s iconic car from scratch — complete with a Boeing jet engine.
Chicago’s Brian Hendler has been building cars with his father since he was a kid. But the freelance automakers took things to the next level by MacGyvering a bat-themed car out of their own parts. They spent nearly four years cutting a GM body and building an entire frame underneath. When finished, it evoked the Dark Knight’s ride from the 1989 Tim Burton film.
But Hendler wanted to go beyond a mere aesthetic resemblance. So he outfitted the 22-foot replica with a 2,000-pound Boeing 502 jet engine that spewed fire out the back like its movie namesake. Hendler won’t disclose how he obtained the impressive piece of hardware, only joking, “Just go to eBay, buy it now. Get the wife’s permission.”
And if that wasn’t nifty enough, the 5,000-pound speedster can also pick itself up and rotate 360 degrees.
“It’s the first car in the world to do that,” says Hendler, who called the pirouetting stunt a ‘Knight’-mare to jerry-rig. To make it swivel, the speedster savant claims he had to install a slewing ring from an excavator — as well as balance out the top-heavy car’s weight distribution.
And, all the dashboard doohickies are fully functional, according to Hendler.
Despite the resemblance, Hendler calls the replica a “big, black car” (presumably to avoid copyright issues). Nonetheless, the Dark Knight dragster elicited nerd-gasms from the Facebook bat-fandom, which posted cries of “HOLY BATMOBILE, BATMAN! and “now, to patrol the streets of Chicago and fight crime.”
Hendler probably won’t cruise the streets looking for wrong-doers — in fact, the faux Batmobile will require a couple more adjustments before it’s even legal to drive on the street. However, when ready, the car will serve an equally noble purpose: charity fund-raising.
“I had a bout with testicular cancer a little over two years ago,” says Hendler, who plans to park the Batmobile near charity events to inspire donors to contribute.
Says Hendler, “Anyone who sees it on the street will be like, ‘gosh, I’d like to donate to your cause.’ “