Since the 1960's, one man has been protecting Gotham city. Yes, you got it right. He's Bruce Wayne by day and Batman by night. Over the years in comic books, TV shows and movies, Batman has been portrayed in various ways, from the Adam West era to the gritty Christian Bale trilogy and now the upcoming Ben Affleck franchise.
And just as the caped superhero character has evolved over the years, so has Batman's choice of vehicle - the Batmobile. The Batmobile is probably the best and coolest sidekick Batman's ever had. Even Robin has to agree to that. From the original Batmobile to the most recent Tumbler of the Dark Night films, the car has undergone massive changes to suit whatever adventure Batman is on.
What's Batman without his Batmobile? Pretty awesome still, but the Batmobile adds some extra badass-ness.
We bring you a few of the most memorable Batmobiles over the years:
Batman: The TV Show (1966)
This is arguably the first decent Batmobile, the 1966 version is instantly recognizable, and for many it still remains the most favorite Batman car. This was built around a rejected 1955 Lincoln Futura. Bubble canopies, long fins, and an added afterburner – will make you think this was custom-built from the ground up, but you'd be forgiven for thinking so. The atomic turbine engine (Ford V8) and its afterburner made sure that the acceleration was always a big thing, and the rear-mounted parachutes helped to do a 180-degree spin whenever a villain or a situation took an unexpected turn.
Batman (1989)
This one was long and sleek and had a pair of bat-fins at the rear. A new breed of Batmobile was thus born: intimidating, powerful, and was painted black from tip to tail. This supercar was crammed with gadgets and weapons, all of them quite exciting and deadly – much like Batman's purists. Twin machine guns fired out of the bonnet, and also contained grenades powerful enough to blow up the Joker's Smilex factory. An array of shutters shielded the car in a cocoon of protective armor while the vigilante of Gotham was off prowling the rooftops. The car also had the capability to navigate the streets autonomously, using a hook to perform particularly tight turns.
Batman and Robin (1997)
This was very flashy, maybe a bit too flashy batmobile. The designers went kind of overboard with this one. As if they were trying too hard to make it look cool - which they did succeed in doing, but then again, it doesn't quite exactly scream Batman. A single seater this time, the car had a retro shape, taking inspiration from vintage race cars like the Jaguar D Type and Delahaye 165. The gadgets loaded onto this car however, were fewer than the previous ones. The cockpit did feature a video call function and Batman could also kill the engine of Robin's motor bike with just a flick of a switch. Bummer for Robin, right?
Dark Knight Trilogy
The Tumbler – This was Batman's ride from the fan favorite Dark Knight trilogy that starred Christian Bale. A militarized take on the Batmobile, while very different from its previous iterations, a very cool car and well suited for Bruce Wayne. Packed to the brim with weapons and surprises to take whatever enemy threatens the safety of Gotham down, the Tumbler is one of the most dangerous and memorable Batmobiles we've seen over the years.
Batman V/S Superman (2016)
While we're yet to see Affleck's Batmobile in action, it's got looks only a black-obsessed vigilante could love. It can't be described as the most attractive ride Batman's ever had, but when you're going up against the Superman, it's fair to say that a car with no scratches is not a priority, RUGGEDNESS, however, is.