The season of giving is almost here, and the perfect gift for the Batman fans in your life, or shamelessly just you, might be this very real Batpod. The Batman motorcycle, featured in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises” just so happens to be on on auction right now with Propstore, as part of its Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction in London. It also happens to close just in time to get it home and under whatever shrine you celebrate for the winter solstice.
Originally sold by Propstore in 2016 as part of its Entertainment Memorabilia Auction, this is the bike used in notable “The Dark Knight” moments such as when Batman (Christian Bale) evaded the Joker (Heath Ledger), demonstrating the Batpod’s abilities to climb walls and turn around without moving forward thanks to the wheels’ ability to flip side-to-side, making the Hummer’s crabwalking capabilities look like ancient technology. In “The Dark Knight Rises,” Batman gave Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) the Batpod to use as a getaway vehicle while he took on Bane and the League of Shadows.
Batman’s Batpod was born from the minds of Nolan and production designer for the films, Nathan Crowley, whose work has included “Wonka,” the “Wicked” films, Dunkirk,” “Westworld,” and “Interstellar.” It was made to be an alternative for Batman’s Tumbler, the armored-tank vehicle that happens to also be quite multi-faceted, like when it transformed into a heavy duty flight vehicle to escape Gotham Police as they cornered Batman in an alley. The man who brought the bike to life was Chris Corbould, who was special-effects supervisor for both films but might be best known for his work on the James Bond film series and “Inception,” for which he won an Academy award.
Comic coolness does not equal comfort
The Batpod is being sold as-is, in non-functional, “rolling only” condition with no fluids, battery, fuel tank or throttle controls. You’d have to be fairly innovative to get it moving. That might be for the best, though, as the rider position is prone. If you were to pilot it, you’d be lying down in a stance more awkward than a MotoGP rider and more like a sprint stance used in spinning classes, then forced to steer with your arms and shoulders. At least there is a little bit of black foam lining the body, saddle, and knee rests to give your body a little respite.
The custom-fabricated chassis wears 31-inch Hoosier racing tires and a Honda 750 engine. Its cannon barrels are made of plastic, resin and fiberglass, and it also has a light-up laser-targeting unit above the right hand grip, which doesn’t actually work. Despite its nonworking state, it at least bears some battle scars from its use in scenes between both movies.
Included in the sale is a custom metal support stand for display, as well as a certificate of authenticity from Warner Brothers. Bids for this Hero Batpod close December 4 at 10:00 a.m. EST. As of this writing bids sit at around $300,000, with Propstore estimating the sale to range between around $600,000 to $1.2 million. If that’s too rich for your taste, maybe you could look into building your own Batpod.
h/t to RideApart for the find.
