Autoblog

Over the last 70 years, Batman has driven all sorts of vehicles, with a wide array of Batmobiles, planes, bikes and boats appearing in the various comic books, television series and movies. Arguably none have been as wickedly exciting, however, as the Tumbler which the superhero drove in the most recent Batman Begins. But with the sequel swooping into theaters this week, we're in store for a new piece of kit.

Called the Batpod, we've been bringing you details of the new motorcycle as they've become available. The Batpod is driven by a pair of motors hidden within the giant 20-inch wheels and steered by the shoulder, allowing the Caped Crusader to operate an arsenal of machine guns and grappling hooks. We'll have to hold on just a little bit longer to see it in action on the big screen, but in the meantime you can check out the images from the Batmobile's and Batpod's demonstration at Silverstone with the Toyota F1 crew in the high-resolution image bat-gallery by clicking the thumbnails below.

[Source: gizmag]

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We all remember the Lamborghini Murcielago's cameo in Batman Begins, right? Well apparently producers think that Lamborghinis make good supporting actors, because a Lamborghini has once again been cast in the upcoming sequel called The Dark Knight. Though Batman himself will still pilot the Tumbler through the streets of Gotham while fighting the Joker, his public persona, Bruce Wayne, will be seen rolling in a Raging Bull that can reportedly do some major damage, as well. Winding Road found this video from MTV.com that reveals what the car looks like as a toy, but we'll be seeing the real thing in person this Thursday when it debuts at the East Side House Settlement Gala Preview for the 2008 New York Auto Show, which happens to be sponsored by Lamborghini. Though tickets for the gala start at $150 for just cocktails and $1,000 for dinner (it's all for charity, folks), we'll do our best to crash the party and get live pics of Bruce Wayne's other car.

Also of note is that Lamborghini will be auctioning off the very first 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 to be sold in the U.S. at the gala. We'll try to keep our hands down during that part of the evening's festivities.

[Source: MTV.com via Winding Road]

Most fans of the Dark Knight appreciated the overall tone of the latest film to feature Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman. The emphasis on Wayne's transformation into the Caped Crusader gave Batman Begins a psychological edge and complexity that... oh, who am I kidding? It was the Tumbler that we all loved. Typically outrageous without being overly cartoonish, it was a reconfigurable warship on wheels. With a follow-up film on its way, it was inevitable that rumors about the newest Batmobile would eventually surface.

BB 2 will take the series further back to its roots by featuring one of Batman's greatest archenemies, The Joker (here's his pretty pathetic set of wheels). It will also, apparently, bring back another iconic Bat vehicle: the Batcycle. Actually it is called the Batpod and, thanks to Gizmodo, we have a couple of pics of this new Batride to share. Our first reaction was that it looks like half of the Tumbler, minus the bodywork with the same chunky tires and mutating layout. The Batpod also features huge cannons up front and no immediately identifiable engine. Speculation suggests wheel-mounted electric motors. It's definitely intimidating, although we're not sure how those wheels will affect its driveability. Some have also noted its resemblance to the Tomahawk, minus the Viper V10. Where that Chrysler show bike is pure muscle, this thing looks more military.

We'll get to see more of the Batpod when The Dark Knight rolls into theaters next summer. Or as soon as more pics surface.

One more pic after the jump.

[Source: Gizmodo]

The Model A Ford pickup you see above will play the Joker's Clown Car in the upcoming Batman sequel, The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger will play the Joker to Christian Bale's Batman (who gets a new suit, incidentally), but he unfortunately gets stuck with this very unimpressive (and very purple) truck that has no chance of outrunning the Tumbler. In fact, the Tumbler could likely slice this truck in two if Batman were to t-bone the Joker in an intersection. It also turns out that illustrator Chris Ring was way off the mark when he paired the Joker with a 1974 Ford Mustang II in his Comics and Costume Sketchbook we told you about last week.

[Source: Filmwad via Digg]

Lamborghini has been on something of a roll lately. It had a record year last year with 2,087 units sold. It introduced special editions of the Murcielago and Gallardo, as well as upgraded the "regular" Murci to LP640 status. A roadster version of the LP640 was a no-brainer and showed up soon after. They also let slip that a super lightweight version of the bread-and-butter Gallardo would be debuting in Geneva. So there are lots of reasons to smile if you're with Lamborghini or an enthusiast who follows the way of the bull. One particular highlight must have been seeing a Murci Roadster pop up in Batman Begins. As playboy Bruce Wayne, the Dark Knight escorts a pair of lovelies to dinner and makes a most dramatic exit after an impromptu dip in the fountain. Uma Thurman will also be piloting a Lambo on the small screen in Pirelli's mini feature "Mission Zero", though this time a Gallardo Spyder. Well, it looks like we might be seeing even more of Lamborghini on the big screen in the near future.

Despite the good press for Lamborghini, there have been rumblings that VW might want to shed its supercar brand. And even with more than 2,000 sales last year, that was less than half of archrival Ferrari's U.S. total. Even though Volkswagen has said it is committed to keeping Lambo, and Bugatti for that matter, a sales boost sure would help. Lamborghini's highest profile vehicle, the Murcielago Roadster LP640 was a star of the recent North American International Auto Show last month in Detroit, but getting it into the next Batman movie should get it even more international attention, and that appears to be the plan. Brandweek recently sat down with Automobili Lamborghini CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, to discuss the company's U.S. strategies. Follow the read link for the whole interview.

[Source: Brandweek]