Holy disposable income, Batman! Are you tired of that sad, ordinary coupe sitting in the driveway? Sure it gets good gas mileage, but how does it improve your ability to fight crime? Well thanks to a heads up from Heatvision, we may have the solution for you. A seller in Ohio has put up for auction a replica of the Batmobile from the 1989 Tim Burton film. But this isn’t just any replica; it is powered by an actual turbine engine! According to the replica’s designer, Casey Putsch of Putsch Racing, this Batmobilie comes equipped with a 365-horsepower Boeing turboshaft engine and can run on kerosene, diesel, or even jet fuel. As if that weren’t enough, it also features a dash-mounted iPad with 3G. Though if it was dangerous to check your email while driving before, I imagine it would be downright catastrophic to do so when driving a rocket on wheels.
Not sold yet? Check out this video of Putsch test-driving this supped-up, iconic vehicle.
Now for the bad news, the price tag on this car is $650,000, which could effectively mean you’d have to make the tough choice between owning a Batmobile and retirement. The one thing that bugs me about this video is Putsch never really opens the car up to show its potential top speed. He’s driving through neighborhoods and parking lots and never appears to break 50mph. Why isn’t he showcasing this thing on an airport runway or at a military base? Not that I would call myself a gearhead by any stretch of the imagination. But if I’m going to drop the national debt of a small country on a turbine-powered Batmobile, I want to be able to flirt with land speed records while driving it.
This is a great testament to the merits of internet commerce. If nothing else, it affords us the opportunities to own extraordinary pieces of geek history. The gothic design of the first cinematic Batmobile is both in keeping with the character and the proclivities of its director. This would definitely be the version of the caped crusader’s ride that I would own if I were better financially equipped.
If you are interested in making a bid, you better fly over to eBay right away. The auction for this jet-propelled replica ends tomorrow. As much as I love the 1989 Batmobile design, even more so than the new Tumbler, I’m afraid I’m going to come up a little short on the asking price, and unfortunately it doesn’t say “or best offer” anywhere on the listing.
