This is an officially-licensed 1989 “Tim Burton” Batmobile that was built by Hollywood Productions and used in the Batman exhibition/stunt show Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey.
This Batmobile is fully-drivable, it’s powered by a small block 350 Chevrolet V8 with an automatic transmission. It’s built on an extended Chevrolet Impala chassis, and it has a British Harrier jump jet intake and a rear flame thrower simulating an afterburner.
Fast Facts – The 1989 Batmobile
- This officially licensed 1989 Batmobile, serial #001 by Hollywood Productions, appeared in the Batman stunt show at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. Fully driveable, it features a Chevrolet 350 small block V8, an automatic transmission, a Chevrolet Impala chassis, a British Harrier jet intake, and a rear flame thrower for simulating an afterburner.
- The iconic Batmobile debuted in Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman,” designed by Julian Caldow alongside Tim Burton and Anton Furst. The fiberglass-bodied car, nearly 20 feet long, featured steel wheels, jet-inspired styling, high-profile tires, and gadgets like machine guns, oil slick dispensers, smoke screens, and Batmissiles.
- The Batmobile prominently appeared in both Burton films – “Batman” (1989) and “Batman Returns” (1992) – as well as the Batman ’89 comic series, the Batwoman TV show, and it made a popular reappearance in “The Flash” (2022).
- Following comprehensive restoration, this Batmobile includes functional lights, hydraulic front suspension, custom leather seats, cockpit-style interior with detailed controls, a fighter-jet canopy, and a Lightning Rod-style gear shifter. It comes with a signed Certificate of Ownership and will be auctioned by Mecum.
The Tim Burton Batmobile
In 1989 a new Batman film opened in cinemas. It would become the fifth highest grossing film in history at the time of its release, making over $400 million USD at the box office and winning praise from critics for its new, far darker interpretation of Gotham City. The film would go on to win an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
Above Video: This is the official trailer for Batman (1989) directed by Tim Burton and starring Jack Nicholson, and Kim Basinger. The Batmobile features prominently in the film, and it completely redefined what Batmobiles would look like from that moment on.
Aside from Michael Keaton’s Batman and Jack Nicholson’s Joker, the most memorable character in the film wasn’t a person at all, but a four-wheeled, jet-powered car – the new Batmobile. Design for the car has been credited to Julian Caldow who worked very closely with director Tim Burton and production designer Anton Furst.
The cars were based on a Chevrolet Impala chassis and most were powered by a Chevrolet V8, at almost 20 feet long the Batmobile had a significant presence on the road, helped along by its prominent rear fins and the jet intake up front.
The vehicle was given a fiberglass body, steel wheels with high profile tires, side intakes, and a cockpit with two seats and a sliding jet fighter-like canopy. The jet intake in the front was sourced from a British Harrier fighter jet and a flame thrower was fitted in the rear to simulate an afterburner.
As you would expect from any Batman film, the Batmobile was fitted with a wide range of gadgets, tools, and weapons including machine guns, oil slick dispensers, Batmissles, smokescreen emitters, side mounted disc launchers, and “shinbreakers.”
The Tim Burton Batmobile would be used prominently in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), as well as the Batman ’89 comic book series, an episode of the Batwoman TV series, and it made a reappearance in the new Flash film.
Just like the film-used originals, it’s built on an extended Chevrolet Impala chassis, powered by a Chevy small block V8 with an automatic transmission, and fitted with a British Harrier jump jet intake and a rear flame thrower to simulate an afterburner.
The Officially-Licensed 1989 Batmobile Shown Here
The vehicle you see here was built by Hollywood Productions as serial #001 and is officially licensed by Warner Bros. Just like the film-used originals, it’s built on an extended Chevrolet Impala chassis, powered by a Chevy small block V8 with an automatic transmission, and fitted with a British Harrier jump jet intake and a rear flame thrower to simulate an afterburner.
This Batmobile was used for many years at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey as part of their Batman show, where it was seen by countless millions of park visitors over the years. The vehicle has been restored throughout, and is in running/driving condition.
As you would expect it has a sliding jet fighter-style canopy, a jet-inspired cockpit-style interior, as well as custom leather seats and upholstery, control panels with buttons, switches, lights, and levers, and a custom Batman logo insignia steering wheel.
The vehicle has functional headlights and tail lights, custom wheels with Mickey Thompson tires, hydraulic front suspension to lift it for easier loading and transport, and a Lightning Rod-style shifter fitted to the automatic transmission.
Inside the Batmobile you’ll find custom leather seats and upholstery, control panels with buttons, switches, lights, and levers, and a custom Batman logo insignia steering wheel.
It has now had a comprehensive restoration, and it’s being offered for sale with a signed Certificate of Ownership from Six Flags Great Adventure, a division of Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc.
It will roll across the auction block with Mecum in May with a price guide starting at $240,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Mecum
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