Makes › Chevrolet › Impala › Impala-based Batmobile (Batman 1989 film cars, Anton Furst design) · Historically significant · Film & TV
Chevrolet
Impala-based Batmobile (Batman 1989 film cars, Anton Furst design)
The Batmobile designed by Anton Furst for Tim Burton's Batman (1989), of which only two working cars were built for filming.
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 2 Built
- Years
- Not yet verified
- Engine
- front-mounted small-block Chevrolet V8 · 5,360 cc / 5.4 LFactory: 327 cu in · converted
- Power
- Not yet verified
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Anton Furst (production designer); built by John Evans's special effects crew
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
Anton Furst's Batmobile redefined the car for the modern Batman films, mixing stealth-aircraft and medieval-armour themes with the long-bonnet shapes of early record cars. Only two working cars were built for filming, which makes the screen-used examples far rarer than the many licensed replicas.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionfunctional cars built for filming (feature car + stand-in); 3 further studio-authorised publicity cars built afterwards | 21 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Production designer Anton Furst created the look, and special effects supervisor John Evans and a crew of 12 built two functional cars in eight weeks on Chevrolet Impala chassis stretched to about 20 feet. Jet-engine parts from Rolls-Royce and Harrier components were used for the intake and details. The feature car and a stand-in appeared in Batman (1989) and returned in Batman Returns (1992), which added windscreen wipers and the 'Batmissile' configuration.
Three further studio-authorised cars were built for publicity after filming. One of these is displayed at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Impala-based Batmobile (Batman 1989 film cars, Anton Furst design).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | front-mounted small-block Chevrolet V82 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 5,360 cc / 5.4 LFactory: 327 cu in · converted2 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | Not yet verified |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Chevrolet Impala chassis, stretched2 Independently researchedChevy Hardcore gives a 1967 Impala chassis; other accounts mention 1974 Impala chassis. |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | 6,100 mmFactory: 20 ft · converted2 Independently researchedApproximate figure. |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Being verified against factory or registry sources before it is published. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
The Petersen Automotive Museum's Batmobile (Chevy Hardcore) Level C
- 2 functional cars built for filming (feature car + stand-in); 3 further studio-authorised publicity cars built afterwards
-
2
The Petersen Automotive Museum's Batmobile Level C Bobby Kimbrough · Chevy Hardcore · 2014-11-08
- 327 cubic-inch small-block Chevy
- A 1967 Chevrolet Impala chassis
- Stretched to about 20 feet long
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