Every man’s boyhood dream came to life this week when a Formula One-inspired Batmobile was unveiled ahead of a new Batman stage show.
The legendary superhero and his trusty sidekick Robin are making their theatre debut this summer in an all-action extravaganza.
The Batman Live World Arena Tour features daredevil stunts, stage flight, circus acrobatics and spectacular illusions.
On Tuesday, as finishing touches were being carried out at the west London warehouse where rehearsals have been taking place, the outside world was given its first glimpse of the Batmobile, which has been created by Formula One car designer Gordon Murray.
Speaking at the media launch, Prof. Murray said he was influenced by the comic books he read as a child as well as by real racing cars when designing the Batmobile, and had “let the fantasy loose”.
He said: “I drew really on my early memories of Batman comics from when I was a kid but also Formula One technology.
“From a materials point of view and an aerodynamic shape it’s pretty real, or could be real in, say, 20 years time. So it’s based on reality.
“But a lot of the systems on the car, the virtual wheels, and the hydrogen fuel cell and stuff is a little bit of fantasy you know, looking towards the future.”
Prof. Murray said he was given full rein on designing the car with only a little guidance from the show’s production team.
The slick silver vehicle is made from a new type of carbon fibre he has designed and moves on virtual wheels.
He explained that the flashing LED lights on the wheels give the Batmobile motion and a sense of life on stage.
He added: “It has ground effect aerodynamics just like a Formula One car so it could suck itself down.
“If that was a real car on the road it cold suck itself down on to the road, or even suck itself to the ceiling if it was travelling at 100mph, with the amount of downforce it makes.”
He said he could not reveal how much the Batmobile moves around the stage as the show has been kept a secret even from him.
Some of the 43-strong cast, made up of actors and acrobats, could be seen rehearsing gravity-defying stunts in front of the stage’s 100-foot bat-shaped backdrop, ahead of the Batmobile’s unveiling.
The production, co-directed by creative director Anthony Van Laast, who has worked on the likes of Mamma Mia! And Sister Act, is based on the story of orphan circus performer Dick Grayson (Robin) who, after losing his parents to organised crime, begins a quest for justice aided by his vigilante hero, Batman.
As the tale unfolds, the audience will be transported from the snowy peaks of the Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge to the dark depths of Arkham Asylum.
The Batman show’s creative director James Powell said: “I think it’s fantastic family entertainment.
“It’s a really gripping story that’s littered with characters everyone loves. It’s a slick, smooth, really impressively polished production.”
The world premiere of the show takes place at the Manchester Evening News Arena on July 19 and will mark the first stage appearance in the history of the comic-book characters.