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The mechanics of the Tumbler
Updated: Jan 28, 2022
Introduction:
"The brief we got [to create the Batmobile Tumbler] was for a vehicle that could do 60mph;
we thought we'd give them a little bit more than that so we boosted it to 100mph, as we
obviously wanted it to do some amazing things."
Well, we all know how amazing and annihilating the tumbler can be. The Tumbler is one of
the most iconic designs in cinematic history. In this article, we introduce the mechanics and
features of the Batmobile. To begin with, let's dive into the engine! We will be sticking to
the theatre-based model and not dive into the vast world of comics.
Engine:
The Tumbler has a GM-sourced LS1 V8 engine (a 5.7-litre V8, no less), although the jet engine version of the Tumbler was also real with multiple propane tanks bolted into the vehicle to give the real jet effect, rather than adding it in post-processing. The sweet music of motorheads everywhere was sadly mated to an automatic transmission, though. The motor was enough to accelerate the Tumbler quickly to a top speed of an estimated 160 mph. A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. It could achieve 0-60mph in 5.6 seconds!. Absolute beast! The Tumbler has a stealth mode that shuts the lights off and enables an electric battery to remain silent. This allows the big Tumbler to stay under anyone's radar and out of sight in the dark.
Frame and Chassis:
It's a tubular space frame chassis, with a 15mm section, with the front suspension being the
trickiest part. It should not be surprising to know that the chassis is made up of carbon-fibre
and fibreglass owing to their lightweight and strength. The fiberglass body was good for being strong enough to jump around in, as well as easily repairable in case anything happened. From starting with a simple playdoh model created by Christopher Nolan to presenting to Warner Bros, The Tumbler has come a long way to a functional prototype. The problem is, in real life, any crease, fold, gap, or flap is avoided on armored vehicles since any projectile will catch the edges of these areas and cause more damage. For example, a round glancing off of the windshield of the Tumbler would travel upwards and catch the lip across the top of the window that forms the leading edge of the roof armor, causing more damage than if the lip were not there. The tumbler is 9 feet 4 inches wide. To put that into context, a typical 18-wheeler is 8 feet 5 inches wide, so the Tumbler is almost a foot wider and weighs 2.5 short tons. The frame for a prototype is shown below:
Transmission, wheels and steering:
Well, the transmission part is controversial.
The dialogue “Can you drive stick?” implies that the Tumbler has a manual transmission, but do you think a billionaire nocturnal vigilante would own a car with a manual transmission? The specs of the Tumbler and the ability to convert itself into a motorbike proves that there exists an automatic transmission. About wheels, super swamper tires standing 44 inches tall (via titanium axles). It has its front wheels on bolted arms for an axel-less front end and has a Conventional single axle rear end. The wheels go inward, where normally they would go outwards; in the same way the stub axles, instead of going outwards, they go inwards.
Features of the Tumbler:
The Tumbler had a pair of machine guns that were mounted in the nose of the car between
the front wheels. In "Attack" Mode, the driver's seat moved to the center of the car, and the
driver was re-positioned to lie face-down with his head in the center section between the
front wheels. That served two main purposes: first, it provided more substantial protection
with the driver shielded by multiple layers of armor plating. Second, the low-down,
centralized driving position made extreme precision maneuvers easier to perform, while lying
prone reduced the risk of injury that a driver faced when they made those maneuvers.
Other devices included:
Six rear flaps to assist brakes.
Twin forward-firing machine guns.
Rocket launcher.
Landing hook to Sprung landing stabilization.
Integrated fire-extinguishing system.
Integrated safety connection to gasoline control.
The vector-controlled jet engine on the back of the car for quick boosts/"rampless" jumps.
Stealth Mode, which turned off the car's lights and cut the engine. The vehicle was then powered by an electric motor, which made it very hard to find in dark places (which made the mode the most useful at night), and, as demonstrated by the car chase in Batman Begins, could easily throw off pursuers.
Explosive mines were deployed from the rear of the vehicle, which could take out any cars that made contact with them.
The front of the car was heavily armored so that the car could ram as a practical offensive attack, and also protected the driver while in the prone driving position(Attack Mode).
Both front wheels could eject when the vehicle was damaged and formed the Batpod.
Blueprints:
Cockpit:
The Batpod:
Featured in 2008 'The Dark Knight' movie, this bike is tricked out with grappling hooks, cannons, and machine guns. The front and rear tires are both a monstrously
huge 508 millimeters, and the engines
are in the hubs of each wheel. Steering
isn't by hand but by the shoulder, since
there aren't handlebars. Instead, some
shields fit each arm like sleeves and
can rotate around the bike's frame. The two-foot pegs are set 3 1/2 feet apart on either side of the tank, which the rider lies on, belly down.
Interesting Fact:
Seven Tumblers were made and they lasted through three movies. Nathan Crowley buddied up with Christopher Nolan to design and take the Tumbler through the stages of design to a complete and workable Tumbler that was then experimented on to ensure it would do well for the stunts in the movie. Two were driver cars, capable of speeds over 100 mph and weaving through traffic (as much as a 9-foot 4-inch wide car can). Another one just to show off the hydraulic-powered rear flaps. One was a "jet car" to display the propane booster. Then there was an "Arrival" car complete with interior and functional roof. Then finally, two "fake" cars, one to film inside the car with a complete interior and space for cameras and a few crewmen, and a 1/5 scale car used in certain jump scenes.
The estimated cost of the tumbler with the Batpod is $18,000,000.
It's The Only Vehicle In Batman's Film History Not To Be Called The "Batmobile".
All the stunts in the movie of the Tumbler are without any sort of CGI. Christopher wanted an actual working car onset that not only looked good but was completely functional and could handle the amount of stunt work they needed to put it through.
The upcoming Robert Pattinson's Batmobile will be like this
The evolution of Batmobiles
The Batmobile first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), where it was
depicted as an ordinary-looking red car. Its appearance has varied but, since its earliest
appearances, the Batmobile has had a prominent bat motif, typically including wing-shaped
tailfins.
Reference:
Report by:
Arnab Adhikary
Steering Team Member, Team XLR8
