Never Give Up: 1989 Batmobile Gotham Cruiser

This next car is a painful reminder of the fragility of the human spirit. But more importantly, it is a steel/fiberglass memorial to the fact that we should never give up on our aspirations. It sits forlornly like a moss covered monument to all the dreams we had as a kid — I wanted to be Batman when I was 9, who didn’t?!!? But here it sits, like a giant full scale version of those little models we built as kids where the Testors glue would fog the glass and painting was a skill a kid didn’t have the patience, budget, or manual dexterity to match the photo on the box. Don’t give up Mr Wayne!! You’ve got this! You are so close, the box only contains those little injection molding rails and a few spare decals — this thing deserves a spot on your dresser, right next to that hockey trophy, it just needs another $15,000 and another 100 days of hard labor. Find this 1989 Batmobile Gotham Cruiser offered for $57,000 buy-it-now or make-offer located in Gotham…errr….Suisun City, CA via ebay.

From the seller:

Over 4 years ago, I began to build my dream car with the goal of making a street legal batmobile with all the best features. Over the years, life has changed and with it, my priorities and focus. I now am seeking to hand it off to someone who will value the work already done and take it to completion and enjoy one of the most admired vehicles ever made.

I spared no expense in acquiring all the necessary parts including some hard to find pieces, such as an authentic mint condition world war 2 plane throttle used for the gear shifter, which is considered the “crown jewel” of an authentic build and very hard….nearly impossible to find.

Other completed replicas have sold for over $100k, so this could also be a great potential investment.

Considering the amount of work, money, parts on hand, and progress on this build, the pricing here is very fair.

TECHNICAL/MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN:

The car is built upon the chassis of a 1995 Chevrolet Caprice with a refurbished LT1 350 engine with flow master exhaust system fitted with custom replica exhaust tips. The body is all fiberglass, the inside body all steel. Other replicas are plywood and fiberglass. This one is a tank. All metal work has been done by a professional fabricator. I still have the plywood and fiberglass floor pan but have cut some pieces off to use for various ideas on the car such as front hood mounting/bracing and box for external speakers. I also have plenty of steel plate and box tubing. Most of the steel work is done, only a few gaps to fill. The rear section behind the cockpit has been designed to be a storage area. Removable plate over the gas tank. I cut out a section in the rear wall of the cockpit to make it an access door for this storage area and to access the gas tank when/if needed. It needs to be reconnected, hinged, etc. I have latches for it.

Transmission is almost new. K&N air filter and performance distributor. Engine kill switch with removable key installed. There is a custom radiator and gas tank installed. Removable steering wheel for easy access in and out of the car and an extra layer of security. I have another spare steering wheel that has the same design but is slightly larger and has some carbon fiber accents and blue leather; the installed wheel is all black.

Car does run and has been test driven around the block on a few occasions, however the engine isn’t running as smoothly as it can…not sure what it is as I am not a mechanic, it is idling low

there is an open circuit within the wiring harness and an anti-theft box within the caprice wiring harness I used, which I do not have the chip for…but again, it does run and has been driven. Hit the gas, it moves, hit the brakes it stops, turn the steering wheel, it turns, turn signals and hazard lights all work fine.

The car has an air bag suspension with dash mountable controller. The car can be lifted quite a bit to get over speed bumps etc, and lowered almost to the ground. Air tank mounted in the trunk area with air compressor. I have also upgraded the shocks and all bushings.

15 gallon gas tank and two chrome cobra gas caps. one gas cap mounted and installed which is connected to the gas tank. Other is just for show on the passenger side and needs to be mounted.

after burner installed (picture attached)

Canopy has internal steel round bar support glassed in, with plate to mount motor for windshield wipers. Tracks installed for it to roll on brackets with wheels I have the wiper setup that will fit this car.

Dashboard fiberglass panel mounted on 1″x1″ steel box tube but not connected within the cockpit yet. I have gages and switches, however they all need to be mounted and connected.

Recaro seats; hard to find. Need to be reupholstered.

original ww2 jet throttle for the shifter. Very rare. Also have fiberglass replica version currently installed and working.

ferrari tail lights (installed) plus extra set of the lower tail lights.

cockpit water gutters installed and drainage pipe and fittings are on hand but not yet connected.

brand new Hoosier tires on Weld wheels..very close to the movie model. Updated longer wheel lugs

seat belts

hood latches

rear wheel tubs installed

Other parts I have still to be installed/work to be done:

6 cameras with monitor to allow 360 views around the car while driving

bat license plate frames and tire air caps

trunk lid hinges

carbon fiber scrape strips for front underside

bat emblems for hub caps. Nice and thick like movie version. Lower bumpers and speaker door/bat disk door/gun doors

set of pop up headlights from a 1994 ford probe I had planned to install. they have been tested and work.

6” external speakers need to be mounted and connected on inside front walls – many have a jet engine sound effect they play through it to give an extra “wow” factor as it drives

Fiberglass body is mounted; hood needs to be connected and mounted. Rear wheel wells cut out as they need to be repositioned. I have the pieces that were cutout for easy re-glassing. The body itself still needs fiberglassing (body filler and sanding). I have some body filler, and a few large rolls of fiberglass mat I will provide. The canopy has been thickened quite a bit with fiberglass, and reinforced with steel roundbar, but needs more work and needs a windshield. I have the wiper setup that fits the car – hard to find.

Trunk lid needs to be connected; I have the hinges and the hinge mounts on the inner body frame are in place. I also have a trunk latch

headlights need to be mounted and installed, which I pulled from a 1994 ford probe (some do not have them as there are none on the movie version, but for street legal driving, you would need them. The ferrari tail lights are installed and working

.30 cal machine gun sim fire setup parts I have, but I do not have the guns themselves. Once you have them or have them built, you can use these pieces to have them fire propane oxygen, simulating real firing

All fiberglass pieces still need work to make them ready for painting/wrapping

Please feel free to ask any questions, I would be happy to answer

See a better way to be Bruce Wayne? tips@dailyturismo.com