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Batman - The 1940s Serials

So it would've been available, but would've been unwieldy and added a lot of weight to a '40s Batmobile.
Yeah, but Batman is always ahead of the curve and so it could be a gimme that his stuff is better than what everyone else has available to them. :lol:
 
^Yeah, okay... the '66 Batman had an atomic-powered car and a nuclear reactor in the Batcave, so I'll give you that one. ;)
 
Hmm... Now could the '40's Batmobile have a tracking system similar to Bond's in Goldfinger?

How about tire shredders? Possibly dumping oil slicks and/or spikes out back when being pursued? Then again since when is Batman being pusued? :lol: Then again you never know.

Didn't the '66 car have a chain cutter? Then again with a reinforced "bat" plate on the front end the car could just ram its way through chains and other obstacles...short of actually needing a tank. :lol:

How about a gas dispenser for disabling anyone trying to break into the car? I suppose this would require a remote starting/unlocking system for Batman.
 
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Hmm... Now could the '40's Batmobile have a tracking system similar to Bond's in Goldfinger?

Define "tracking system." Do you mean something detecting a radio signal from a bug or tracking device placed on another vehicle? The ability to receive and track a radio signal would've been around in the '40s, certainly; I'd say the tricky part would be making the homing beacon itself. This was before transistors, so you couldn't really miniaturize a radio transmitter. Unless you could hide a big clunky assemblage of vacuum tubes in the bad guys' trunk without them noticing, it might not be viable.

On the other hand, given the era's general recklessness with regard to radioactivity, you could do something like spraying a car with a radium mist and tracking it via Geiger counter.


How about tire shredders? Possibly dumping oil slicks and/or spikes out back when being pursued?

Those seem simple enough. They don't require any electronics, just levers or hydraulics to deploy them. Heck, they had wheel shredders in Ben-Hur, and caltrops were used against horses and footsoldiers long before car tires were invented.


Didn't the '66 car have a chain cutter? Then again with a reinforced "bat" plate on the front end the car could just ram its way through chains and other obstacles...short of actually needing a tank. :lol:

There was a Batram, a deployable battering-ram type thingy on the front. There was also the Bat-Ray Projector, a four-pronged antenna that rose from the hood and emitted a laserlike cutting beam (though it was sometimes animated more as a jagged "electric" ray). And yes, there was a chain-cutter blade too. The Batmobile's equipment is detailed here: http://home.comcast.net/~apennyworth/original/1966batmobilevisualtimeline.html

How about a gas dispenser for disabling anyone trying to break into the car? I suppose this would require a remote starting/unlocking system for Batman.

The '66 Batmobile had a Bat-alarm with a fold-down nameplate falsely identifying it as the starter button, so that any bad guy who climbed into the convertible and tried to activate it would set off horns, sirens, and fireworks shot out of the diagonal tubes on the rear. I suppose '60s Batman basically invented the modern car alarm, though his version was dialed up to 11.
 
On the other hand, given the era's general recklessness with regard to radioactivity, you could do something like spraying a car with a radium mist and tracking it via Geiger counter.

Similar to the idea Q floated in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, about placing radioactive lint on people to track their movements (more James Bond).
 
Saw this and just had to comment...

batmobile-concept1.jpg


batmobile-concept2.jpg


batmobile-concept3.jpg


It's the Rolls Royce Jonckheere Aerodynamic Coupe II.

It's a nice starting point for a retro batmobile or it can be taken as is.
 
Alex Ross had a 1950 Studebaker customized to look like the 1950 Batmobile...which was based on the 1950 Studebaker.
 
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