Sometimes I encounter a project car for sale that represents something so specific, so idiosyncratic to the person who started the project that I can’t possibly imagine how such a thing could be transferred from the originator of the project to someone new. That’s not a value judgement on the project, necessarily; it’s more that the project clearly had such a specific vision or methodology or aesthetic to the person who started it that the idea of another person taking over almost seems like an attempt for someone to inhabit the soul of the original owner. I’m not sure it can be done. And that’s what I think we have here, with this Chevy S-10-based Batmobile project.
This ad was sent to us by a reader named Ryan, and I want to be clear that I’m not trying to disparage the amount of work that has gone into this already; someone clearly gave a great deal of shits about this, and had a vision, and that vision was to transform a Chevy S-10 pickup into something that resembled the Batmobile from, I believe, the 1989 movie Batman. I think the original builder definitely got the proportions right, at least.
You remember the 1989 Batmobile, right? It looked like this:
This S-10 Project Batmobile looks like this:
It’s kind of hard to tell, because none of the pictures is capable of showing the whole thing. The proportions feel sort of close?
It was just pointed out to me that they could be going for the animated version of the Batmobile, which looks like this:
That feels a lot more plausible! Actually, it has to be this one, right? That triangular intake at the rear? This has to be it.
Other than the proportions, though? Well, I’m not so sure. It could be because it’s unpainted, but this feels very much like a carpenter’s gothic take on the Batmobile, lots of long, flat planes and right angles and blunt ends. (again, if the animated one is the goal, that’s about right). The body seems to be largely wood-framed, like a house or a shed, and covered with something I can’t exactly identify – it could be fiberglass or some sort of fabric? I’m not sure.
There’s a Batmobile-style sliding canopy, a fake (I assume) jet engine exhaust, and up front there’s what looks like the S-10’s original V6 engine – no crappy Iron Duke for the Batmobile! There’s no radiator installed, but there’s some nice big openings for air intakes.
The passenger cabin is way at the back, pretty much right over the rear axle, where the rear of the pickup’s bed would be. That cabin looks pretty tight, with the S-10’s steering wheel having its top cut off, partially to make a cool-looking yoke, I suppose, and partially just to fit in there. Can two people sit in here? Maybe in tandem, but I don’t think side-by-side.
There has clearly been a ton of work done on this thing: the whole body has been removed, and an entirely new body has been hand-built in its place. That’s not trivial! It’s not clear why this project has been abandoned and is now for sale for $2,000, but here we are.
I just can’t stop wondering about who might decide to buy something like this; it’s very unfinished, and even if you put in the effort needed to finish it, you’d end up with, what, a very dramatically-proportioned and wildly impractical wooden-framed, blocky…something? Would you try and finish it like the Batmobile? With the right detailing and logos, I guess it could be recognizable enough as a Batmobile.
I guess my fundamental question is still is it possible to sell this vehicle? And, to who? Who is going to pull this thing up to their garage? I bet there is someone out there. Would they drive this to work? Would you care about the compromised safety or comfort? Or would you just be reveling in driving something no one else has?
Every car conveys something about its owner, culturally. What does this say, in, say, its unpainted state? Does the fact that the buyer isn’t the original builder affect this status a lot? How would you react if your friend or life partner told you they spent two grand on a car and then rolled up in this?
I have so many questions. I hope someone buys this, so I can ask them.
That’s definitely the TAS Batmobile, which incidentally is the best Batmobile.