TLDR: Only two genuine screen-used Batmobiles were ever built for Tim Burton’s Batman films, and both have well-documented homes today, one in a museum and one with a producer. Every other “original” Batmobile floating around collector culture, however convincing, is a replica.
The Batmobile built for Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, and reused in 1992’s Batman Returns, was designed by conceptual illustrator Anton Furst and Julian Caldow and physically built by special effects supervisor John Evans and his team at Pinewood Studios in England.
The car ran on a Chevrolet Impala chassis underneath its dramatic bodywork, stretching 260.7 inches long and 94.4 inches wide, powered by a real Chevy engine.
The Design Nearly Missed One Basic Feature
Art director Terry Ackland-Snow has described the genuine scramble to build the car under a tight deadline, competing against other special effects teams for the right to construct what he called “the best prop ever made for any movie.”
When Tim Burton came to inspect the finished prototype, he reportedly asked a single deflating question: “Great… where’s the door?”
The original plan had been to simply lower actor Michael Keaton’s seat low enough to duck under the car’s low profile, but the seat was already at its lowest possible setting.
The team had to design an entirely new cowl and entry mechanism after the fact to solve a problem nobody had caught during planning.
Only Two Were Built, and Both Are Accounted For
Despite decades of collector lore, only two functional Batmobiles were built for the Burton films. One sits on permanent public display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in California, and the other is owned privately by Batman producer Jon Peters, kept at his home in Malibu.
Three additional non-functional fiberglass replicas were separately built at the time for promotional tours and television use.
A genuine screen-used prop occasionally surfaces on the collector market regardless, with one example listed for sale at $1.5 million, confirming just how far outside typical car-collecting territory these vehicles sit financially.
A Real Fan Built a Version Using Actual Leftover Parts
In 2009, a Batmobile enthusiast came across a batch of genuine spare parts from the original production being auctioned off alongside old Hollywood studio equipment, including unused rear bat-wing components originally kept in reserve in case the film car had been damaged during shooting.
He and his grandfather spent months building their own replica specifically designed to incorporate those authentic leftover pieces, eventually creating what’s been described as the world’s only road-legal, twin-turbo version of the car.
Replicas Are a Real, Established Market of Their Own
Beyond that one especially well-documented build, a genuine cottage industry of Batmobile replicas exists, ranging from official DC-licensed reproductions built by professional shops to fan-built, do-it-yourself versions with wildly varying accuracy.
Storage Wars star Barry Weiss keeps one such build in his own private car collection, styled after the Burton-era design rather than one of the two genuine production originals.
The Tim Burton Batmobile, Frequently Asked Questions
How many original 1989 Batmobiles were built?
Two functional Batmobiles were built for Tim Burton’s Batman films, along with three additional non-functional fiberglass replicas used for promotional tours.
Where are the original 1989 Batmobiles today?
One is on permanent public display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in California. The other is privately owned by Batman producer Jon Peters and kept at his home in Malibu.
What chassis was the 1989 Batmobile built on?
It was built on a Chevrolet Impala chassis, fitted with a real Chevy engine beneath its custom bodywork.
Who designed the 1989 Batmobile?
It was designed by conceptual illustrator Anton Furst with Julian Caldow, and physically built by special effects supervisor John Evans and his team at Pinewood Studios in England.
