One of the worries facing director Christopher Nolan when he set out to make the sequel to his blockbuster Batman Begins: How to top the “wow” factor of the Tumbler — the armored SUV developed by Wayne Industries. His solution: the Bat-Pod, a two-wheeled vehicle that detaches from the Tumbler and sports an array of weapons, including machine guns and rapid-fire cannons. It might not have the best mileage, but it’s exactly the kind of ride you want when fighting bad guys in lower Gotham City.
THE MOTORCYCLE USED: The Bat-Pod began as a plastic-and-foam model, created by Nolan and production designer Nathan Crowley. A working, full-scale version was made, pretty much from scratch, featuring 20-inch wide wheels, an exhaust system built into the frame, and a high-performance single-cylinder engine. The Bat-Pod proved so difficult to master that the stuntman assigned to the vehicle would not ride conventional bikes during the shoot lest he unlearn the vehicle’s unique handling characteristics.
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