GRAND DESIGNS

BATMAN 1989

Tim Burton’s superhero blockbuster needed a special set of wheels.

“We had a manufacturer in Detroit who wanted to build the Batmobile – but they wanted three years to do it! So Tim Burton came to me and said we would make it back in London. We got a couple of Chevrolet Impala Convertibles which we could cut up and stretch, and we used the chassis as a base for the vehicle. We then used a clay model or maquette to get the shape right, cast it off in plaster and put the shell over the existing engine.

“We had a big sculpture made of white polystyrene and Tim came to look at it. He said, ‘Terry, it’s absolutely great, but how do you get in it?’ I’d completely forgotten about the doors! But I’d been in a Harrier Jump Jet while making The Living Daylights so we decided to give it a sliding hood.

“One problem we had is that when Michael Keaton got into the Batmobile wearing his Batsuit, his ears were too long. Tim wanted me to lower the seats, but