In The Batman, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne seems to have modified a Plymouth Barracuda to make his Batmobile. Following leaked set photos giving awkward looks at parts of the movie, director Matt Reeves decided to get out ahead of the leaks. Reeves released images of the Batmobile taken from different angles, giving a surprisingly detailed look at Batman's new ride before set photos could leak.
This new Batmobile has been pretty well-received by fans, continuing the aesthetic that the first look at the Batsuit implied. This is a Bruce Wayne who’s early enough into his Batman career that things aren’t all perfect. There’s even hand-stitching visible on the cowl, suggesting that Bruce Wayne is still making the costume himself. The Batmobile continues this trend, as it looks more like a car that’s been modified, rather than something custom-made for his vigilante ways.
Andrew Collins at Jalopnik has pointed out that this Batmobile seems to be based on a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, with a Ford Triton V10 engine mounted on the back. It’s not quite a perfect match for the Barracuda, as the actual prop car is likely a custom body, but the resemblance is pretty close.
Being so specifically based on an existing car is unusual for recent Batman appearances. Rather than a completely custom-made car like in the Burton/Schumacher Batman movies, a modified tank in the Nolan movies, or the hybrid of the two used in the DCEU movies, this Bruce Wayne is using a car you might recognize - similar to how the 1966 Batman TV series used a Lincoln Futura to make the Batmobile (and even then, that was a concept car that was never mass produced). Using something so mundane as a modified muscle car fits right in with the general aesthetic of the movie so far: it’s good enough to work, while still giving Bruce a lot of room to improve over time.
There’s also a practicality to this Batmobile, which is surprising for a muscle car with a truck/RV engine bolted on. While the Plymouth Barracuda may be a little old to have parts easily available, the engine is a different story. The Ford Triton V10 engine has been produced in massive numbers for three decades now. If anything happens to the engine (which seems likely given how exposed it is sitting above the rear wheels like that), it’s easy to get parts to replace it. While repairability might not be at the forefront of the audience’s mind when looking at the Batmobile, it should be something Bruce Wayne thinks about, and it seems like he has for this movie.
Although The Batman isn’t going to be an origin story, it’s still in the early years of Bruce Wayne being Batman. This Batmobile backs that up: Bruce Wayne could very well have already owned a 1970 Barracuda and done some customization to create the Batmobile. It’s not just something that looks cool as a car, though it does – it’s a glimpse into the setting and mindset of this version of Bruce Wayne.
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