The Atlantic animates the evolution of transportation, from 8,000 BC to present day.
Enjoy!
Ever since the first hominids left Africa, human beings have been on the move. The canoe was invented in 8,000 B.C. and the first form of public transportation was a stagecoach operated in Paris in 1662. Fast forward to today’s self-driving car prototype, and it’s clear just how far we’ve come.
Don’t say you didn’t learn anything today!
Everyone – meet Mason. He’s the guy that will teach you how to fast honk…
Warner Bros. Transportation Coordinator Hobart Lundt takes Jay for a super-fun ride in the custom-built Tumbler from Chris Nolan’s Batman trilogy.
One of the most iconic pieces of the Batman series has to be the Batmobile, or the “Tumbler” as it’s sometimes known, both for car buffs and superhero fans alike. The Tumbler that can be seen in the Christopher Nolan trilogy (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises), however, is a unique one in the world of wild Hollywood transportation . From the chassis to the brakes, from the suspension to the windshield wipers, this is a ground-up, custom-built, tangible and entirely real Batmobile. Although it’s not exactly something you’d want to take on a cross-country road trip, it appears to drive pretty well, for being such a brutal thing.
Power comes from a Chevy small block, and it uses a progressive suspension system that adjusts to the speed and the terrain that the car is traveling over. Amazingly, with all the body cladding and special equipment, the Tumbler only weighs about as much as a modern Chevrolet Suburban. A total of seven were built, each serving different purposes for filming; one car handles the aerial stunts, one car does the still shots, etc. As for the price, it ranges anywhere from a half-million to $1 million per car. And hey, it even comes with Sparco racing seats – who’d have thought?
