Skip to main content

Do Halloween right with this jet-powered, street-legal Batmobile for sale on eBay

Casey Putsch eBay

Oh, the things you can find on eBay.

If you’re desperate to outdo your neighbors on Halloween, check out this replica Batmobile fashioned to look like the hero car from the 1989 Tim Burton Batman film. The seller claims it’s in running condition and street legal, but you’ll need a fortune comparable to Bruce Wayne’s to put it in your Batcave. The asking price is $680,000.

Recommended Videos

That price may be worth it to hardcore Batman fans. The seller claims this is the world’s only jet-powered Batmobile replica, and thus the only one that truly represents the way the car is supposed to work in the movie. On the screen, the Batmobile roars down the streets of Gotham City with flames spewing out the back like a jet engine’s afterburner. In reality, the movie car was based on a Chevrolet Impala and used an ordinary piston engine. Most replicas have followed a similar template.

According to the eBay listing, this car is powered by a bona fide military surplus jet engine. It idles at 20,000 rpm  (a normal car idles at around 1,200 rpm) and produces 400 horsepower, which is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed semiautomatic transmission, according to the listing. The seller claims the engine is set up to run on Jet A fuel (commonly used by jet airliners) or kerosene, but can also run on diesel. The chassis is a steel space frame, with a composite body. The car weighs about the same as a Corvette, according to the seller, so we’re curious to see how it would do in a drag race.

Like a true Batmobile, this car also has plenty of gadgets. It sports replica Browning .30 caliber machine guns set up to fire blanks, while the cockpit has an iPad supplemented by digital and analog gauges, according to the seller. A flamethrower tank and plumbing are included as well, but the actuator, ignition, and nozzle have been removed, according to the seller. Don’t expect your local mechanic to be able to reinstall them.

The Batmobile has taken on many different forms over the years, spanning comic books, movies, television shows, and video games. A discarded Lincoln concept car became Adam West’s ride in the 1960s Batman television show, Christopher Nolan envisioned the tank-like “Tumbler” for his grim-and-gritty version of the Caped Crusader, and there is even a Lego version. But for children of the 1980s and 1990s, the Tim Burton Batmobile is the Batmobile. That explains why someone would go through the trouble of building a working replica, and then expect someone else to pay more than the sticker price of a new Lamborghini to own it.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Ford offers 10-year warranty as EcoBoost engine-failure probe ends
2021 ford f 150 review front three quarter

It began in July 2022 as regulators started looking into reports of engine failures affecting 2021 Bronco SUVs. It then turned into a two-year probe covering more than 411,000 vehicles outfitted with Ford’s EcoBoost engines, including the Ford F-150 Bronco, Edge and Explorer, as well as the Lincoln Aviator and Nautilus.

And now, the verdict is in.

Read more
Zero Motorcycles expands line with lighter, lower-cost models
A rider sitting on a Zero XE watching another rider doing donuts in the dirt on a Zero XB.

Zero Motorcycles announced its 2025 lineup with two new lightweight electric on- and off-road models that expand its reach to the e-bike and light e-motorcycle markets. Zero's current electric commuter, touring, and adventure motorcycles cost more than $12,000.  Zero plans to roll out six new sub-$10,000 models during the next two years in what it terms an "All Access" strategy to meet the needs of additional riders. The new models will comprise Zero's new X Line.
The Zero X-Line

The XE and XB motorcycles resemble motocross bikes with narrow knobby tires, flat saddles, relatively flat bars, and ample clearance between the wheels and fenders. When they arrive at U.S. dealerships in the summer of 2025, they will be sold for off-road riding only, although both will be sold as street-legal models in Europe.

Read more
AT&T, Voltpost bring internet connectivity to EV charging lampposts
att voltpost streetlight charging newlabdetroit 63

Move over, Supercharger network.

EV charging networks have been fast expanding across U.S. roads and highways over the past year, led by the likes of Electrify America, Tesla, and Chargescape, to name a few.

Read more