Holy Top 5 Batmobiles, Batman!

Great films so often have great cars starring in them. James Bond loves his Astons, and where would The Italian Job be without the Mini? With the tragic news from Colorado this week, you can't have failed to notice there's a new Batman movie out this week too - our thoughts and support goes to the families of all those unlucky enough to be involved. Nevertheless, the release of The Dark Knight Rises, the final in the Nolan Batman franchise, means it's another chance to see one of the all-time great film star cars in action: the Batmobile.

There've been quite a few classic Batmobiles over the years - not all of them appearing in films either - but the name just means a mean motor. Car Throttle's about to dive into the Bat-Cave and check 'em out.

5. Tim Burton's Batmobile

You wouldn't expect anything less than an absolutely crackerjacks Batmobile from Johnny Depp's best mate Tim Burton, the man responsible for such cinematic slices of craziness as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Sleepy Hollow. This late Eighties/early Nineties era Batcar doesn't disappoint. Supposedly powered by a jet turbine with afterburner, Batman could rocket from 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds - Ferrari 599 pace right there - but then top out at 330mph (bye bye, 599 drivers). As you'd expect, the truth was less exotic; the movie car was based on a Corvette chassis and most stunt examples were only fitted with a dummy jet, but that doesn't really matter. This thing looks like the evil twin of a Thrust land speed record car, so it's in the Top 5.

4. 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL 'Batmobile'

Ahh, didn't see that coming, didya? One of the greatest 'Batmobiles' of all time has never been near Catwoman or The Joker, but it still deserves the name. Like so many great cars - the Ferrari 288GTO, Lancia Stratos, Ford Sierra Cosworth and so on  - the 3.0 CSL was created as a homologation special, so BMW could go racing. Seventies'-spec aerodynamics weren't much cop so the additions to the standard 3.0 were laughable: deep front airdam, rubber strips down the wings, and massive wings on the back window and bootlid, so large they had to be hidden in the boot and fitted after the cars had left the factory, because the damn things were illegal on German roads. But forget the rules and regs. The 3.0 CSL was a top-drawer racer, winning at European Touring Cars and Le Mans over and over.  And its road car brother looked like it'd jumped straight out of a comic book, so was only ever destined for one nickname. Crikey Batman, holy spoilers!

3. The Tumbler

Nolan's Batman reboot is a dark and gritty series, so it needs a no-nonsense Batmobile, and it bloody well got one. We've seen the stealth bomber-meets-monster truck in action, but here are the actual numbers on the thing. No tricks, no depending on CGI - this thing roars, runs, and did indeed get blown up at the end of that epic chase in The Dark Knight. The Tumbler weights two-and-a-half tonnes, but hits 60mph in a Porsche Boxster-embarrassing 5.6 seconds, thanks to its trusty 5.7-litre GM V8, good for 500bhp. Its rear tyres alone stand over a metre tall, but it's not just a big black bulldozer. There are airbrakes, a rocket launcher, and the ability to split into the Batpod motorbike. That's The Tumbler. And you want one.

2. Lamborghini Aventador

Lambo may as well be the official car supplier to Batman. Their cars fit his remit so perfectly, with their outrageous looks and massive power reserves. We saw a Murcielago briefly take to the stage in The Dark Knight, and now the newer Aventador is getting its turn in the Batcave for The Dark Knight Rises. Bruce Wayne may not have any actual superpowers (apart from a shedload of money - handy, when you're buying Lambos) but his car certainly does. It goes like a bat out of-... sorry, I'll leave that one there. I digress.

Anything that hits 60mph in less than 3 seconds is a pretty sensational vehicle, and the 690bhp Aventador gains access to that exclusive club, alongside the Bugatti Veyron, Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 Turbo S. If you want to pull Batgirl, this is the only car from out Top 5 to do it in. KA-POW!

1. 1960s Barris Batmobile

Are the old ones the best? They are when it comes to Batmobiles. This enormous bat-on-wheels was created for the Sixties Batman TV series by George Barris, who based it on the glassy 1956 Lincoln Futura concept car. Anyway, enough of the history lesson, school's out for summer already. Just check out the quaint Sixties-futurism of this thing, and the sweet gadgets on boards, like the on-board Bat-computer, Bat-tering Ram, and Bat-ray, to remotely shut down criminal cars and catch the thieving scum inside. Nicked, by a man wearing his pants on the outside of his tights, and strangely close to a boy called Robin. Awkward.

The best thing about this Batmobile though, is that you can have your very own. Fiberglass Freaks of Indiana (no, seriously, that's the company name) will build one of these V8 monsters for you to order, though you'll need over $200,000 to live out your Batman fantasies on the road.

That's right, it's street legal, kids. Who's up for some vigilante justice?