The Batmobile that would appear in the first two Batman movies would be a dramatic change from the Batmobile most people were used to seeing, that being the 1960's era George Barris version. Reflecting Tim Burton's more serious and true to the original Batman vision, the first movie version has an incredibly menacing and tank-like quality that reflects the harsh environment Batman must face within Gotham City.

It was built within 12 weeks, measures 19ft 6in (5.9m) long and 8ft (2.4m) in width and a body made of fiberglass. Furst was unable to work on Batman Returns however, as contractual obligations prevented the possibility, so production design for Batman Returns was carried on by Bo Welch. Tragically, Anton Furst committed suicide in 1991, one year before Batman Returns released.

Anton Furst, "I wanted the Batmobile to look timeless. I didn't want a futuristic vehicle on a pastiche 1950's car. I went for the most brutal expression of a car, an image which also suggests sex and violence."

''Three of us worked on the Batmobile and looked at every car ever made, I think. We ended up with something that has brute force and forbidding power coupled with form, shape and sculpture. Something that is, frankly, quite rude,'' comments Furst.

That's a far cry from the souped-up Lincoln used in the old TV-series. There are many conflicts over the origins of the building of this version, some stating it was built on a limo chassis, others stating a corvette, and others off a classic impala.