One of the six Batpods built for The Dark Knight is heading to auction in London. Propstore puts the screen-matched hero bike under the hammer in December, and the estimate runs to $1,188,000. It doesn’t run, it can’t be ridden, and none of that slows the bidding down.
Six were built for the two films.
Built to be ridden lying down
Christopher Nolan designed the bike with production designer Nathan Crowley, and special-effects supervisor Chris Corbould built it. A Honda 750 engine sits in a custom-fabricated chassis, wrapped in 31-inch Hoosier racing tires. The rider lies prone along the body and steers with arms and shoulders.
Cannon barrels in plastic, resin, and fiberglass dress the front, and black foam lining pads the saddle, body, and knee rests where the rider lies. A laser-targeting unit sits above the right grip, the one light-up feature the bike was built with. It doesn’t light anymore.
Rolling only, scars included
Propstore sells the bike as-is, in rolling-only condition. There are no fluids, no battery, no fuel tank, and no throttle controls fitted. The scratches on its right-hand side match the Joker chase on screen, which is how the house ties this bike to that scene.
A custom metal display stand and a Warner Bros certificate of authenticity come with the lot. Propstore sold this same bike once before, back in 2016.
The Winter Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction runs December 4 to 6 in London, with more than 1,400 lots and a combined estimate near $13.2 million. Bidding on the Batpod opens at $297,000. Until the sale, the bike sits on display in The Cumberland Hotel lobby, November 9 to 29, battle scars and all.
