Swede Creates Amazing Batmobile Replica, Cost Over $1 Million and Took 20,000 Man-Hours to Build!

Swede Creates Amazing Batmobile Replica, Cost Over $1 Million and Took 20,000 Man-Hours to Build!

A diligent Swede with more money to spend than Bruce Wayne himself and more free time to spare than a death row inmate has reportedly invested around $1 million US (we've no idea how this number came up) and about 20,000 man-hours to create this amazing real-life replica of the Batmobile that was featured in the 1989 and 1992 Batman films directed by Tim Burton.

The matte black Batmobile is said to be based on a 1973 Lincoln Continental chassis and is equipped with numerous gadgets and features including rear-view video cameras, a plasma screen TV, voice recognition controls, a height-adjustable suspension, satellite navigation system and a DVD player.

To be completely honest, a million dollars even for a working replica sounds a wee too much. But if true, we reckon that the Joke(er) is on the Swede as original Batmobiles such as an example from the 1989 Batman Movie, the 1995 Batman Forever film and even the most sought after Batmobile from the 1960s TV series (click the respective links for details) have changed hands over the past few years for a fraction of that price...

Via: Jalopnik & Bilfeber

VIDEO: Nissan's All-Electric 2011 LEAF Compact Hatch in Action

VIDEO: Nissan's All-Electric 2011 LEAF Compact Hatch in Action

This past weekend, Nissan swiped the covers off the LEAF, a production-ready, fully electric model that is plans to sell in Japan, the United States and Europe before the end of 2010. The compact-sized five-door hatchback is powered by a 107 horsepower electric motor that draws energy from a set of lithium-ion batteries similar to the ones found on your everyday cell-phones, laptops and other electric appliances. You can watch the LEAF in action right after the jump.

VIDEO: Ferrari Scuderia Spider, California and 599 GTB HGTE Tackle the Goodwood Hill Climb

VIDEO: Ferrari Scuderia Spider, California and 599 GTB HGTE Tackle the Goodwood Hill Climb

One of the most popular events at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed is the Sunday Times Supercar Run which sees some of the fastest and most powerful cars in the world race up the 1.16 mile hill climb. At this year's run that was completed on Sunday, June 5, Ferrari showcased three of its latest supercars - the limited run 510HP F430 Scuderia Spider 16M, the new California hardtop-convertible that's moved by a 460HP V8 and the 599 GTB Fiorano equipped with the HGTE sport package.

Below you can watch all three Prancing Horse models at the Sunday Times Supercar Run through an inboard video camera while we've also added an additional "over-the-shoulder" film of the California. According to the Italian sports car maker, the Scuderia Spider 16M was the fastest of the bunch completing the Goodwood hill climb in just 59 seconds.

VIDEO: BMW X1 SUV Promo Film from Presentation in Mallorca

VIDEO: BMW X1 SUV Promo Film from Presentation in Mallorca

Blame our corrupted minds, but for a moment there we thought BMW was trying to tell us something with their choice of letters on the final prototype model's license plates... But anyway, this is the first official promotional video of the soon-to-be revealed, X1 crossover. The short film, which was shot at the same location as the media presentation of the X1 in Mallorca in late May, tries to show us the 'joyful' character of the compact-sized SAV on- and off-road. details on the X1.

Automotive Video P@rn: Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SV on the Road and the Track

Automotive Video P@rn: Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SV on the Road and the Track

We'd advise you to sit down comfortably, relax and turn up the volume on your speakers - okay, those working in an office should forget about the above and pretend that they are talking with someone important on the phone nodding their head up and down every so often. The two videos, courtesy of Drivers-Republic, show the Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce on the road and at UK's Silverstone race track where the 670HP Raging Bull model recorded a lap time of 2 minutes and 8.10 seconds beating the Porsche 911 GT2 by two seconds and the (much less costly and powerful) Nissan GT-R by 2.1 seconds.

Grazie for the tip Joker!

VIDEO: BMW X1 SUV Promo Film from Presentation in Mallorca

VIDEO: BMW X1 SUV Promo Film from Presentation in Mallorca

Blame our corrupted minds, but for a moment there we thought BMW was trying to tell us something with their choice of letters on the final prototype model's license plates... But anyway, this is the first official promotional video of the soon-to-be revealed, X1 crossover. The short film, which was shot at the same location as the media presentation of the X1 in Mallorca in late May, tries to show us the 'joyful' character of the compact-sized SAV on- and off-road.

VIDEO: Aston Martin One-77 Walkaround and Interview with Dr. Ulrich Bez

VIDEO: Aston Martin One-77 Walkaround and Interview with Dr. Ulrich Bez

We can't seem to get enough of Aston Martin's One-77 elite supercar that was introduced in its final prototype form at the Villa d'Este car show in Italy last April. Luckily for us, there's always fresh news about the ultimate British sportscar. In this latest video, Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe interviews Aston Martin's boss Dr. Ulrich Bez who not only walks us around the car but he also treats us to some highly addictive sounds by firing up the One-77's 750HP V12 engine. Hit the jump to watch the video.

Source: Autocar

VIDEO: $2Million McLaren F1 Spontaneously Combusts in California

VIDEO: $2Million McLaren F1 Spontaneously Combusts in California

Picture this: it's a beautiful day, the sun is shining and you decide to take your prized McLaren F1 for a spin after six months of storage. All is great until you notice smoke coming out of the engine bay that houses the 627HP 6.1-liter BMW-derived V12. You pull over to take a looks and the next thing you know, the car is up in flames. This story actually happened yesterday, June 1, 2009, to Irv Kessler, 53, of Minnesota, as he was driving on Airport Boulevard in Santa Rosa California. .

As you can see in the video below, the McLaren F1, which was worth an estimated $2 million but was allegedly insured for $3 million (we know what you're thinking...), was a complete loss.

Pretty sad if you consider that from a total of 100 McLaren F1s, only 72 were road cars (including five F1 LM versions and three street-legal F1 GTs). The remaining 28 were race cars built for private customers competing in the FIA GT series and the 24 hours of Le Mans.

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Pressdemocrat

Subaru Impreza WRX STI Hatch Concept Study

Subaru Impreza WRX STI Hatch Concept Study

Needless to say, it doesn't take much effort to come up with a better design than Subaru's original Impreza hatch, but that wouldn't be fair to the creator of this independent concept study. This realistic computer generated proposal for a more distinct and sporty-looking Impreza WRX STI with a wedgy-shaped three-door hatchback body is the work of an artist that goes by the alias 'Grid'. Please tell us what you think about the study by leaving a comment below.

Source: Grid , Via: Jalopnik

VIDEO: Meet the 2009 Skoda Octavia RS Facelift

VIDEO: Meet the 2009 Skoda Octavia RS Facelift

You've read the details, seen the photos, time to watch Skoda's facelifted hot Octavia RS in a bit of video action. Like its forerunner, the sportiest model of the Octavia range offers buyers the choice of two turbocharged four-cylinder engines, a 2.0-liter TSI gasoline unit with 200HP that averages 7.5lt/100km (31.4mpg US or 37.7mpg UK) and a 2.0-liter TDI diesel with a combined consumption of 5.7lt/100km (41.3mpg US or 49.6mpg UK). Both engines are hooked up to a six-speed twin-clutch DSG transmission. -Thanks for the tip Bert!

VIDEO: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Burns to the Ground in Moscow

VIDEO: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Burns to the Ground in Moscow

The unrecognizable mass of metal you see pictured above used to be a new Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. If we are to believe the reports coming in from Russia, the owner of the Prancing Horse model was driving somewhere in Moscow when he noticed smoke coming out from the engine bay. The driver is said to have stopped on the side of the road in an attempt to extinguish the fire himself - obviously his efforts went down the drain. The corpse of the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti was towed away in a rather unfashionably (some may say ironic) way by a local dump truck. Click through to watch the scorching videos.

Via: Mreporter