Dialing the hype machine to 11, Warner Brothers pictures has sent The Tumbler, the latest iteration of the Batmobile on a nationwide tour in advance of the The Dark Knight Rises. The matte-black armored assault vehicle, along with the weaponized Bat-Pod motorcycle are in various locations through-out the Valley starting today through the 4th of July.
Although it ranks high on any geek's list of must-have rides, the Tumbler is one of the hardest cars to own in real-life. Unlike restoring a DMC-12 a la Back to the Future (frequently on display by the Arizona DeLorean Club) or a building your own Mach Five from the ground-up, driving a Batmobile of any vintage requires high level of confidence, physical presence and all around bad-assery from its operator.
Due to mechanical impracticality or (more likely) our own lack of cojones, here are three more iconic geek rides we'll never be able to pull off.
The Pussy Wagon (from Kill Bill: Volume 1)
Yes, we'll align ourselves with anything the hip, twisted, over-caffeinated mind of Tarantino can spew, and as opposed to Travolta's Malibu convertible from Pulp Fiction, the bright yellow Chevy Silverado is comparatively easy to come by. A word of wisdom, however: anybody trolling for foxy ladies in a replica of Buck's Pussy Wagon will likely get (a) zero action or (b) kicked in the head repeatedly.
Lone Star's Winnebago (from Spaceballs)
Sure, it might be funny to get your sci-fi buddies together and dress up like characters from the space spoof - for like, a half-hour. Here's the bad news though, nobody over the age of 10 thinks that movie is funny anymore and you'll be stuck with a sewage leaking hoopty that gets all of 7 miles to gallon and is more recognizable as a mobile meth lab than a intergalactic land yacht.
The General Lee (from The Dukes of Hazzard)
True, the 69 Dodge Charger was one of the sexiest muscle cars to come out of Detroit, and afterall, who doesn't like the idea of romping around he back roads with a constant stream of narration by the late, great Waylon Jennings. The orange hot-rod of Hazzard County maintains legendary status in the annals of pop-culture. But swaddled in nostalgia is where this machine might best stay, Don't believe us? Go ahead and take the "General Lee" adorned with its rebel flag paint job and "Dixie" whistling horn out for a spin anywhere outside of your whitebread neighborhood.
