Two things happened today, and this drawing represents the intersection of those things. First, well-known illustrator of ornate and biologically disturbing sci-fi imagery HR Giger died today. Also, a new Batmobile was revealed. The intersection? HR Giger once designed a Batmobile.
Giger's Batmobile is unmistakably a Giger design: a slightly unsettling mix of biology and technology, full of ribbed tubes and vertebra and, if Giger's past work is any indicator, probably more than a few hidden penises. It's pretty striking and bold: a very graphic X-shape for the whole car, making it look a little bit like a highly magnified chromosome.
Giger made the designs for possible use in Batman Forever in 1994. Looking at the sketches, it looks like a pair of scissors was actually an inspiration for the design, and the end result is pretty tough-looking, with a pair of mean-looking mandibles up front that can open and close.
I really like how the drawings are labelled "BAT MAN MOBIL," too. Batmobilehistory describes the design as
H.R. Giger was contacted in 1994 to design a Batmobile for Batman Forver. His unique "X" shaped design was to include articulated front legs/mandibles, retractable fins, and gatling gun emplacements on each of the four pods on the sides of the vehicle. The design also combined side and forward intake ports with organinic spines and a central pod connecting the four legs.
I was never a big fan of the Batmobile used in the actual movie, and I think this one would have made an interesting variation. A few people have taken a stab at rendering this design in 3D, and the results are pretty interesting.