Chinese man creates his own Batmobile

At first glance, the dark sleek vehicle is a familiar sight.

However, unlike the agile and gadget-laden car used by the superhero Batman, this one will not be used to fight crime, as it doesn't have an engine.

The replica is parked in the grounds of 26-year-old Li Weilei's workshop in Shanghai, who says he has splurged 70,000 yuan (US$11,300) to create his own life-sized Batmobile.

The former actor said his friend drove his Batpod, a copy of Batman's motorcycle, down the streets earlier this year in April, but he was later caught by the police and had his license revoked.

After that incident, Li said he chose not to install an engine in his car models until he got authorisation from the government.

Despite this, together with around 30 staff at his workshop, Li has created 10 live-sized Batmobiles using recycled materials, each one taking about two months' to make.

Li said he loved the appearance of the car.

"Batmobile is very cool and it gets people's attention. All boys are interested in cars. I love its appearance and speed, it's really cool. I'm also very keen on collecting car models. So I want to build one for myself with my own hands. Honestly, there is no Batmobile being sold on the market now, and it would be really expensive to buy if there was one," Li said.

To move his Batmobile onto a street near his workshop, Li used a crane to lift and place the three tonne vehicle.

A curious crowd gathered to see his creation, one man, 33-year-old Yang Yukai, climbed inside the vehicle.

"It looks almost exactly the same as that in the movie. It's very similar. I feel like I am in the movie when I sit here myself," Yang said.

Another, 28-year-old Liang Yutao, said the Batmobile looked good.

"Its appearance looks good. It's eye-catching and draws attention, and it looks cool. Visually it gives a great impact. When I first saw it just now I thought to myself, 'what is this?' Then I take a closer look at it and I think it looks good. Its design and concept are good. It looks good. It would be great if the government allows it to run on the road," Liang said.

Li said he earned an income in renting out his models, which also include Transformer robots.

To rent a Batmobile for up to a week it would cost 30,000 yuan (4,800 USD), Li said, and most of his models are displayed in car shows or at opening ceremonies for real estate projects.

To purchase the Batmobile, it would set a customer back 140,000 yuan (22,500 USD), Li said. — Reuters