A REAL-LIFE superhero has turned down six-figure offers for his home-made Batmobile - so he can continue helping sick children. Batman fanatic Zac Mihajlovic, from Camden, Australia, hand-built his very own street legal version of the car from the 1989 film starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. The 29-year-old turned his comic book fantasies into a high-octane reality by constructing a replica of the iconic vehicle. And the car has whipped up a reaction wherever it has been seen. Businessmen from across the world, including a Sheik in Dubai, have offered Zac big bucks for the Batmobile - and he has also seen his share of bizarre requests. And rather than cash-in on his dream machine, Zac decided to use his powers for good by teaming up with the Make-A-Wish foundation, who make dream’s come true for terminally-ill children.
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00:00 COMM: For most comic book fans, owning a
00:05 Batmobile is just a pipe dream. But here in Australia, one Batman fanatic has made the
00:10 dream a reality by hand-building his own version of the iconic vehicle.
00:14 COMM: What makes this Batmobile different
00:17 is it's straight legal. Like I can take it down and get groceries if I wanted to. The
00:21 reaction of the car has just been insane.
00:24 COMM: Zak Mihailovic started building the
00:31 replica four years ago with the help of his very own Lucius Fox, grandfather John Green,
00:36 a retired engineer. During the two-year build, the 29-year-old was even able to get some
00:41 of the parts from the car used in the original film.
00:44 ZAK MIHAILOVIC (Film Critic, Australian Film Festival)
00:46 The Batmobile behind me is the 1989 Batmobile,
00:48 and this was the Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson film. It's got adjustable suspension, it's
00:53 got a working afterburner, which is from the film, no machine gun sadly, no grappling hooks,
00:58 no bombs that come out of the wheel. But pretty much beyond that, yeah, it's pretty close.
01:04 COMM: There are thought to be ten other replica
01:06 cars of the 1989 Batmobile, but Zak believes he's the only one that can legally drive on
01:11 public roads.
01:12 ZAK MIHAILOVIC (Film Critic, Australian Film Festival)
01:14 The first time I took it out was definitely an experience. I was on the freeway on the
01:19 way to Gold Coast and there was this noise and I thought there was something wrong with
01:23 the car. It's actually the news helicopter from Channel 9 that had chased me down the
01:26 freeway. That was pretty memorable.
01:29 COMM: And not surprisingly, the replica is
01:31 one in plenty of admirers, including the ladies.
01:33 ANNABELLE LEONE (Film Critic, Australian Film Festival)
01:34 My name's Annabelle Leone and I am dating Batman. We've been dating for about four
01:39 years and can I just say, I was with him two years prior to the Batmobile. That's my seat,
01:43 the passenger seat, and if any girl out there wants it, I swear to God, dead.
01:47 COMM: And Zak has also had his fair share of
01:49 bizarre requests.
01:50 ZAK MIHAILOVIC (Film Critic, Australian Film Festival)
01:51 I've had a couple ring me up and say, "I know this is gonna sound weird but we want
01:57 a Chris in the car, so to speak." And I sort of said, you know, "I'm not really interested."
02:02 And they said, "We'll pay you what you want and we'll bring plastic sheets." And I'm
02:05 like, "You've just made that worse." You know, so, no thanks.
02:09 COMM: Businessmen from across the world have
02:11 offered Zak big bucks for the Batmobile, but he's decided to use his powers for good by
02:16 teaming up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who make dreams come true for terminally ill
02:20 children. Today he's using his comic book car to impress families at the local shops.
02:25 ZAK MIHAILOVIC (Film Critic, Australian Film Festival)
02:26 It's a brilliant, brilliant charity because
02:28 it gives kids, sadly, their dying wish. I dress up as Batman and I surprise the kids.
02:35 Sometimes it's knocking on someone's door and obviously organised. Some of them run
02:40 for their lives and it takes a bit of warming up to get them back into the Batmobile, but
02:46 some are just super pumped.
02:47 COMM: Over the last three years Zak has helped
02:49 more than 40 children and has no plans to stop. And while he may not be using the Batmobile
02:54 to fight off the Joker or the Penguin, in the eyes of many, he's very much a hero.
02:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]