In 'The Dark Knight' Lucius Fox gets credit for providing Batman with his state-of-the-art crime-fighting gear — including the Batmobile and new Batpod.

But in real life credit goes to the film's director Chris Nolan and his behind-the-scenes design teams, led by production designer Nathan Crowley as well as special effects supervisor Chris Corbould and his crew, who turn design into function.

Nolan and Crowley had previously redesigned The Caped Crusader's legendary Batmobile for 'Batman Begins', creating something of a cross between a Lamborghini and a Hummer. The ultimate muscle car, the Batmobile — nicknamed the Tumbler —combines the power and handling of a sports car with a structure closer to that of an armoured tank.

Riding on six wheels — two in the front outfitted with sprint car race tyres, and four at the back which use monster truck tyres — the Batmobile has no front axle, allowing it to make tighter turns. Despite weighing in at two and a half tons, it can jump as much as two metres high, and up to a distance of 18 metres, peeling off the instant it touches down. The Batmobile can also do zero to 100km/h in five seconds.

While the Batmobile remains a formidable presence in 'The Dark Knight', the film introduces Batman's newest ride, the Bat-Pod, a high-powered, heavily armed two-wheeled machine.

"Of course we were going to have the Batmobile back," states Nolan, "but we wanted to give Batman something new: a fresh means of transportation, something very exotic and very powerful looking. It's a two-wheeled vehicle, but it's definitively not a motorcycle. In essence, the Bat-Pod is to the world of motorcycles what the Tumbler is to the world of cars."

Fast and maneuverable through the streets of Gotham City, the Bat-Pod is also capable of handling all terrains. It has the same monster truck tyres as those found on the Batmobile and is self-standing, meaning it doesn't need a foot stand.

Outfitted for hostile situations, it's equipped with weapons on both sides: 40mm blast cannons, 50-caliber machine guns, and grappling hook launchers.

The original design of the Bat-Pod was the brainchild of Crowley and Nolan. With little more than the basic concept in mind, the two retreated to their favourite design headquarters — aka Nolan's garage — to work out the details.

"We figured: 'Let's just go for it; let's build it full-size.' So we did. We got some tools and put together a full-size model out of anything we could find that might fit," Crowley recalls.

Of course, Nolan and Crowley still had no idea if their invention could actually run. That's where the special effects team, headed up by Corbould, came in.

"First of all, I remember when Chris Nolan first showed me his idea for the Batmobile. I had no idea how we were going to make it work even though it ended up being very successful," Corbould relates.

"So when I got his call asking me to come have a look at something he called 'the Bat-Pod', I thought: 'Uh-oh, what have you dreamt up this time?'"

Corbould flew to L.A., arrived at Nolan’s garage, and the first time he looked at Nolan and Crowley’s model of the Bat-Pod, "I think he was almost in tears," Crowley laughs.

"I was flabbergasted," Corbould admits. "I stood there silently, pretending I was mulling it over, but the thought going through my head was that they both had to be off their nut. Where was I going to put a powertrain? And with those massive wheels, would this thing actually steer? There were so many issues."

Despite his concerns, Corbould returned to London, where he and his crew began brainstorming ways to bring the Bat-Pod to life. After some trial and error, they developed the final working version, which was surprisingly close to the rough model that Nolan and Crowley had originally constructed. Nolan confesses: "It really shouldn't work, but somehow Chris and his team found a way to do it."

"The funny thing is," Corbould says, "I don't think Chris or Nathan had ever ridden a motorcycle in their lives, so they were completely unaware of the mechanics needed to get that thing moving. In a way it was beneficial because they weren't steered towards a more orthodox bike, even subconsciously. The fact that they had no knowledge of the mechanics helped them create this weird, wonderful vehicle."

Actually being able to drive it was another matter entirely. Nolan confirms: "The finished product that Chris and his team came up with was very striking, very effective and worked very well, but it’s incredibly difficult to ride and to steer."

In order to manoeuvre the Bat-Pod, the driver has to lean his upper body forward, almost horizontally, and steer from his elbows, rather than his wrists. In fact, the only person who was able to master the Bat-Pod was professional stunt rider Jean-Pierre Goy.

Corbould offers: "I've worked with Jean-Pierre a couple of times, and he is one of the best bike riders in the world, if not the best. Right away, he totally got in the mindset of learning that machine. He said: 'I'm not riding another bike until I finish this sequence,' because he had to concentrate on the Bat-Pod's unique handling qualities. I'd be lying if I said it was easy for even him to ride, but it looked spectacular when he did, so it was worth the effort."

» 'The Dark Knight' opens in South Africa on 25 July 2008.