Ley Rubber to the rescue for Batmobile owner

Knowsley, UK – The streets of Gotham and/or Qatar are safe again thanks to the expertise of Ley Rubber Ltd, a family-owned designer and manufacturer of rubber components.

The company, based in Knowsley, north-west England, was recently engaged in a project to restore the iconic Batmobile, from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film starring Michael Keaton.

After being acquired by a Qatari prince for nearly £1 million, the iconic Batmobile was shipped back to the UK for an essential restoration project.

The new owner wanted to drive his acquisition on the streets of Qatar, but faced technical challenges as the vehicle was never intended to be driven on roads.  

Ley Rubber took on the task of designing a weatherproof seal for the Batmobile, so that it could withstand the elements while also dampening body-panel vibrations.

The project posed some unique challenges: entry to the Batmobile cockpit is through a sliding roof panel, while waterproofing was also required for two pop-up panels housing ‘missiles.’

With decades of experience in the design and manufacture of bespoke rubber parts, including for classic-cars, Ley Rubber was able to tackle the unique demands of the one-of-a-kind vehicle.

After detailed evaluation, the company developed a tailored sponge rubber design to effectively seal the roof, protect the ‘missile’ compartments and eliminate vibration noise.

“We created a large sponge bubble profile on one side of the roof then a half dome solid sponge 16mm base which when closed sealed the roof completely,” said Jon Holbrook, head of commercials at Ley Rubber.

“As well as this,” Holbrook further explained, “on the top of the door where roof slides back, we used a SRS135 rubber component to ensure the vehicle was weatherproof."

To prevent the vibration issue on the bonnet "we used a small U channel profile IRS0840, which worked like a charm,” Holbrook concluded in a 21 Aug release.

What next for Ley Rubber: a Reliant Robin?