When Batman needs a break from defending Gotham, he’s not going to put Alfred behind the wheel of some dumpy ol’ Winnebago — especially when he drives something as badass as the Batmobile every night. No, he’s going to choose an RV befitting the Dark Knight, and the carbon fibre CR-1 certainly fits that bill.
Carbon fibre ends up in a lot of places it really shouldn’t. But it’s perfect for anything on wheels — from high-performance sports cars, to even recreational vehicles now. Using manufacturing techniques Global Caravan Technologies isn’t willing to go into details about, the CR-1 is the first RV trailer made from a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis.
The most obvious benefit to using carbon fibre (instead of traditional fibre glass) is that the CR-1 looks like something you’d find in the Batcave. But there are more practical advantages too. At around 2200kg to 2700kg the 11m long CR-1 weighs about half as much as a traditional camper trailer. That means it can be pulled by smaller vehicles, and should result in much improved fuel mileage for whatever’s hauling it around.
The use of carbon fibre also means the CR-1 is stronger and more durable than any other RV to come before it. A passing overnight storm shouldn’t have occupants worried the RV wouldn’t be standing come morning. And because it’s so light, it can be customised with an impressive list of amenities that may otherwise be too heavy for a traditional camper trailer.
While the base version of the CR-1 is expected to sell for around $US170,000, Global Caravan Technologies says a fully-customised model could cost closer to $US770,000. Which again makes us wonder if the trailer’s been specifically designed to cater to nighttime vigilantes who are secretly playboy millionaires by day. [Vimeo via Autoblog]