Shooting Batman
On Sunday afternoon I had some free time so I went location scouting in the R34. It was around 3pm and I came across this quiet industrial park located about 15 minutes from home. No one was around so it allowed me to focus on shooting my car without any distractions.
As I was taking photos, I heard an Instagram notification pop up on my phone. Usually when I'm taking photos on my own, I like to switch off but I soon discovered that it was a message from Nico saying that he was in the area and that I could shoot his new McLaren 650s that he recently got lowered by the guys at Heasman's Steering.
Lucky I chose not to "switch off" this time as I had been wanting to shoot one of his cars for ages. After telling Nico my location he said he was 20 minutes away so I patiently waited in my car with the windows down so I could hear the 3.8L V8 roaring through the streets. As I heard the car approach, I grabbed my phone and uploaded a quick video to my Instagram story and Snapchat, then told Nico to follow me down to the spot I planned on shooting the car.
We put the car down a dark, narrow ally way which was reminiscent of Batman's lair. With the tail lights on and the bat wings up, it was here where you felt the true presence of Batman come to life and it was evident that what lay before me was one powerful machine. The iconic BATM4N number plates seemed ever so fitting.
The 650s’ styling is already a dramatic improvement over that of the MP4-12C on which its based, but McLaren Special Operations (MSO) upped the cool factor with a few subtle additions and I love how the clean lines of the orange accents really pop against the Agrigan Black paint.
Nico previously had the BATM4N number plates on his Maserati Mc Stradale, but you would have to agree that they are much more fitting on the McLaren. This car is the true definition of the modern day batmobile.
The engine cover and all other carbon fibre parts in the engine bay have a satin finish, just like the new wheels - which Nico plans on changing in a couple of weeks.
The interior is upholstered in carbon-black leather and luxe Alcantara, and features plenty of carbon fibre bits like the GT2 I shot and drove last month.
As I was shooting, I noticed how Nico couldn't help but admire his new car. One of the best things about shooting cars is meeting the people who drive them and as I got chatting with Nico I soon learned how humble he is and how much he loves his cars. Something that always puts a smile on my face is seeing the owner take photos of their own car. You can tell just how much someone appreciates their car when they can't stop taking photos of it and he even let me take a few photos with the car too!
After spending an hour or so with the black beast, we began to lose light so we finished the shoot, said our goodbye's and I hopped back into my skyline, then followed the 650s out of the industrial park. Next thing I knew, BATM4N had vanished into the night.
