In recent months there’s been talk in the news regarding the lowering crime rates in El Salvador. Clearly, the government has taken much credit for the feat. But I suspect there’s more to the matter than what’s being disclosed. After all, this recent Suzuki find near my home supports a counter idea: Those lowering crime rates are the result of Gotham City’s Wayne Enterprises opening a local crime-fighting franchise.
And as often happens with all international corporate endeavors, the local franchise is enjoying all the perks that come with the job. On this occasion, a caped-crusader mobile.
You may find the vehicle of choice questionable, as not fitting with the vaunted action-image that Mr. Wayne established in his native Gotham. But while Mr. Wayne is a crusader for justice, he’s also a businessman. And as an astute one, he knows franchises respond to local conditions. With most of San Salvador’s criminals being of the “foot soldier” variety, a thrifty 1980s Suzuki Swift more than amply covers the intended job.
The exterior certainly has gotten a number of Wayne-approved upgrades. From the obligatory franchise logos to a new –and more menacing– grille. Astute eyes may see the car’s radials have barely any thread left, which must be new tech being tested by Wayne Enterprises.
Indeed, I’ve seen this thrifty crusader driving at night and I know there’s more to it than meets the eye. Its mix of blue neons around the wheelbase with red ones accenting the wheel arches is a sight to behold. And those added halogens upfront are truly blinding to oncoming traffic. The ideal tools for crime pursuit! (Though unintendedly causing any oncoming traffic to lose sight of the road).
As we know, Mr. Wayne tends to update these automotive contraptions of his yearly. So, an updated and improved one may appear soon. Whatever news may occur in this regard, I’ll make sure to keep you all posted.
Funny how 50 years later the situation on the ground in Centro America still seems the same .
-Nate
It would appear that El Hombre Murciélago might have had a bit of a mishap on his last entry into the Batcave. Fortunately, I guess the utility belt now includes wire useful for holding on the grill.
I’m interested in the school bus in the background. That bald eagle and Union Jack mural is rather unexpected given the markings on the side indicate it’s still primarily a school bus. Or did the new owners never paint over the old school markings?
I should have talked about those school buses. El Salvador is actually where old American school buses come to have a second life (no rest for the elderly over here) and serve as regular buses. They used to paint them over, but stopped doing so about 15 years ago and so, it’s very common to see US school buses in daily traffic as “Ruta 5” or “Ruta 101”, etc.
Maybe I should do a post about those?
I think we need to test your theory about Wayne Enterprises opening a local crime-fighting franchise by bringing this Swift up here and seeing if it’ll have the same effects!
What I find amusing about this is two things: One, decorated windshields to me are just mind-boggling. It’s strictly forbidden in most anywhere in the US, and for good reason. I even had the state-inspection people one remove a 1×2″ former inspection decal from another state that was on my car, saying that it violated state Code.
Second, if I were to envision a Batman-themed vehicle, a Suzuki Swift would be pretty low on that list. For that matter, maybe at the bottom. And credit for eschewing the now-popular front light bar and choosing seven individual lights instead. Anyway, this made me smile.
I’ve no idea how some drivers see out of their cars over here. Technically, it’s illegal, but the police tend to turn a blind eye to those things. In the end, local culture wins with its penchant for such flourishes.
Those bald tyres concern me – how easy would it be to source 145SR12s in El Salvador, Rich? When I had mine, I wound up with a brand I’d never heard of. A mate who’s a pilot said they were light aircraft tyres. And that was twenty years ago.
I can only imagine how hot a black Swift would get. Gold was bad enough!
Such tire sizes are becoming hard to find over here as well. That might partially explain the bald tires on the Suzuki… but it ain’t that rare to see such poor maintenance in other newer cars (and then, folks wonder why accident rates are so high over here).
For a while, Wayne Enterprises had a branch here in Perry Hall Maryland. In this case, the Batmobile was a new 2015 Mustang, in black of course.
He had virtually the same sticker on his car, but on the backlight, as yes, as Eric mentions above, there’s no doing that to a windshield here in the States. Heck, even tint isn’t allowed on a windscreen.
What boggled my mind about that car was the stickers he had on the side that said, “Why so serious?” until someone told me that this was one of The Joker’s catchphrases.
“Joker” had a “catch phrase”, did he?