feel-good stories

Lamborghini Batman Is a Real-Life Hero

This was the bizarre sight as police pulled over 'Batman' for allegedly not having license tags on his 'Batmobile.'
Photo: Montgomery County Police/Splash

Last week in Silver Spring, police pulled over a man driving a black Lamborghini down Route 29. They were shocked to discover they had succeeded where Penguin, Joker, and Poison Ivy have all failed for years. They had apprehended Batman — for driving with incorrect tags. (His license plate, after all, was the Batman signal.) Pictures from the stop flooded the Internet, cable news, and late-night TV. Who was this masked vigilante? Who needed help on Route 29? And where was the regular batmobile? 

Today, Michael Rosenwald at the Post reveals the superhero’s secret identity. Lamborghini Batman is really Lenny B. Robinson, a Baltimore County businessman who dons the cape of justice to visit sick kids in hospitals. 

According to the Post’s dispatch, Robinson paid $5,000 for his custom-designed neoprene and leather suit, and spends $25,000 a year of his own money on Batman gifts for the kids. Factor in the custom-designed Lambo which plays the “na na na” theme song, and Robinson must be a pretty successful businessman — maybe even a secretive, bon vivant billionaire? He’s apparently investing $250,000 more to build a real-life batmobile, but it’s not quite ready yet.

He began visiting hospitals (with his son playing Robin) in 2001, and has been helping out ever since. The kids, parents, and hospital administrators love him. As he puts it,

Eventually, it sinks in and you become him. It feels like I have a responsibility that’s beyond a normal person. And that responsibility is to be there for the kids, to be strong for them, and to make them smile as much as I can.

And if that doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart, then maybe this will.

He picked up a little boy and said, “I have a present for you.” He shook hands with a father and handed him a yellow rubber Batman bracelet, saying, “This will bring you good luck.” The father said, “We need good luck.”

There’s definitely a movie to be made here. Just keep Tim Burton as far away from it as possible.