Knowing many of you were justifiably stoked about seeing the Mach 5 for the first time, I couldn't resist posting a picture of the Batpod, the motorcycle variant of the Tumbler/Batmobile that will debut in next year's The Dark Knight from yesterday's Los Angeles Times.

Funny thing is, Batmobile creator Nathan Crowley and TDK director Christopher Nolan designed the two-wheel Batpod, yet builder Chris Corbould believed "there was no chance we'd actually achieve it." When pressed, Corbould was mum about the performance of the Batpod fleet, so far totaling six. That is, pending on-set accidents...

For a daytime look at the Batpod, check out fellow Texan Paul Jett's cooler-than-cool Batman-on-Film Web site and a MSN video with Today co-host Meredith Vieira.

And, you can keep up with behind-the-scenes looks at the TDK shoot in Chicago via HollywoodChicago.com.

Batpod image