Don't really get your point Garrett. All I said was that the batmobile seemed to be influenced by the one in "Dark Knight Returns". Little odds whether the movie is set before or after, past or future, it was just a statement of fact - it looks like the one in that comic book.
And as for saying it should not look "too futuristic" as it is set in his "early days", once again,
1. When did you ever see a Batmobile that
didn't look futuristic?
2. And who is to say when this movie takes place? It could be set in the 1930's, it could be set in the present day, an alternate vision of the present day, or it could be set a few years in the future.
What I'm getting at is how do we know (and what does it matter) when any of the current "Batman" movies take place? Could you put a year on the first Burton movie? It might be set in the year of release, 1989, it might not. It might be set in an "alternate reality" 1989, it might not. The people dress in '40s fashions, yet there are some contemporary trappings, and yet there are futuristic ones too.
And don't forget - there is ample evidence that although "Dark Knight Returns" was set in Batman's "twilight years", the time of the story seemed to be in set at the time of writing, the '80s. His future might not neccessarily mean ours too.