If you happened to be somewhere on the road between Los Angeles and Vancouver earlier this week, and thought you may have seen the Batmobile roaring by — I'm happy to say you're not crazy.

The modern version of Batman's wheels (as seen in Christopher Nolan's recent trilogy) made the trip to the Canadian city on Tuesday as part of a cancer fund-raiser. Andy Smith, the special effects guru who created the iconic vehicle for the films, spearheaded the effort as a "thank you" to the medical professionals who helped save his life.

“You’re fit and healthy, life is rocking along and then the rug is pulled out from underneath you and everything stops,” said Smith, 52, who was diagnosed with throat cancer three years ago. “You think you’ll be given a few pills and sent on your way, but it was cancer.”

After fighting the disease with intense chemotherapy, Smith was given a clean bill of health and immediately set plans in motion to bring the Batmobile to Vancouver. “This was driven up uncovered all the way from L.A," Smith told The Globe and Mail. "It caused chaos. I don’t think that expedited its transit through customs, either. Everybody wanted a look.”

Once the estimated $250,000 vehicle arrived at the Electronic Arts complex, officials from the B.C. Cancer Foundation charged 100 people a minimum donation of $50 to take a closer look. For Smith, just bringing joy into people's lives made the whole thing worth it.

“I just wanted to put smiles on faces and if we can do a bit of fund-raising, then great,” he said.

The Batmobile will make another private appearance Thursday for patients at B.C. Children’s Hospital.

Mother Nature Network