Lamborghini is one of the legendary names among sportscars, many of its models having performance that was so superior that they began to be called supercars (although Lamborghini today refers to them as super sportscars). Like many of the great old car companies, Lamborghini was founded by one man with a determination to make the best cars in the world – Ferruccio Lamborghini.
Most articles about the history of Lamborghini typically start from the time he was already a well known tractor manufacturer in Italy. There is not much about his childhood or the beginnings of his dream which began after World War II when he returned home. Now, a new movie ‘Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend’ shows the missing periods and it is based on a book by his son, Tonino.
Until recent years, Korean models have not had a strong presence in the movie world (with the exception of Korean movies and TV series, of course). They have occasionally been seen in some action TV series like ‘24’ and ‘?????????? ????????’ but not in a big way for chase scenes. Most of the time, they have just appeared among the other traffic on the streets.
In the latest Netflix movie, ‘????? ????’ (released recently), you’ll see many Hyundai models in many car chase scenes. Because the movie is set during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the Korean carmaker supplied Netflix with various retro models from the 1980s. There include the first-generation Grandeur (Azera), a modified Pony pick-up (with its 3-litre engine from the Grandeur), Porter light truck, and some old sedans like the second-generation Sonata, Stellar, and even a Cortina.
Some of the retro models that appear in the movie.In its early years, Hyundai Motor produced a licensed version of the British Ford Cortina, and it appears in the moviebriefly.
Significance of the Grandeur The first-generation Grandeur (which was adapted from the Mitsubishi Debonair) is remembered as a pioneer the premium segment in Korea and was the flagship of the Hyundai brand then. It was admired and desired for its prestige, and this is depicted in the movie.
The original Grandeur which was adapted from the Mitsubishi Debonair and launched in 1986.
The significance of this model in the 1980s inspired the company to create the Hyundai Grandeur Heritage Series as a tribute to the brand’s historic flagship sedan. The restomod, which was unveiled last year, has the classic formal 3-box shape with modern and futuristic elements added. These include the Parametric Pixel lighting that is used in the latest models like the IONIQ 5.
‘Seoul Vibe’ has an all-star Korean cast that includes Ah-in Yoo, Kyung-pyo Go, Kyoo-hyung Lee, Ju-hyun Park, Seong-wu Ong and Jung-se Oh.
Hyundai Motor also provided its Wonhyoro Service Centre at Yongsan for use as a shooting location. Located in the centre of Korea’s capital city, the area around the service centre is owned by the carmaker which plans to build a complex with a hotel and other business facilities.
Teaser for next Grandeur In addition, Hyundai plans to unveil the silhouette of the all-new Grandeur (Azera) in photographs, through a cinematic digital advertisement in a spin-off version of ‘Seoul Vibe,’ utilizing the story and cast of the movie. The digital advertisement spotlights the ever-evolving innovation of Grandeur, from the past to the future, and provides hidden hints about the upcoming model that is expected to be launched in Korea at the end of this year.
With the film’s release, Hyundai Motor is also launching diverse experiential marketing content on digital channels. It has recreated the garage shown in the movie on ZEPETO, the global metaverse platform, to provide a virtual experience space where visitors can assemble and drive the vehicles featured in the movie through the driving zone themed ‘Seoul Vibe’. They will also be able to meet Yoon-hee (Ju-hyun Park), a character in the movie, as an NPC (non-player character), and join a vlog event, using the first-generation Grandeur.
“Through close collaboration with Netflix from the early stages of production, we endeavoured to provide a unique atmosphere for our historic vehicles and locations with a ‘newtro’ (new+retro) vibe that will appeal to every generation, including Millennial and Gen Z audiences,” said Thomas Schemera, Executive Vice-President, Global Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Customer Experience Division at Hyundai Motor Company. “We will continue to explore exhilarating opportunities for our customers to experience and engage with our brand through various partnerships and innovative content.”
“Top Gun: Maverick” – the sequel to the 1986 movie – will finally screen this week after its release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who love planes and flying action, it’s one of the greatest all-time movies and from the trailers shown in the past months, we are assured of lots of fantastic action – and they’re with real planes, not CGI.
Car enthusiasts will remember that the original Top Gun had a Porsche which appeared a number of times in various scenes. It was driven by ‘Charlie’, the girlfriend of ‘Maverick’ (Tom Cruise) and the first time we saw it in action was when she sped across an intersection chasing after him.
That Porsche was a classic model, a 1958 Speedster… but it was actually a replica, not one of the original 3,676 cars built. The one in the movie was made by Intermeccanica and had a fibreglass body resembling the model. Looked pretty authentic anyway.
The Porsche Speedster in the 1986 ‘Top Gun’ movie.
In the new movie, another Porsche will also appear for brief moments and its presence was already spotted in the commercial that Porsche showed at the Super Bowl 2022 event in February. Apart from the other Porsche models shown, there is one which is a late 1970s 911 S with Maverick and Penny Benjamin, another character who is his girlfriend. What a coincidence that both girlfriends had Porsches!
It’s a very beautiful image of the car which could have come out of a catalogue. The car actually appears earlier than this picture and we would suggest you keep your eyes on the background during one of the night scenes when Maverick and Penny are on the bike.
There’s another small Porsche as well and it’s on Maverick’s wrist. It’s not so clear what model it is but in 1986, many people noticed that Maverick wore a Porsche Design Chronograph which had a black PVD coating. It was on him all the time and fans wonder if it could be the same watch used again… after all, that would be a collectors’ item.
If you saw the original movie and remember it well, you will see many lines, gestures and actions that are recreated in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. In fact, these recreations can be seen right from the opening scenes and the movie also closes in the same way.
Bike fans will also remember that Maverick was on a Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja. Guess he didn’t keep the bike for 30 years and instead got a new one – the Kawasaki Ninja H2 (the carbon edition) – which has a supercharged 998 cc engine and is considered a ‘hyperbike’. As the trailers have shown, he again races along the road alongside the runway, seemingly racing with a fighter jet taking off.
In 1986, Maverick has a Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja (above) and for the new movie, he has switched to the Ninja H2 hyperbike (below).
For those who still don’t know what this new movie is about, the storyline continues from the original a few decades later. Maverick remains a captain and ‘despite the best efforts, refuses to die. He is recalled to train ‘the best of the best’ pilots at Top Gun for a secret and very dangerous mission. Just as he was a cocky pilot when he was a student at Top Gun in 1986, so too are those he has to train. But they also show professionalism and know that they have to put aside personal feelings when it comes to flying jets at over 1,500 km/h.
Top Gun: Maverick will start screening in Malaysian cinemas from Wednesday May 25, 2022.
Who would have thought that a car in a movie about breaking laws would be considered historically significant that is would enter the National Historic Vehicle Register of the United States Library of Congress? That honour has been given to the 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP 400 S that was one of the stars of the ‘The Cannonball Run’.
Only 30 cars to date are considered of national importance for the USA and listed in the register. From now on, all the information regarding the car, its history, a 3D scan of it and copies of all its documentation will be preserved in the Library of Congress.
Actual car used in movie
The car displayed is not just a replica but the actual car that was used in the movie with chassis number 1121112. It was first sold to Lamborghini’s distributor in Rome, Italy, and immediately exported to the USA and sold in Florida. In 1980, Hal Needham, the movie’s director was able to get a Countach to use in the film as the owner of the car was his friend and willing to loan it for the purpose. The Countach was then modified to look even more dramatic than it already was. A front spoiler and twin spotlights were added, along with 3 antennas – and 12 exhaust pipes.
The founder of the sunscreen brand Hawaiian Tropic, Ron Rice, was around during filming and he fell in love with the Lamborghini, buying it over on the spot when it was no longer needed. He kept it till 2004, when it was sold to another person in Florida as well.
Hagerty Drivers Foundation, which manages the National Historic Vehicle Register of the United States Library of Congress, tracked down the car and arranged for it to be displayed this week inside a glass case on the National Mall in Washington DC.
About the movie ‘The Cannonball Run’, released in 1981, was based on the real-life secret race that had taken place for several years between the east and west coasts of America. Those were the years in the USA when a speed limit of 55 mph (88 km/h) was in effect and where the police were constantly catching people for speeding on the freeways. The speed limit was considered repressive, and a group of passionate motorists decided to challenge the system by racing across the continent in the least amount of time. The start was from downtown Manhattan in New York to a marina on the Pacific Ocean at Redondo Beach in California.
The plot for the movie was fictional and it was intended to be a comedy, although it would later be regarded as being of importance in the history of American culture, particularly the car culture that has always been strong. For the movie, the most representative cars of the era were used with the Countach being the winner in the end. The case including famous names likes Roger Moore, Burt Reynolds, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, and Farrah Fawcett.
The age of flying cars for the masses has yet to start but it must be coming, going by what the new Land Rover Defenders are shown doing in a movie. The 4×4 brand’s products have always been known and admired for their off-road capability on any terrain, wading ability across rivers and extreme durability. Now it appears that they will soon develop some sort of flying capability too!
That they can fly and mimic motocross bikes that swoop 30 metres over ground made them the natural choice for use in ‘No Time To Die’, the James Bond movie that will be in cinemas this April.
It’s not the first time that the Defender has starred in a Bond movie, but it is the first movie for the all-new Defender that was launched last September.
Ten Defenders were acquired for the movie for use in an exciting chase scene, and one of the SUVs has the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) 007 which indicates it was the seventh vehicle to be produced. Customers who have ordered their Defenders will soon be getting them but demand has been very great so Land Rover expects it to exceed supply.
The dramatic scenes are used in Land Rover’s television commercial for the new Defender and demonstrate its various capabilities on tough terrain. The commercial also give an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at how those flying scenes were done so you can see it wasn’t CGI. The rehearsal footage includes further extreme tests as the vehicle is driven at top speed through swamps and rivers.
The chase sequence in ‘No Time To Die’ was led by stunt coordinator Lee Morrison, working alongside Oscar-winner Chris Corbould, the special effects and action vehicles supervisor. “We pushed the Defender further than we believed possible to generate the maximum excitement, and to give fans an insight into the uncompromising challenge of producing an incredible chase sequence which you can look forward to seeing in ‘No Time To Die’,” said Morrison.
“We developed a new test standard for Defender, the most challenging we’ve ever had and unique to this vehicle. Physical strength and durability is measured by a number of different tests including a bridge jump test which gave us confidence to deliver what the stunt team needed to create for ‘No Time To Die’, with no modifications to the body structure except the installation of a roll cage,” revealed Nick Collins, Vehicle Line Director for the Defender at the factory.
Putting these vehicles through their paces was Jessica Hawkins, whom Morrison handpicked from the Formula 3 W Series after spotting her potential. He wasted no time in giving her the opportunity to feature in what will be her first ever motion picture.
James Bond, undeniably the world’s best-known secret agent, has driven a great variety of cars in the past 57 years since he first appeared in Dr. No. Many were sportscars and thanks to Q branch, some of them had fancy accessories like rocket launchers, ejection seats, machine guns and tyre-shredders. Being an agent of the British government, Bond often drove the latest British models with Aston Martins featuring prominently in the last few adventures.
A display of the cars used in ‘Die Another Day’, the 2002 James Bond movie.
In April 2020, No Time To Die, the 25th official James Bond film (and the fifth one starring Daniel Craig as Agent 007), will premiere and as with the previous films, there will be exciting car action. Seeming to reflect trends in the market, there will be more SUVs and in fact, the New Defender from Land Rover will appear prominently on the big screen. This will be the first movie to feature the New Defender which was launched in September this year.
Other Land Rover models you will see at different points in the movie will be the Range Rover Sport SVR, Land Rover Series III and Range Rover Classic. The British 4×4 manufacturer has had a long-standing partnership with EON Productions on the Bond films which goes back to 1983 when a Range Rover Convertible appeared in Octopussy.
Land Rover’s design team worked closely with Special Effects and Action Vehicles Supervisor Chris Corbould on the specification of the Defenders in the film. Based on the Defender X model in Santorini Black, with darkened skidpans, 20-inch dark finish wheels and professional off-road tyres, they were the first Defenders to be built at Jaguar Land Rover’s new production facility in Slovakia.
Stunt coordinator Lee Morrison (shown below) and stunt driver Jess Hawkins pushed the vehicle to extremes, making maximum use of pioneering off-road tech, 900 mm wading ability and 291 mm ground clearance for No Time To Die’s spectacular car chase action.
“Designing and co-ordinating the action sequences for the Bond franchise requires a non-compromising mindset. We needed an unstoppable vehicle to help us battle against the elements, steep descents and river crossings so we chose the new Defender. I’m beyond impressed that the Defender is not only back but much, much better!” said Morrison.
Fans of the Fast and Furious movie franchise might have an avenue to live out their fantasies in the virtual world through the Xbox exclusive game, Forza Motorsport 7. There is a 10-car pack available for the game that has all the extreme cars featured in the 7th installment of the blockbuster movie series.
The vehicles depicted in the game are extremely accurate, right down to the colour combinations, aesthetic details and their own unique quirks. The most noteworthy and jovial addition to the car pack however, has to be the Chevrolet Fleetline Special.
It was a vintage vehicle use by character Dominic Torreto to compete in an epic, CGI focused race in the heart of Havana, Cuba. Losing trim panels as the race progressed, the Fleetline Special was driven which such gusto while trying to avoid the baddies, that it caught fire towards the end of the race.
Though many considered the scene a bit too far fetched, the excellently choreographed stunts and meticulous level of CGI detailing made for an enthralling movie scene, one for the Fast and Furious record books.
Besides this vehicle, there are a number of other noteworthy mentions that include the weird but functional Rally Fighter, Jaguar F-Type, Dodge Demon and a Plymouth GTX. Evidently, the movie franchise seems to cherry pick its star vehicles based on their actual appeal in the automotive world, which is a very good thing for car fans.
The Dodge Demon, is the most powerful road legal, drag-ready muscle car that is currently available to the public. It is powered by a 840bhp engine that is able to cover the quarter mile in under 10 seconds, a fitting choice for Dominic Torreto.
Known for his love of Dodge made vehicles, the movie character has used several Chargers, including the modern one, Challengers as well as a number of others. But the following is the list of 10 vehicles featured in the new car pack:
Plymouth GTX
Chevrolet Corvette
Subaru WRX STI
Local Motors Rally Fighter
Subaru BRZ
Jaguar F-Type
Chevrolet Fleetline Special
Dodge Demon
Mercedes-Benz GTS
Dodge Charger
The Fate of the Furious car pack will only be made available to those who own the Deluxe and Ultimate Edition bundles of Forza Motorsports 7. Check out the picture gallery below and admire the vehicles that will be featured in the Forza Motorsport 7 game.
It’s very rare that true driver enthusiast movies actually do grace the silver screen. Movies like Bullitt, Vanishing Point and Gone in 60 Seconds (1974) were the select few where great emphasis was placed on realism when it came to the plot, cars and the driving physics. Their story lines may not have been nail-biting or edge of your seat stuff, but the action scenes, the screeching tyres, realistic collisions and spectacular explosions made them some of the all time best car movies.
These days thanks to CGI and over the top Hollywood gimmicks, most car movies lack the appeal of those from yesteryear. But every now and then, a true gem comes along worthy of being called “noteworthy” and one such movie is Baby Driver.
Slated for release towards the end of 2017, Baby Driver’s cast features some big time hollywood actors including Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx. The movie’s main protagonist is a young getaway driver, named Baby played by Ansel Elgort, who you may also know as the guy from the movie The Fault In Our Stars. Baby is part of a crew headed by Kevin Spacey, that go on carefully planned heists in the city.
Baby, despite his rather boyish demeanor, is a skilled driver of a Subaru Impreza WRX who is quite adept at handling high-speed getaways albeit the WRX’s driving dynamics did lend him a helping hand. Based on the trailer, and like a number of such movies, baby decides that after several missions, he no longer wants to be involved with this line of work. However, that is easier said than done as the team view him as a very valuable asset. Well, we aren’t going to ruin it for you, so take a look at the trailer and you be the judge.
But we think that the action sequences depicted in the trailer are pretty amazing and should make for one awesome movie when it is eventually released.
