Truth is better than cinema

I watched Rush for a second time over my holiday vacation. And I have to say, nothing beats the actual race footage from the Japanese GP, 1976:

"Rush" Trailer leaves me excited but a little dubious

I'm definitely still very excited about Ron Howard's new film about the 1976 F1 season. The footage in the trailer looks great. But I wish they had cast someone for James Hunt who looked less like a boy and more like a man--someone who has more edge and less pretty. Hunt was a handsome guy but when you look at him in photos, he's a wolf...that doesn't come through here.

The CGI looks good, but I sort of feel like there are a few too many "video game" angles that actually take me out of it. I wish they would have just made some simple replica cars and staged a real accident with radio control as they did in "Le Mans" in 1971. It would look better than any CGI...

via The Chicane

Getting Excited for the Ron Howard's new film!

For months now, we've been catching snippets and clips of on-set footage and information about Ron Howard's new film "Rush," based on the 1976 F1 season, and focusing on the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. I've been pretty excited about it for some time, and I got even more hopeful that the movie will be a success when I saw the following preview over at Motorsport Retro.

I'm particularly heartened by the fact that they seem to have staged a lot of driving shots at speed, and I am dearly hoping that they don't overly rely on CG to the detriment of the believability of the movie.  Let's hope this film is the best racing movie since Le Mans, back in 1971.  It's really about time we racing nuts had another film to embrace and share with our friends.

Niki Lauda and Junior Z

After the Run out East, I was lucky enough to find these two Alfas together at sunset by the harbor in Montauk. Both cars belong to members of the NY Alfa Owners Club. The Spider is a Niki Lauda edition, and the Junior Z is freshly restored in a lovely Le Mans Blue! Click HERE for the full gallery!