Austin, Texas – Cool Cars Are “Needed To”Transformer” The movie franchise is inextricably linked with Autobots characters such as Bumblebee, along with vehicles such as the Chevy Camaro. The latest installment of Star Cars, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” On June 9th, the rare and revered Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8 transforms into Mirage, the cocky Autobot voiced by Pete Davidson.
Little is known about the film and Mirage other than what fans can glean from the 30-second teaser for the film that recently debuted during the Super Bowl. But it’s clear that the silver-and-blue-striped classic Porsche has a major role to play as it’s the ride of leading man Anthony Ramos, and it built several versions of itself to escape the police and likely any Decepticons that may be chasing. Could
At South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, this past weekend, the film’s producers and several of the Porsche principals who supported the film’s production shared a stage and revealed a bit more about the iconic car’s role and a Find out what it takes to prepare a classic Porsche for the rigors of a big budget action movie.
Only 55 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8s were built as a one-off homologation special for the 3.8 RSR racecar, and the model sold at auction for over $1.5 million. So replicas had to be made for the film. RTTM CEO Owen Shivley said, “We would not want to destroy a historic car of the kind that represents Porsche Cars North America in entertainment and product placement.
Inspected the building of the grand 911 Carrera RS 3.8 replicas. “I’ve never seen one, but I had to go out and make five of them in very short order,” he said. It helped that, while the 911 Carrera RS 3.8 is unique, it shares a chassis with 911s from more than three decades ago.
“It’s just a normal shell,” said Shivli. “Which allows us to do 911 tubs from 1965 to 1998. You can use that base and make it into an RS 3.8.”
When it came to sourcing parts to create authentic replicas for the film, set in 1994, it also helped that Shivli knows a lot of 1990 Porsches and their owners. “I was fortunate that in the ’90s I worked at a Porsche shop in Reno called Sport Haus, managing the parts department,” Shivli said. “With my background in motorsports and with Porsche, we were able to go to the owners and find spare parts. People just opened their garages to us.”
“It’s a very unique thing,” said filmmaker Lorenzo di Bonaventura. “I’ve worked with a lot of brands, but the passion and willingness of the Porsche owners to give was amazing — and we benefited from it. I’ve never seen that kind of enthusiasm for something he owned.
Keeping the replicas running and ready for the Mirage scenes was another challenge. “We brought in technicians from Porsche so that if something goes wrong, they can work on the spot and do overnight maintenance,” said Scott Baker, director of marketing communications for Porsche Cars North America.
Baker said the location call time was usually 3 in the morning. “And it’s not one day, but weeks they’re adjusting something that can happen in a one shot sequence and if the car needs to be fixed.”
“And it wasn’t just a matter of a few weeks, but three countries where the film was shot – and we beat them,” Di Bonaventura said. “With a big Hollywood movie like this, losing a single day of production can cost anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000. If the car doesn’t run, it’s a big deal. There was a lot of pressure on Porsche to keep the cars running because It is the marquee vehicle when you watch the film.
Shivli said that each car also had a specific role to play during filming. “One had to go backwards, the other had to jump. They are all expertly designed and had to perform in extreme conditions.”
“We approached it like a competition situation, like pit stops when you turn the cars around and back them out,” Shivli said. “In between takes, he has to come from the sets and go back to continue with the production.
“If you approach filmmaking the same way you approach motorsports,” he said, “then you’re always going to win.”