Taking Some Fast & Furious* Cars for a Spin

Driving some of history's most famous cinematic cars, on a military base - I've had worse Tuesdays...

2y ago
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Deep in the Leicestershire countryside lies a British military barracks, but housed in one of its enormous hangars is not quite what you'd expect. Yes, there are tanks, tracked vehicles, snowmobiles, pieces of plane fuselage and even a train, but none of them are military – in fact, none of them are even legal. They are, or more accurately were, part of an on-stage live performance of the Fast & Furious films. The assets of the show were recently liquidated and are now being offered up for auction by PDS Auctions.

Included in this ridiculous selection of on-screen and replica vehicles are a number of ex-road cars that were converted for use in the live show, as well as three genuine Fast & Furious film cars from various instalments of the cult franchise.

Last week, I had the privilege of journeying up to those Leicestershire barracks to take the cars for a spin. (Please note that for legal reasons I should state that I did not at any point drive the vehicles anything but sensibly - and please also note the subtle tone of sarcasm with which one would deliver that sentence aloud).

Now, I don’t know if anyone else with no prior military affiliation - other than a stint in their school’s Cadet Force - has ever tried to enter an official military instillation. To put it bluntly, I was somewhat shitting myself. But, the armed guards could not have been more welcoming to my tiny little Corsa and quickly waved me on to receive a guest pass.

I was then kindly escorted to Hangar 4 on the site by Sam – a member of the PDS team. There were a few technicians already at the hangar looking over the cars and preparing them for the upcoming auction. Brief introductions and formalities over, Sam walked straight to the driver’s-side door of the 350z film car, got in and started her up.

He showed me how to use the sequential gearbox and manage the incredibly light clutch, both of which came significantly more quickly to me than I had imagined. It did take me a while to get to grips with not over-revving or suddenly lurching off the clutch, however, but in time I was making some pretty nice hand-brake turns.

It must be said that all of the vehicles I drove that day – with the exception of the three on-screen cars - were very clearly for use as stunt cars, they desperately need to be de-modified closer to how they left the factory. But my God you can have some fun in them!

It is incredibly difficult to place a price upon three of the vehicles mentioned in my earlier article given their immense cinematic significance. They are three of the most screen-hardened cars in cinema history – with the 350z taking an enormous 10 minutes of screen time, the 'ramp car' having almost the same, and the franken-lambo being part of one of the most ridiculous chase scenes in any Fast & Furious film. (Yes, even more ridiculous than pulling down a cargo plane using a bunch of cars).

Without a doubt the most exhilarating vehicle I drove that day was the modified Dodge Charger police car. Complete with sirens and flashing lights, the car was immensely fun to hammer around that Leicestershire base. A blue and orange Nissan Silvia stunt car gave me my first experience going around more than 360 degrees – if you catch my drift… And recreating the famous ‘bank heist’ scene from Fast & Furious 6 made me as giddy as a child on Christmas eve.

I had the most incredible day driving some of the most famous film cars in existence. I can’t thank the staff at PDS Auctions enough and hope that the next time they get their hands on some driftable film cars, they give me a ring. *

Check out the auction catalogue in the link below and maybe put in a bid to own a fantastic replica Fast & Furious car or a genuine piece of cinema royalty! Bidding closes on the 31st January!

www.bidspotter.co.uk/en-gb/auction-catalogues/timed/peter-davies-and-sons-ltd/catalogue-id-peter-1-10033#lot-5e28720e-dc35-4a2e-a235-a9b500d4871b

*“FAST & FURIOUS” IS A TRADEMARK & COPYRIGHT OF UNIVERSAL STUDIOS: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

*No doughnuts or adverse driving of any kind took place during the testing of these stunt cars…

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Comments (1)

  • Wow that looks so cool i wish I could do that.

      2 years ago
1