Car Movies – Paris 1976 in a Ferrari

“I was a free man in Paris, I felt unfettered and alive, nobody calling me up for favors, no one’s future to decide.” Joni MItchell.

I’d never seen all of this before. Love the run down Champs Elysees, then along the Seine and the great left into the Louvre and out the other side. I think I recognized a few other streets, and some of the narrow cobbled ones he went down were great. Can’t imagine doing those at speed. And I thought he was gonna lose it at the Obelisque! I think he wound up at or near Sacre Coeur, but am not sure.

What a ride!

This movie was actually filmed from the front bumper of Lelouch’s Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9, with sound dubbed in from a Ferrari, most likely his 275GTB. There is a wikipedia page on this @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%27%C3%A9tait_un_rendez-vous which explains what actually happened. The driving itself was still very impressive, even if the car wasn’t going as fast as the engine noise would imply.

You gotta love the backstory on this. He did a fine job dropping in the sound track. It really works.

I would believe the speeds being around 80-90 mph (130 to 140 kph). I’ve shot video in my car on a back road running 80+ and it didn’t look like more than 60, and 60 looked like 40.

The dark lighting in the movie, the narrow angle of view and the cam being close to the ground would add to the illusion of very high speed. Still, he definitely had the loud pedal down going down Champs Elysees. And I did wonder how he made the cut through the Louvre without stopping–he had spotter! The street he exited onto is narrow, as is the driveway he used–about 12-15 feet wide as I recall.

I may have to put a cam on the front of the car and go for a ride. I don’t have gyro-stabilizers, though.

Jim, you have to set up a cam in your car on your next trip to VIR!