Mustangs in the Movies: “Need for Speed”
When one feels the need, the need for speed, only F-14 Tomcats and Mustangs will do.
At least that’s what the good folks at Ford figured when they had the good sense to partner with DreamWorks on last spring’s Need for Speed, a high-octane race-for-revenge flick loosely based on the swell-selling video game of the same name. And by partnering, I mean Ford likely gave DreamWorks a boatload of cash to feature a gorgeous custom ‘Stang that beats the slicks off some of the world’s sickest supercars.
While such enticing exposure gives the uninitiated the chance to dream about owning a Mustang of their own someday, I think the arrangement should have been the other way around. Why wouldn’t DreamWorks be paying for the rights to have their hero drive the baddest mother around, especially when she’s packing 900 hp?
The Ford guys who built this badass took to calling it “Hero Car”, which makes sense, seeing as the hero drives it heroically and all, taking it to some of the most impressive extremes I’ve ever seen on screen. But still, I don’t like giving cars such masculine nicknames. Just the same said “Hero Car” is driven hard by our hero, Aaron Paul, who plays Tobey Marshall, a street racer/custom car-maker framed by his former business partner for a crime he didn’t commit. Marshall gets out of jail with revenge on his mind, saying, “It’s time we make him pay, but first, we’re going to need a fast car.” And that’s where “Hero Car” takes over. The fact that the great Michael Keaton refers to our little pony as the “chariot of the gods” just makes the movie that much better.
“They wanted a car that was genuine. They wanted a car that was like the best of America,” said Steve Ling of Ford, while discussing what filmmakers were looking for before casting “Hero Car”.
Ling goes on to say that Need for Speed joins some great films – I Am Legend, Bullitt, Gone in 60 Seconds – that really get what Mustang is all about. He doesn’t finish that sentence, but I’m assuming he’s talking about fighting zombies, chasing bad guys, stealing gorgeous cars, and outdriving everything else on the road.