The “Rush” movie crew has been working flat out at Blackbushe Airport in recent days to prepare for the start of filming for the movie, assembling all that is needed to create the right 1970s feel for the movie. And for those who like a bit of nostalgia, there is plenty of it here…
Fuji pits. © Five Lights
The Brabham truck. © Five Lights.
The way they used to do things at Ferrari. © Five Lights.
The Tyrrell transporter. © Five Lights.
The pre-Dennis days at McLaren. © Five Lights
One of the pit straights.© Five Lights
Very, very cool. Can’t wait for the film to be finished.
Exactly what I was thinking!
Some of the finer details might not be spot on but the general cinema-goer isn’t going to know.
could it be that the P34 will make an appearance in the movie!
That would be wonderful… and (at the risk of offending the historical accuracy contingent) how about the Brabham BT46 (fan car) as well?
P34 is on set from tomorrow morning.
Does anyone have photos/links to actual images from that era of the pits and support vehicles?
Isn’t that what YouTube & Google Images are for??
http://www.mclaren.com/page/memorable-mclaren-moments–japan-1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihyPe5Syo3Y (6′ 40″)
Jackie Stewart and Francois Cevert as Tyrrell drivers in 1976?
Seems that the Tyrrell truck is a few years out of place since Cevert died in a crash at Watkins Glen in 1973, and Sir Jackie Stewart announced his retirement that day.
To be precise, Stewart announced his retirement several (I forget how many) days later.
As for historical accuracy, I’m sure it will have plenty of imperfections, but there is plenty of evidence that the filmmakers are paying more attention to this than might be expected.
Makes me wonder if this will be used as part of a back story/flashback/etc?
Oh, but I am going to look like such a dweeb, but… that’s a Mark 2 Ford Transit they have there… introduced in 1978. I’ll get me coat.
Otherwise, everything looks very nice indeed! Too nice, I hope they are going to grot it up a bit. This is F1 before Bernie and Ron changed the way people thought about professional presentation!
Thats what I was thinking
John I recall seeing the Marlboro van at the Osterreichring that year and it was a Chevy not a Transit van!!
p.s. And to add to the “get a life factor”… at least it has an appropriate (1972-73) number plate! Never mind the coat, just turn off the lights when you leave.
Wow! Brings back memories!!!
This movie is about the Lauda/Hunt title battle on 1976, yes?
So why is the McLaren Transit van a Mk2 variant introduced in 1978? (even if the L-reg number plate is 1972-73)
And why does the Tyrrel truck say Jackie Stewart on it when he retired 3 years before?
Should we tell Ron Howard?
one can suppose the older team trucks (there is a JPS Lotus Team with Fittipaldi written on its side too) will be shown briefly or in background plane (in a way it doesnt reveal its ‘right time’) or then there are in the script, brief scenes about Lauda’s initial years in F1 – I think the movie is more about Lauda than about the ’76 championship.
That is very very cool. but why do they need a Stewart/Cevert era transporter for the 1976 season?
Details, details. You’ll never make a film director.
Well the Stewart/cevert era died with Cevert in 1973. You happen to know whether Tyrell was still using the same transporter with Cevert’s name still on it 3 years later? That’s what Reverend Frog is asking…
These are details that the film people really don’t care about. If it looks good enough for them, they believe it is fine.
No reason not to give them heck, Joe, though obviously what’s done is done on a big budget flick. I had just about learned to walk, but the lot of it here, having a good moan about the details is music to my ears. Do not diss my childhood!! (I was a intolerably pedant child) Actually, I think the producers know well enough to annoy for a bit of advance publicity . . and maybe a joke or two.
Really? Authenticity is pretty important in period films. Ron Howard is a very good filmmaker so I expect there’s a good reason for the transporter being the way it is. However, its silly to say they “don’t care”. Maybe they aren’t aware that it’s odd, or its meant to be that way for a reason in the script. It may not even get filmed. We’ll see I guess.
Most of the F1 fans I know are pedantic buggers, like me. These sort of things annoy them. Unfortunately.
But speaking as a utter pedant, I shall be overjoyed if they make this a good film. Put your pedantic hat on for a second, and ask yourself if you can see the plot for the trees? I much rather have a movie I can take a nice girl to, or that my mom understands, than have every detail just so. That said, please nobody stop moaning the details here, cos that’s what I really live for!
p.s. on the explaining things to mom front, had a explanation to do today about what is called rust belt, which I thought odd, as our bit of Yorkshire was still covered in soot when I was a boy. Just the phrase confused. Upshot: mom rates Bruce Springsteen. Not bad for the old girl. I did the blind test, and flicked a bit of quality Floyd in there . . she wasn’t having it. 80yrs and rocking Bruce on a first listen. Yeah!
Easily fixable in post-production anyhow, if they decide it’s an issue.
Most importantly, it looks like they’ve nailed the feel of the era to me!
Details, details – forget the wrong Transit, has anyone dared to tell Il Commendatore that Ferrari are using a Renault Estafette van?
Well Enzo used to drive each morning to the factory in a Renault saloon…
I read somewhere recently that Il Commendatore himself had a Renault road car for his personal use in Modena, long long time ago.
Joe, any idea who the film makers are using as a consultant for their historical contexts?
Eveything looks and “feels” correct in spite of the details others have pointed out. I guess at the end of the day the “feel” counts for more then the minor technical contradictions.
Probably the bloke with the loudest voice
Actually, I believe they’ve used Doug Nye, among others. Not a particularly ‘loud’ voice, but a very authoritative one. We’ll just have to see if they listened.
Yes, Nye mentioned the Q&A session that he and a few other historians were invited to with Howard and Co. in a recent Motor Sport article. Don’t remember whether he mentioned any of the other names though.
Is anyone offering race ticket/hotel packages for the races?
Would love to attend.
Let me set the date on my Wayback Machine.
Very unglamourous. Will be interesting to compare this to the finished article, which no doubt will be quite glamourous.
Perhaps they would like to rent my 1977 911 Carrera 3.0 RS (as driven by James Hunt) to have in the background.
Wilson
To be fair, the Tyrrell transporter is just as its owner has prepared it, Howard et al. have only rented an already decorated truck (see http://www.flickr.com/photos/44381054@N05/4623471181/). Full period authenticity demands this livery…
http://images.forum-auto.com/mesimages/237465/Tyrrell6wheelerP34inpaddockattheBritishGP1976.jpg
And it does beg the question of whether we’ll see a P34 making a cameo at some point during the film. After all, though he may have hated it, Scheckter did win a race in the car that season.
On the subject of details, the Brabham Alfa Romeo truck is missing the nearby pall of smoke from another Alfa engine lunching itself…
hahaha, well said
Or the Mechanics smoking a cig while adjusting the carburetors…
Original images from Fuji 76
http://journal.autosport.com/2009/week40/gold1.jpg
http://jcspeedway.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html (16 pics from the top)
The set picture of Hunt’s pit shows a lot of Canon branding – more than was the case. Some clever 21C product placement perhaps?
Those pics are of the Ferrari pits…
You bunch of cynics! As a 10 year old in 1976 I remember the year that JH won the championship in very simple, colourful and vivid terms – 2 very brave blokes going at it hammer and tongs and I wanted our bloke to win. If Ron Howard et al can capture the character of those 2 giants with even just the general essence of their machines, he’ll be accomplishing exactly what he did with Apollo 13. A great, intensely moving and inspirational film with its numerous technical and historical innacuracies consigned to a small Wikipedia entry of a few hundred words. I really don’t care how many wheels the Tyrell has or whether we have a late model transit or not. If he can make JH and NL compete against each other again on the silver screen, I’m in.
Further to the Tyrrell transporter — why does it appear to be left hand drive with British plates? Just asking…
A lot of teams did that, as most of the time the transporter was trucking around the Route Nationale and Autobahn networks, not the British A-roads. So it made sense to get a truck that was set up for European driving.
The Mclaren and Ferrari vans are priceless.. I want one!
Never mind about the transit being the wrong model or the stewart/cevert tyrell elf transporter, get this baby going and finished , i want to see the movie and if ron howard has anything to do with it then the movie is going to be a class act.
joe sorry forgot to mention, great photos keep up the great work.
Ron Howard tweeted some pics from filming at Brands earlier in the week.
I don’t think they have it correct with the Tyrell transporter, unless they are going back pre 1973! All looking good tho’
the Fuji pits scenery seems ready to relive Hunt’s pit stop for changing one front tyre in the final part of that Grand Prix.
or was it for all four tyres (wet to slicks)?
waiting to see the movie to tell me.
I might have an explanation: on Monday i’ve seen some pictures of the crew, filming in Brands Hatch with two BRM’s, of Clay Regazzoni and Niki Lauda. Both were teamates in 1973, before in the end of that season, the swiss driver recomended Lauda for Ferrari. And it was in 1973 that Hunt arrived in big fashion to Formula 1, on the Hesketh.
So, probably the script – written by Peter Morgan – might have something to do with that season, that’s why we see the Tyrrell truck, as we havbe seen the Lotus truck with the names of Ronnie Peterson and Emerson Fittipaldi.
I live nearby and there has been a lot of controversy over potential affects on the local wildlife reserves but fortunately the production seems to be going ahead.
Have you heard anything about this Joe?
There are NIMBYs everywhere
Gotta love folks that buy property next to a circuit that, especially back then, had cars on track what 5 out of 7 days a week? Only after they move in, get a lawyer, are they shocked… SHOCKED! to find there is motor racing and… get this… cars and bikes…. actually driving…. on a racing circuit. I’m as-big-a-commie-pinko-tree-hugging-hippie as the next guy but this kind of stuff makes “the cause” look like a bunch of winging sissies stomping their feet and telling others how to live when they didn’t ask…
Very much like people buying houses under the Heathrow flightpath and then complaining about aircraft noise…
I don’t remember any complaints about the effects on local wildlife when there used to be a massive Sunday market there! Unfortunately the day I went the owner had chucked everybody off his land and was patrolling around in his tractor!
Sorry – I’ve gone off subject. I look forward to watching the finished movie and will see whether they have corrected any mistakes then.
you guys are too much…. it all looks great if you ask me!
I agree
Alistair Caldwell was McLaren’s Team Manager during the 1976 season. His website is worth a look – http://www.alastaircaldwell.com/
I thought Teddy Mayer was… hmmm… I shall check the site out
I really hate it when film directors drop the ball on the little details.
Oh well, I’m still excited!
Does it really matter though?
I remember watching Die Hard 2 with my Dad (a pilot) years ago and he pointed out plenty of inaccuracies (like the cockpit of a three engined plane having 4 throttles) but hardly ruins the film.
The same with the Life on Mars series, the cars not being 100% periodically accurate didn’t spoil a great story.
It may only be “details, details” but it gives a good indication of how serious the director is at telling the story. Considering the attention to detail in Apollo 13, I would have hoped for better from Ron Howard.
Please tell them it’s all about the detail!
The people watching this film will know the detail – if it’s wrong they will know it’s wrong.
If the only people watching the film know the detail, then the film will be a failure.
I’m sure someone will know but did vehicles of that era have reflective front white and rear yellow number plates – would they not have been black with silver lettering. Can’t quite remember when they came in (I am definitely showing my age here …)
I live nearby and there has been controversy about the effect the filming will have on the local wildlife sanctuaries. Fortunately, production seems to be going ahead. Have you heard anything more about this controversy Joe?
A small part of me would like them to get the details right… a huge part of me is looking forward to an F1 film set in the 70′s with full (invisible) CG effects at their disposal!
I hear Ron Howard is directing, he dealt with the hardware in Apollo 13 pretty amazingly, I’m almost looking forward to this movie more than Iron Sky!
Roll on 2013!
Enjoying all these shots, along with the director’s ones on Twitter (including a fine birthday cake for him today).
Why can’t these so-called pedants spell “Tyrrell”?! It’s there in big letters on the truck. No doubt they put a double-r in “Toro Rosso” as well.
A lot of assumptions here about details when the photos are out of context.
While I wouldn’t expect absolute perfection in any movie, I truly doubt Ron Howard would allow a 1973 painted truck into a 1976 scene. From what I’ve read from Ron, it is more than just the ’76 season, so don’t anyone fret too much just yet (wait until the movie is released, then point out the van is the wrong model).
I think when the movie is released we will all be very pleased and will overlook any small inaccuracies,.
For me i look forward to the movie…..
Any chance of keeping all of this and using it annually at Goodwood or Philips Island? It’s too good to go to waste after the movie has been done!
I wonder who will play Marlene Lauda? She was – probably still is – a real beauty.
I think I already wrote about that. Read back, It is there somewhere.
Regarding riccbat’s point;
White number plates at the front and yellow at the back came into force in 1971 with the launch of the J reg plate.
I remember car spotting them at the time.
One word my English friends use ANORAKS……. dont judge the pictures dont judge the film Just enjoy the snippetts you are getting this film will be worth going to see …..
People are mentioning Apollo13 as having great attention to detail, yet the aero/space geeks laugh at how hokey it was in some areas………..
It is important that the audience suspend their mind from the surrounding “reality” and enter the world of the film. Depending on the nature of the movie, blatant things “wrong” will break that suspension. This suspension varies by type of movie: Python’s Holy Grail doesn’t need to try too hard. Moulin Rouge comes to mind – none of it is real yet I let go and enjoy. On the other hand the movie Grand Prix is different. Reality is a different animal here. I continue to watch it but those F3 cars at Monza, tarted up to look like F1 cars, look simply silly. Not, perhaps, to the other 99% of the audience, but for that moment the spell is broken.
That said, I don’t think the wrong reflective properties of license plates would make any difference to me.
Just finished reading Tom Rubython’s account of the 1976 season “In The Name Of Glory”. A few things for us pedants to question, but overall the story is just as great now as it was to watch as a 9 year old in 1976. Can’t wait for the movie.
Let’s see whether those details matter or not – if they’ve borrowed someone’s authentic 1973 truck for a background shot, wouldn’t we also say it would be vandalism to repaint it for 1976 if it’s parked in the background where you can’t read it anyway?
Wonder how many of James’ off-track antics make it to the movie?
Tom Rubython was not involved in F1 until the 1990s and even then he was never an insider.
I dont know the account and barely know about its author (though not good on him, I’m afraid) but I did read a long article (cover showing B.Hatch failed start with Rega in wrong direction) on the same theme in Motorsport a few years ago and I strongly recommend it.
I’m sorry but my view is a film of this historic nature about motor racing should get every detail correct,showing vehicles that were not even made at the time is sloppy and lazy ie the Transit,how difficult would it have been to find the correct model? Hardly rare or expensive are they. Rush is a good title and to much of it i think.
I don’t care about the realistic and accurate-to-the-millimeter details – still think all this classic machinery is pretty cool. I’d take that Ferrari van for a long, slooooow cruise around town any day. The team trailers reflect an entirely different era in marketing and branding and logo design/placement. Granted, I wasn’t around to see it the first time, I still like to see it making the rounds and getting screen time.
It makes you wonder what they’ll be showing in ~30 years to represent this current generation. In my 60′s, I’m pretty sure I’ll still think this years’ nose designs are really ugly. heh.
the Tyrrell transporter is gorgeous – and makes me even more happy to understand there are scenes of ’73 season, even others previous to ’76.the Fuji pits also look fantastic, it was a very simple environment for such a thrilling finale.
I’m a “detalhista” pedant but for sure looking forward to more pictures of the current shootings at the old airbase, please continue feeding our pleasure.
thanks a lot Joe
Fernando, agree with your sentiments but the Tyrrell colours in ’76 were blue with a yellow not white stripe. I was lucky enough as a 20 year old to travel from Australia to Europe that year and saw British German and Austrian GP’s
Tony, I trust what you tell, but so that is one more reason to believe that having transporters from before ’76 indicates scenes from previous seasons are present in the script – if it will be left in the final cut, well, that’s for now part of our state of anxiety as waiting for watching the movie.
thw whole point is that everyone commenting here is has a deep hope that in the end it reveals as attractive and fascinating as “Grand Prix” could be in the 60s – since i dont know of any other car racing story movie as seductive as that one, except “Le Mans”.
glad to know you had the chance to watch such Grands Prix in ’76; I consider a privilege. mid-seventies my favorite time of all, I was a teenager you can understand why I think so.
I saw the Brazilian that season at old Interlagos of course, and Tyrrell then ran the 007s from ’75 – in those times new cars only were introduced from the Spanish GP, with rare exceptions.
In ’77 we could see the six-wheeled in action with Depailler and Peterson, but there was not the vertical yellow stripe anymore, something I heard it had to do with a future combo Tyrrell-Renault that never was.
cheers
Maybe it’s just me, but these old transporters, transit vans, etc. are glorious. F1 and its teams could really leverage a lot of interest in the sport, their brand and sponsors by simply being active about getting this type of equipment into all types of car shows and related events.