The Wachowskis' first suggestion was that the racetracks be a cross between a giant ski slalom and a skateboard park, based on their understanding that, impressive as the cars are, they needed a dramatic place to show off their moves. This is standard equipment on all the cars that compete in the World Racing League.”
#Speed racer 2008 art of losing driver
John Gaeta, Glass' colleague adds: “Larry and Andy came up with a safety feature they call 'Kwiksave Foam,' which is like a big rubber ball that inflates around the driver to protect them in the event of a crash. It's an extremely dangerous-looking sport, but no one gets seriously hurt, because we've developed a special device that protects the driver.” And while you could sit in the cockpit of each car, these full-size replicas weren't actually going anywhere as no power trains were installed.ĭan Glass, visual effects supervisor, observes: “At the speeds they're driving, and with the combative techniques they are using, there are a lot of precious moments on the track. Speed's Mach 5 and Racer X's Shooting Star were physically constructed in full-scale for use in certain scenes. We wanted to have fun with them and let everyone bounce ideas off of one another.”Īfter the car designs were done, they were painted in a digital mode. Says Hill: “We brought together some of the most talented artists in the field, from storyboard artists to top designers within the automotive industry. “In our world, we have architects, but in the world of 'Speed Racer' people hire 'carchitects' to custom build their vehicles,” Paterson says. Paterson and his team began work nearly a year in advance of principal shooting to create more than 100 individual car designs. They called these types of cars 'T 180s' for their ability to turn their wheels 180 degrees and drift across banks sideways, generating several Gs of lateral acceleration.” Larry and Andy coined a term to describe the Mach 6 and cars in its class in the film. Says producer Joel Silver: “After exploring several possibilities, Larry and Andy looked at the original Mach 5's iconic profile and decided to retain the essence of the original because its look is truly timeless and unique.” “For the Mach 6, which is used strictly for track racing in the World Racing League, we went for a very bold yet refined profile, and maintained the color scheme and overall 'M' shape of the Mach 5.”
![speed racer 2008 art of losing speed racer 2008 art of losing](https://live.staticflickr.com/2050/2497879053_84481f36a5_b.jpg)
The updated design of the Mach 5 could have gone in several directions, but “we eventually came back to a semi-retro look with very sleek lines,” says production designer Owen Paterson. Its profile, complemented by a glossy, white finish with a red 'M' emblazoned across the hood, is firmly etched in the minds of “Speed Racer” fans around the world. While the Mach 5 will always be the car most closely associated with Speed Racer in the minds of diehard fans, the Wachowskis upped the ante by introducing a new generation of the Mach seriesthe Mach 6.
![speed racer 2008 art of losing speed racer 2008 art of losing](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYmY2M2Q0YjYtYTBhOS00MTQ2LTkzZWUtYzNmMzE2M2ZkYTU3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTc3ODE3ODI@._V1_.jpg)
Speed Racer's thundering Mach 5 is one of the world's most recognizable cars onscreen.
![speed racer 2008 art of losing speed racer 2008 art of losing](https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.881131652.4327/fposter,small,wall_texture,product,750x1000.jpg)
But given the style of the cars needed, and the high-impact action required, it made more sense to create the whole thing digitally. Interestingly, the filmmakers initially contemplated the possibility of shooting the movie's race sequences by using real cars on practical racetracks. For starters, all of the pyrotechnic high-flying, hard-hitting car action in the film was rendered in state-of-the-art digitally with CGI. As with every project by the Wachowski brothers, it's expected that their new, eagerly-awaited movie, “Speed Racer” (opening May 9) will break new grounds, technically and stylistically.