A short film; Rendezvous in Paris. Turn it up to 11.

[jimboecv]

I can't vouch for the story behind the film (below), but it's pretty crazy viewing non the less.

It's always fun until someone gets hurt and no one got hurt.     

On an August morning in 1978, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_275)  and had a friend, a professional Formula 1 racer, drive at breakneck speed through the heart of Paris early in the morning . The film was limited, for technical reasons, to ten minutes; the course was from Porte Dauphine, through the Louvre, to the Basilica of Sacre Coeur.

No streets were closed, for Lelouch was unable to obtain a permit.  The driver completed the course in about nine minutes, reaching nearly 140 MPH in some stretches. The footage reveals him running real red lights, nearly hitting real pedestrians, and driving the wrong way up real one-way streets.

Upon showing the film in public for the first time, Lelouch was arrested. He has never revealed the identity of the driver, and the film went underground.  If you haven't seen this before it is a classic, if you have seen it I apologize, but it's still a classic.  Turn on your sound and enjoy.
 


 

[Speeddog]

OMG, that's a blast from the past! 

Good stuff, Thanks.

[Spidey]

That was f'n awesome, jimbo.  Now I'm sittin' at work with a 12 foot stiffy.      [moto]

[jimboecv]

That's criminally insane, reckless homicide.  But, nobody got hurt, so it's OK!  In fricken Paris!  I love it!

[Speeddog]

That story sounds quite like what I heard back in 1990 or so.

The sound is just awesome. 

[Le Piou]

We all drive/ride like that in Paris...

And just to get that striaght: the other cars... Well... Those guy are actually American tourists...

 


Edit:
It's insane.
- Around 3:30 after he enters in Le Louvre, the way he get out (at 3:38-3:40) is a very tiny hole into the wall!!!! Seriously a Hummer H2 would not pass through! Plus the exit is a total blind spot. You can't see what coming form the right (nothing can come from the left though it has always been a one way street)
- In montmartre  (Amelie Poulain, you remember?) around 7:40 to the end... It is pavment!!! not asphalt!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[R2]

That's insane!
Thanks for posting, never seen or heard of it before.

[smducman]

thanks for sharing , fast and furious in Paris , wow...

[gojira]

A much better city tour than those tour buses!   

[Holden]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169173/

Filmed with a 6,9l Mercedes 450 SEL. Sound dub is... a little optimistic

[Desmostro]

love it. Ya I was going to say the sound is way better than the first time I saw it. 

 

[Michael Moore]

Incredible! I'd never seen that before. And the sound! Can I have a Ferrari now?

There must be something about Paris traffic that induces people to try and get through town quickly:

[hypurone]

Ahhh, warms the soul!! And was most likely the inspiration for the Ghost Rider shenanigans....

[jimboecv]

What else can you say?  That was nuts.

[Holden]

What else can you say?  That was nuts.

Try watching it with the cheesy engine and tire sound off. He's barely cruising through town, slowly passing busses, turning very gently... The worst part is from 5:45–5:55 (went a little overboard with the tire squeal on the cobblestones) and the obvious seam at 6:03. The other speed illusion comes from the extremely low camera mount.

Don't get me wrong—it's a classic, but they use this video in school to demonstrate how sounds can be deceiving. Another thing people do is find the exact route he took with a map, find the distance & calculate the average speed.

If you want to see a classic French short that is truly nuts (though there are some dishonest sounds, they are easy to spot (e.g. the helicopter & paper)):

Climb Dance (High Quality)