Pink Floyd drummer’s Maserati was filmed in the Ferrari movie

We talked about the biographical film “Ferrari”, dedicated to the founder of the legendary Italian brand, one of the most successful car companies in the world and the racing team of the same name.

It’s still unfortunate that the Michael Mann-directed film has so far grossed significantly less money at the global box office than its makers expected, but the fate of its distribution is another story.

The biopic, which tells about the kind of person Enzo Ferrari, received quite favorable reviews from critics, and if for some reason it did not suit the general public, then you cannot please everyone. Mann dreamed of making this film for years, and he did it. Moreover, he did this with high quality, and this was also reflected in the careful approach with which the racing scenes were recreated.

This is exactly what we are talking about now.

To make everything look as authentic as possible, filming used both authentic cars of the era and purpose-built replicas, which were visually indistinguishable from the originals, especially on screen. For example, the film shows two real Formula 1 cars, and one of them is a Maserati 250 F from the collection of Nick Mason, the drummer of Pink Floyd.

By the way, this car is driven in the film by American racer Derek Hill, the son of Phil Hill, the 1961 world champion. He plays Jean Bert, a Maserati driver. In the first scenes, Bera/Hill sets a lap record in this car at the Modena circuit, and later we see him behind the wheel of a Maserati 450S sports car, while the main events of the film revolve around the infamous Mille Miglia race from 1957. .

Ferrari pilots in those competitions competed in sports cars 315 S and 335 S. This is what Patrick Dempsey, who manages to combine the fame of a Hollywood star with the fame of a racer and owner of his own team, who successfully performs in endurance racing, talks about the filming process.

“I drove all the time and it was the best job I ever had in my life,” said Dempsey, who played Piero Taruffi in the film.

Seven sports cars were used in the racing scenes of the Mille Miglia and, as already mentioned, two real Formula 1 cars were also used in the film. Replica sports cars from Ferrari and Maserati were built on the Caterham Seven 620 chassis with 4-cylinder in-line turbo engines with a power of 310 hp. The body parts were reproduced with all possible care and precision; this work was entrusted to the renowned Italian studio Carrozzeria Campana Onorio, based in Modena.

But racing, even film racing, is not a safe activity, and of course there was a risk of expensive equipment being damaged during filming. Breaking a replica is one thing, but what if a priceless historic car is damaged? But the filmmakers tried to minimize the risks, so they invited professional racers. They say that Nick Mason was very concerned about the fate of the Maserati 250F, wanted to know who exactly would take the wheel, but then personally entrusted the pride of his collection to Derek Hill.

And one more interesting fact: among the 15 professional stuntmen who took part in the filming process was Ben Collins, one of those who once appeared in the cult car program Top Gear as a mysterious racer nicknamed Stig.

Finally, let’s quote Patrick Dempsey again – his opinion is also valuable because he knows a lot about racing: “I’m very proud of this film. I think he’s great. And the racing scenes are very well filmed. The film is truly of high quality, I am amazed at both the attention to detail and the emotional impact it creates. You leave the cinema, but the film doesn’t leave you for a long time.”

The author of these lines fully agrees with his opinion.