Forgotten movie cars: the Jaguar XK 120 from "The Fast and the Furious"
01/22/2023
Perhaps we should turn the name of this section around and write about a "forgotten car movie". Because once you've seen this 1954 B-movie, it's hard to forget the white Jaguar XK 120 OTS. As soon as the opening credits are over, the roadster can be seen and heard in every other scene of the film. John Ireland and Dorothy Malone, who are only in the car together very involuntarily, set off in it to a sports car race from Southern California to Mexico.
A large part of the action therefore takes place in and around the car. The story about the misunderstood murderer on the run, the perky Jaguar driver as his hostage and the inevitable romance? Forget it. Much more important is where it finally reaches its climax: at the SCCA National Championship races in Pebble Beach. Because the budget of 50,000 dollars didn't allow for more, instead of closing the track, they simply filmed the real racing action in Monterey and later combined it with a few self-shot driving scenes.
The result is a surprisingly authentic picture of the sports car scene in the USA in the mid-fifties, with Allard, Jowett, Triumph and Nash battling it out on the track. In contrast to many other fifties productions, the driving scenes are also convincing. They were neither played faster nor accompanied by inappropriate engine noises. In the studio shots with rear projection, the drivers at the steering wheel even all turn halfway in the right direction.
At the time, "The Fast and the Furious" was not well received by the critics. Perhaps because, apart from its unusual setting, it was a little too conventional. Because in the end, the criminal is reformed, the woman is kissed and the police are forgotten. Just like the movie. Today, only the title is known, albeit in the context of modern tuner cars. It is pretty much the only thing the rustic black-and-white film has in common with Rob Cohen's garishly colorful tuning action from 2001.
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