“Quick & Livid”—the fourth installment in the franchise—is noteworthy principally for reuniting a lot of the authentic forged from the primary film. Nevertheless it additionally gave an iconic muscle automotive some long-overdue display screen time. That is the story of how a Buck Grand Nationwide ended up on display screen—as informed by Craig Lieberman, a technical advisor on most of the films within the franchise.

The Grand National solely seems within the opening scene of the 2009 hit, pushed by Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto throughout an tried heist of a gasoline-tanker land practice. On display screen, the automotive is proven driving in reverse at velocity for an prolonged time period—not one thing any manufacturing automotive can do.

To make the scene work, two automobiles (a 1985 mannequin and a 1986 mannequin) had engines mounted of their trunks, with rear-facing steering wheels, pedals, and dashboards behind the entrance passenger’s seats. Intelligent digicam angles had been used to cover the literal backseat driver, however in at the least one shot it is nonetheless obvious that the rear wheels are steering, moderately than the fronts, Lieberman famous.

Eight automobiles had been used for filming, together with the 2 reverse-driving ones. All had been actual Grand Nationals from varied mannequin years. One automotive had its 3.8-liter turbocharged V-6 changed with a V-8 in an effort to enhance acceleration off the road, Lieberman stated. The Eighties-era inventory turbo setup was vulnerable to period-typical turbo lag.

All automobiles bought modified suspension for a decrease stance, driving about 3.0 inches decrease than inventory, Lieberman stated. Brakes had been additionally modified to make the automobiles simpler to slip.

As of mid-2020, a lot of the automobiles nonetheless survive, in response to Lieberman, principally in museums or non-public collections.