From the Mitsubishi Eclipse to the Toyota Supra, the unique 2001 hit “The Quick and the Livid” turned many automobiles into stars. However much more automobiles did not make the minimize, as Craig Lieberman, a technical advisor for the early movies within the franchise, explains on this video.

First off, the unique film centered on tuner automobiles, and producers solely needed automobiles that have been obtainable in the USA on the time. That dominated out JDM fashions, uncommon muscle automobiles, and supercars, though some exceptions have been made (together with Dominic Toretto’s Dodge Charger) and these guidelines have been relaxed in later movies.

Many automobiles that met these floor guidelines nonetheless did not make the minimize, although. Producers turned down the Volkswagen Beetle, Mazda MX-5 Miata, and BMW Z3 for not being “manly” sufficient. Lieberman additionally famous that convertibles have been normally prevented as a result of it made it onerous to cover stunt drivers’ faces (keep in mind that Johnny Tran’s Honda S2000 was all the time proven with the highest up).

The script additionally initially had Brian O’Connor beginning out in a Mitsubishi 3000GT, then switching to an Eclipse. Nonetheless, not one of the modified 3000GTs that confirmed as much as the automotive casting name impressed producers, and the Supra was a greater match due to its detachable giant roof, which was wanted for the truck-chase scene later within the film, Lieberman mentioned.

Toretto was all the time slated to drive an FD Mazda RX-7, however different members of his crew may have ended up in numerous automobiles. Lieberman initially recommended an E36 BMW M3 or Audi S4 for Jesse, who bought a Mark III Volkswagen Jetta as an alternative. Preliminary automotive concepts for Vince included a Toyota MR2, Lexus GS, and Honda Prelude, however Lieberman’s own Nissan Maxima was chosen as an alternative. Leon went from a Toyota Celica to an R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R.

The unique script additionally named a Ford Mustang as Tran’s automotive (and referred to the character as “Pete”). That did not make sense in a film about tuner automobiles, however the change from Mustang to S2000 really happened as a result of producers noticed a modified black S2000 they favored. Villains all the time drive black automobiles, the idea went.