just saw the movie again and watched Charlize smoke her tires on the test run. For you movie trivia folks out there: the exhaust on her MCS looked stock... was the engine stock as well?

 

There were a couple of different cars that they used, because the city of LA wouldn't let them run gasoline engines in the tunnels, so some scenes are shot with electric motors...

 

the Red MCS in the scene I mentioned was using a gas engine... just wondered if and what mods were done to it?

 

You can look at the extra's on the DVD and it tells you about the cars. I think they said there were 34 cars, and a group of people tracking them to make sure the proper ones with the appropriate damage/wear were used in the correct scenes. All of the motors based on everything I have read and seen are stock. During the subway scenes that had to use electric motors. If you look at the extra's on the DVD it shows you the motors in the car and the sound module that they used to create the "authentic" gas engine sounds.

The cars did have upgraded suspension components to handle the jumps and the jolts that it encountered. Some of the cars also had two steering wheels in them to allow a stunt driver to drive the car without having to be in the driving seat.

What I found interesting was all the modded components that were on the shelves just before they started modding the car, although like I said they were only there for show, since they didn't mod the cars.

The DVD has a lot of cool extra's showing the actors working on their driving skills, and all about the driving school and training they received on the Minis. The actors also talked about what they liked about the cars.

 

Another point of note is that in the movie Wrench tells Charlie that he "lost the emissions" meaning that the exhaust systems had been removed. I am sure that contributed to more HP.

 

You don´t need to mod you car, simply switch off you asr or dsc and go to 6500 rpm put first gear on, leave the clutch and you see, maybe for the movie put oil on the tires and it would be easier, much more if you put 50 to 60 lbs of air pressure on the tires, smaller part of the tire will touch the ground, I now that they used it a lot on movies to slide police cars going after the good gays.

Maybe tricks like that they can help.

 

This really doesn't count, but...

1) The CR/W MCS had black mirror caps, AND

2) The IB/W MC had *IB* mirror caps. I actually did this a little while back thinking it would look pretty cool - and now it must look I copied the Italian Job Cooper

Oh well, that's all I've noticed.

 

>>You don´t need to mod you car, simply switch off you asr or dsc and go to 6500 rpm put first gear on, leave the clutch and you see, maybe for the movie put oil on the tires and it would be easier, much more if you put 50 to 60 lbs of air pressure on the tires, smaller part of the tire will touch the ground, I now that they used it a lot on movies to slide police cars going after the good gays.
>>
>>Maybe tricks like that they can help.


Why would a lot of movies show police cars going after good gays?
:smile:

 

anyone notice the Subaru WRX motor sounds? Coming from the blue Cooper when it leaves the pack.

Check it out.

 

coopertino should this post be in the performance section.

 

I have certain connections with Mark Wahlberg's stuntman through a friend of mine... they did mod the cars lightlyt by making the exhaust a straight pipe from the cat back. Thinking about doing it to my car.

 

If all goes as planned, that will be a project for me this winter. For the MCS, this will require the removal, or serious hacking of the battery box. And of course placing the battery elsewhere.

I already have a 13.5 lb SLA battery, so that won't be an issue. The pipe can then go straight out the rear, minus a few inch downward dip a couple feet back from the cat. I will use a 24" ST exhaust. If I can source 2.5" titanium tubing, the whole system will weigh 8-9 lbs, cat back. Supposedly, the battery box removal nets about the same delta...

So, if the stock system weighs 42 or so pounds, much weight can be shed:

34lb stock battery to SLA = 20lb savings
battery box removal (MCS) = 8lbs
straight ti pipe w/ 24" ST in place of stock = 33+lbs

Covering the battery box openning will require some material, but one can figure at least a 55lb savings by doing this on an MCS. Add on the increased power of such a system, the weight to hp ratio is very much improved...

_________________
2003 IB MCS

 

>>I have certain connections with Mark Wahlberg's stuntman through a friend of mine... they did mod the cars lightlyt by making the exhaust a straight pipe from the cat back. Thinking about doing it to my car.


If you do this, straight pipe, be sure to post a sound byte. :smile:

 

Back to the original topic...I was just watching the DVD tonight and I was thinking the same thing... I have a 03 MCS with the S/C pulley and an Alta intake. I'm very familiar with the sound of the S/C whine - its quite loud with that combo - and when you don't have the exhaust, there is nothing to drown out that sound...

Anyway, when they are going down the ductway, the focus on the lead car (blue), then the white car, then the red car. When the focus on the red car, suddenly you'll hear a noticable s/c whine that really wasn't as pronounced on the other cars.

Anyone else notice this?
Erik

 

sure, and I noticed it when they're cutting through traffic just before that. it's when the Napster is diverting them through traffic - blue car is first, then red car (that's when you hear the S/C whine), and white car. what a freaking cool flick!!!

hav a great weekend - get your azzez motoring!

 

Watch all the interviews on the DVD, they all talk about the Mini's at one point or another. For some reason I remember a interview with handsome rob and he said one of them was differen't from the others (not talking about the electric one). Sorry I can't fully remember becuase I've looked at so much mini stuff after the movie I can't remember what the movie inverviews said exactly

 

>>Watch all the interviews on the DVD, they all talk about the Mini's at one point or another. For some reason I remember a interview with handsome rob and he said one of them was differen't from the others (not talking about the electric one). Sorry I can't fully remember becuase I've looked at so much mini stuff after the movie I can't remember what the movie inverviews said exactly
Yes, Handsome Rob was talking about Charlize driving the red MCS which was higher performance and more power than the other MINIs.
I also looked carefully at the scene when the mechanic was walking charlie through the changes and there was a rack of "spare parts" that were removed neatly lined up in sets of threes and you could see stock MCS exhaust systems, headers x 3 and shocks and springs, implying that they upgraded the exhausts (maybe straight pipe), maybe installed exhaust headers with no sport cat, and maybe installed coil overs.
Plus the mechanic mentions he removed 200 pounds of excess weight.
All of the MINIs appear to be manual shift as far as the story line goes.
In the story segment extras they mention about some MINIs being lightened for jumping or some with better suspension for certain stunts. Nobody mentioned pulleys and ECU upgrades which is the big upgrade but then two of the three MINIs were MC so that was not an option.

I want to know what mods were done to the red classic mini? That was a nice little car whipping into that tight parking space as Stella arrived back at her office after cracking the safe for the police.

 

I swear that I heard a BOV on the two coopers. Watch it again and tell me if you dont hear the Coopers "Blowing off". I would have bet my last jelly doughnut that the coopers had turbo kits on them.

 

Yes - that's because the other cars don't have superchargers. They're Coopers!

 

I bought both versions of TIJ at Costco over the weekend. total cost about $31. What a great pair of Mini/MINI flicks. DVD is the way to go with all the interviews, deleted scenes (did you notice the tow chain holding the white MC during the deleted scene of Left Ear doing a hill start?) Too bad that the deleted scenes were all MINI driving related. Hey, its great having a movie star in the garage, don'tcha think so?

_________________
BLUBELLE - 2003 MCS IB /W Premium, Sport, Cold pkgs, Lapis blue interior, Magnecor wires, Alta Pulley, Moss Skid Plate, Chrome Trim Interior

 

Normally I'd agree but all those deleted scenes were absolutely horrendous! I'm so glad they were deleted. If they were all in there it would have really made the movie, well, not nearly as good! I saw it 7 times in the theater and several times took different, non-MINI people. i think they might have been bored with boring MINI scenes. The scenes they did keep were great.

 

I as well did notice the blue cooper blowing off, most noticable when he's pulling onto the train

 

Hey folks.... I am a Special Effects tech, since 1979, and a MCS driver... I saw the cars all parked just up the street from where I was attending a shoot (an AFLAC commercial shoot) and so I walked up there during lunch and talked my way into the parking lot. I took a good long look at the exteriors of about 12 cars, and peeked inside too. Several were stripped bare inside behind the driver's seats, and several had dual parking brake levers (for better p-brake turns) They didn't have to do much to the cars for performance, because the editor and sound effects guys did it for them! I don't know for a fact, but I agree with the poster above that the tire smoke was "helped'. If it can be done with less power and therefore danger on the set, that's how you do it. They probably even restrained the car with a cable (and release hook) for the shot. As far as sounds go, they almost NEVER use live sounds for the final tracks. It must have been totally enhanced and replaced with what people expect to hear, not the actual sound these amazing machines make (Alta intake folks, you KNOW what I mean!).

NEVER believe what you see in a movie, and don't drive down any stairs either!