Netflix is set to release a new documentary about the Formula 1 legend, Michael Schumacher. This long-awaited film, to be aired on September 15th, tells the story of the German F1 legend’s career, from karting in Kerpen to taking his record seventh championship in 2004, with interviews from his wife Corinna, their two children Gina and Mick, and many former F1 rivals and peers. “Schumacher” promises unseen archive material showing the “many facets of his multi-layered personality.” His brother Ralf, former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo, FIA chief Jean Todt, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone are featured along with F1 drivers, Mika Hakkinen, Sebastian Vettel, and David Coulthard.
I met Michael in 2007, at Fiorano. It was at the companies 60th Anniversary party. I gave him a DVD I had made of all his championship wins, to the sound track of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck. As we walked into the venue together, we were greeted by a sea of paparazzi, something Michael was all too familiar with, but for me it was a little unnerving! A few weeks later, I received an email from Michael, thanking me for the DVD and asking me to keep in touch. We did keep in touch periodically, almost right up to that fateful day in 2013.
17 Mar 2002: Portrait of Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher before the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia. \ Mandatory Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images \
Don’t miss what will be an extraordinary insight into the life and character of one of F1’s greatest ever drivers!
By Dee Munro2021-08-23Comments Off on Newsletter 27: FERRARI ICONS 365 GTB/4 (DAYTONA)
The Daytona name is officially unofficial. Supposedly the name was dubbed by the media rather than Ferrari, apparently to commemorate Ferrari’s 1-2-3 finish in the 1967, 24 Hours of Daytona.
Ferrari won the race with a 330 P3/4, a 330 P4, and a 412 P, respectively.
Ferrari rarely refers to the 365 as the “Daytona,” and regards it as an “unofficial” title.
In general, the accepted number of Daytona’s produced by the factory varies, depending on the source, but is widely accepted to be just over 1,400, over the entire production life. This figure includes only 156 right-hand drive coupe s, 7 right-hand drive spiders, and 15 competition cars. The competition cars are divided into three series, all with modified lightweight bodies and in various degrees of engine tune. All Daytona bodies, except the first Pininfarina prototype, were produced by Italian coach-builder Scaglietti, a name synonymous with Ferrari for a number of decades.
Pininfarina designer Leonardo Fioravanti, who had previously worked on the Dino Ferrari’s styling, was responsible for the 365 GTB/4. It reflected a movement from Ferrari’s traditional rounded designs to a more contemporary, sharp-edged look. Early Daytona’s featured fixed headlights behind an acrylic glass cover, however, new U.S. safety regulations banning headlights behind covers resulted in retractable pop-up twin headlights from 1971.
In 1971, a Daytona was driven by Dan Gurney and Brock Yates in the inaugural Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. The pair won with an average speed of 80.1 miles per hour (129 km/h), completing the drive from New York City to L.A., a distance of 2,876 miles (4,628 km), in 35 hours 54 minutes. Gurney was later quoted as saying, “We never once exceeded 175 miles per hour.” In 2004, the Daytona was voted top sports car of the 1970’s by Sports Car International magazine. Similarly, Motor Trend Classic named the 365 GTB/4 and GTS/4 as number two in their list of the ten, “Greatest Ferraris of all time”.
We expected 10 cars, we got 30. We expected to collect a couple of hundred litres of milk, we collected over two thousand litres.
Thank you to everyone who attended the rhino milk drive and donated milk.
A baby rhino will drink about twenty litres per day, so what we collected will be a big help. We have set up a WhatsApp group for those who would like to be part of future events involving and supporting the rhino’s. We are planning more runs, visits to the rhino sanctuaries, weekends away, and even some Grand Prix Tours.
If you would like to be included in the group, please send a WhatsApp with your name to: 082 851 3300
Movies have the power to make a regular story become iconic. They also have the power to immortalize certain moments for future generations. Nothing in a movie has more influence than a special car. The Ferrari Movies on this list are definite scene-stealers, beautiful machines that allowed enough screentime to become instantly memorable.
Truth be told, Ferraris are always bound to attract attention, regardless of where they are or who’s driving them. In the case of these, though, they’re given iconic status by being included in the storytelling process. So which ones made the cut?
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Al Pacino can make any car look great, simply by sitting in it, but having his character drive the 1989 Ferrari Mondial T Cabriolet in this movie, acquired a different meaning by the fact that his character, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade was blind.
In a 6+ minute scene, we get to see the maniacal Colonel driving the Ferrari through a deserted Brooklyn neighbourhood, without even scratching it or missing a turn, until he somehow stumbles upon the only other car on the street, which just happens to be a cop car. “Hoo-ah!”
The Rock (1996)
Nicolas Cage has always had a soft spot for expensive, fast rides, and his star power allows him to have a say in the cars his characters end up driving on the big screen.
When he teamed up with Michael Bay for The Rock, he was lucky that Bay shared his passion, so he got to chase a Humvee H1 in a yellow Ferrari F355 Spider. Some of the footage used a replica and image manipulation, but the scene still includes plenty of real Ferrari awesomeness.
Bad Boys II (2003)
Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) was never one for subtlety, and this is also apparent in his choice of cars. In the first and third Bad Boys movies, he drives Porsches, but in the second, he got to chase down bad guys in a Ferrari 550 Maranello.
Michael Bay also directed the first two movies, so he took great pleasure in putting the 550 Maranello through its paces for our viewing pleasure, only adding some Hollywood trickery here and there when the stunts would have been too dangerous to do in real life.
GoldenEye (1995)
Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as 007 came with a superb race down a winding mountain road between his Aston Martin DB5 and a red Ferrari F355 GTS driven by Famke Jenssen, while Bond’s psychologist, who was supposed to be evaluating him, screeched in fear and frustration in the passenger seat.
The race scene employed plenty of movie magic to help Bond keep up with the Ferrari, and ended without adding to the 007 body count. It’s pure Bond action, with smart puns and now-laughable come-on’s that would only ever work to pick up girls if your name is Bond ………. James Bond.
Against All Odds (1984)
This is probably not a movie many remember, except for those who, upon viewing it, noticed that it features what is considered, to this day, one of the best car chase scenes in film history.
The chase is actually a street race between a red Porsche 911 SC Cabriolet and a black Ferrari 308 GTS, in reasonably heavy traffic along Sunset Boulevard and Bel-Air in Los Angeles, with zero damage to any car. James Woods’ place at the wheel of the 308 is taken by Carey Loftin, probably the most prolific and acclaimed stunt driver of all time, who strove to shoot the entire scene as realistically and with as little camera trickery as possible.
The Gumball Rally (1986)
No respectable list of Ferrari Movies is complete without this mention. The Gumball Rally was a silly but hilarious movie, but it deserves credit for using real cars and showing them off in as realistic a manner as possible. The star of the film is, without a doubt, the 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider by Scaglietti. The actual car used in the movie sold for $1.65 million in 2013.
Perhaps one of the most memorable scenes is a race between the Daytona and a 1966 427 Shelby Cobra.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
While this 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider is often mentioned among the most iconic movie Ferraris of all times, it was in fact a replica.
Indeed, the film uses the replica for all scenes, including the one in which it meets its untimely demise, when Cameron takes out his anger and frustration towards his father on his most prized car, which then goes flying through a second storey window, crashing through trees, onto the floor below.
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
Life really can’t get much better for Axel Foley: he works as an undercover cop and is pretty good at his job, and he gets to drive a red Ferrari 328 GTS, paid for with taxpayers’ money.
The movie includes some pretty embarrassing goofs, like the use of a 308 in the first part of the movie, which then mysteriously becomes a much more expensive and newer 328, and then, in another scene turns into a 308 again. You have to watch the entire movie, just in case the car turns into another model!
Magnum, P.I. (1980-1988) and Miami Vice (1984-1998)
And finally, who could forget Magnum P.I and Det. James ’Sonny” Crockett, each with really questionable fashion style with a flair for startling patterns and colours, and Crockett’s much more fashionable side kick, Ricardo Tubbs. All had great appeal to the ladies and even better taste in cars.
Magnum drove a red Ferrari 308 GTS (he was too tall for the GTB!), while Crockett and Tubbs drove a black 1972 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider for the first two seasons. The Daytona was a replica, built on a Corvette chassis.
For season three the producers wanted a white Testarossa, the first two seasons had been such a success that Ferrari gave them one for free! The perfect ending to Ferrari Movies.
By Dee Munro2021-08-02Comments Off on Newsletter 25: SCHECKTER ……… YOU KNOW THE NAME !!
Scheckter is probably the most famous name in South African motorsport. It’s also pretty well known internationally, due obviously, to Jody winning the Formula 1 World Championship, but also the contributions made by the other members of this motor racing dynasty.
JODY SCHECKTER
Jody Scheckter is, so far, the one and only South African Formula 1 champion.
Born on the 29th of January 1950 in East London, his motorsport journey began due to his family ties with cars. His father had a Renault dealership in which he worked and had his first taste behind the wheel. After trying bikes, cars came in and became the option for the South African speedster. Jody won the South African Formula Ford Series at age 20. This earned him a trip to England and a taste of the European categories. His speed gave him the chance to make his Formula 1 debut in the last race of 1972, with McLaren. He qualified eighth for the United States Grand Prix, in the Ford-powered M19A, and finished ninth. Though he was fast, his driving skills were a little erratic and earned him the nickname, “Sideways Scheckter.” In 1973, he won the SCCA L&M Championship, an American Sports Car Championship. Subsequently, McLaren gave him more shots at Formula 1 events, but his participation proved to be tumultuous. He qualified third for his home race, the 1973 South African Grand Prix, in just his second F1 start. However, engine troubles left him in only ninth place. Jody moved to Ferrari in 1979. After his first winless year since 1973, Scheckter took the Ferrari 312T4 and made the best of it. The Flat 12 engine was efficient, the Ground Effect on the car was on point and Jody had the experience to compete for the main goal, the championship. After two tough South American rounds in Argentina and Brazil, Ferrari soon became the team to beat. Consecutive 1-2 finishes in South Africa and the US Grand Prix West, both led by Gilles Villeneuve, meant Ferrari was on course for the title. At the Italian Grand Prix, Scheckter led a 1-2 for Ferrari which sealed both the Drivers’ title for him and the Constructors’ Championship for the team. Villeneuve and Scheckter had a cordial season and the race at Italy finished off a perfect season for Ferrari. Sadly Jody retired from Formula 1 in 1980 having achieved the championship, he had nothing else to prove and was ready to enter other sorts of competitions: the business world. He had tremendous success in business in his post-racing life.
Scheckter’s title in 1979 was the last for a Ferrari driver until Michael Schumacher’s first championship with the team in 2000.
IAN SCHECKTER
Ian is the elder brother of F1 World champion Jody. Ian also raced in the Formula 1 World Championship, recording 20 entries, between 1974 and 1977. Ian was very successful in his home country, taking Formula Atlantic South African Championship titles four times in a row from 1976 to 1979, and then again in 1983 and 1984. He’s one of three six-time champions in the South African premier open-wheel competition, along with John Love and Dave Charlton. Ian made his debut in the South African Formula 1 Championship in 1973, for Team Gunston. In his rookie season, he was on the podium twice, finishing fourth in the points. He also made few starts in sports car races in a Chevron B26-Cosworth, sharing a car with John Watson. They retired at Kyalami 9 Hours and won the Cape Town round of the South African Springbok Trophy Series. In March 1974, Ian made his debut in the Formula 1 World Championship with Team Gunston.
In 1974, Ian finished second in the South African F1 Championship, scoring five wins, one victory less than champion Dave Charlton. 1975 saw Ian again come runner up to Dave Charlton who captured his sixth championship trophy. In March 1974, Ian made his debut in the Formula 1 World Championship with Team Gunston. Starting 22nd on the grid, he finished 13th, two laps behind race winner Carlos Reutemann in a Brabham. In the 1975 Formula 1 World Championship season, Ian competed for Lexington Racing. Later in the season, he joined Williams Racing for two events – Swedish Grand Prix and Dutch Grand Prix. He retired at Scandinavian Raceway and finished 12th at Zandvoort. In 1976, the South African Formula 1 Championship was dismissed and the Formula Atlantic became the national premier series. Ian scored six wins and took his first championship title, stopping the reign of Dave Charlton. Following his fourth championship-winning season in the Formula Atlantic in 1979, Ian returned in 1983 with Team Gunston. He won thirteen races and captured his fifth title. A year later, he won eleven races to take his sixth title.
THOMAS SCHECKTER
Thomas was born in Monte Carlo to Jody and then-wife Pamela. He started racing karts in South Africa at the age of 11 and it did not take long for the young driver to reach the podium. He had his first taste of a major championship as a teenager when he captured the South African Kart Championship in 1995. In 1996 he ventured on to the main circuit in the South African Formula Vee series and soon after he was in the South African Formula Ford Series where he posted two wins. He had proven his speed in South African motorsports and was then off to Europe the following year where he entered the British Formula Vauxhall Junior series. Thomas earned third in the championship with one victory and one pole. He was also named series “Rookie of the Year.” In 1999, Thomas won the Formula Opel Euroseries Championship with a record eight victories and eight poles, and in the process broke all the winning records previously set by Mika Ha kkinen, Rubens Barrichello, and David Coulthard. That success landed him a drive that same year in the last two races of the Formula Nissan Championship which Fernando Alonso had dominated that whole season. Even though Thomas was with a new team for this brief stint in Formula Nissan, he captured a win, two poles, and a second-place position.
Thomas moved on to the Formula 3 Series in 2000, and in his rookie year, he was the runner-up in the British Formula 3 Championship with two victories and two pole positions, while contending again with drivers such as Takuma Sato, Anto nio Pizzonia, and Narain Karthikeyan. He also had time to race in the prestigious Marlboro Masters F3 race at Zandvoort where he took the third podium position. Thomas was signed as a test/reserve driver by Jaguar for the 2001 Formula 1 season. Thomas raced in the Indy car series from 2002, with various teams including Eddie Cheever’s Red Bull Cheever Racing, Target Ganassi Racing, Patrick Dempsey’s Vision Racing, and Dale Coyne Racing. Thomas now works at his father Jody’s Lavestoke Organic Farm in England.
JAKI SCHECKTER
Jaki is the son of Ian and the nephew to Jody Scheckter.
Former South African Formula Ford and US Barber Dodge Pro Series champion, Jaki has joined the Ferris Cars team.
Jaki is probably best known for being the nephew to South African Formula 1 World Champion Jody and son of multiple South African champion Ian, but Jaki is a South African legend in his own right, with accolades from winning the 1992 Formula Ford SA Championship, at 18 years of age to, beating Juan Pablo Montoya in the Barber Dodge Championships in the USA, in 1994. Alas, a lack of funding inhibited Jaki from a career in the Indy Lights Series despite having secured an engine deal. Jaki will be joining us to assist with sales and marketing, and will be integral in a venture we are launching soon ………. Watch this space!
