Subject: Time:12:32 PM
OFFICE MEMO The Italian Job Date:5/2/94
I watched this flick over the weekend. I can well understand why the Mini fans
love it. Jaguar, Lamborghini, and Aston-Martin lovers, however, are in for a
shock. For those who haven't seen it, here's a brief synopsis.
In the beginning of the film, a Lamborghini Miura cruises through the
mountains until it hits a Caterpillar tractor, which then dumps the car over
the edge of the road and it tumbles down the mountain into a stream. They
didn't actually show the car hitting the tractor. Through the magic of stop
frame VCR, I could see the crashing Lambo was not a real car; it had no engine
and it broke up too easily and completely. I suspect it was an old Miura body
buck they got from Lambo's styling department.
About 2/3 into the movie, the Aston and two Jaguar E-types meet another
Caterpillar on a mountain road. The Cat crushes the tops of the Jags with its
bucket. The Jags are Series 1's, a coupe and a roadster, probably 3.8 liters, 7
or 8 years old at the time, maybe not worth a lot on the used car market in
'69.
What they did to the Aston, however, was the real crime. It was a 1961 or '62
DB4 with a convertible body by Touring, one of only 215 made. The Cat dumps it
over the edge and down the mountainside. It looked to me like it was not a fake
like the Lambo. The bonnet opened on the second flip and you can see the
engine. And unlike the Miura, it stayed relatively together.
Oh, well. I wonder what ever happened to that car, or if its still down at the
bottom of some ravine in Italy. If anyone wants to fund me, I'll form an
expedition to find it. ;-)
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