Auto Racing

“The Finish Line”. Honda’s Amazing Formula One Racing Promotion.

Four things I like. Good Design, auto racing, animation/motion graphics, and high-quality video production. When these elements combine into something that epically leverages all of them it’s hard to contain myself.

I love this video. I’m not sure who the production company was behind it, or if Honda did this in house but the end result is spectacular. The video showcases Honda’s involvement in Formula One racing opening with racing legend Richie Ginther at the wheel of the Honda RA272, which won Honda’s first F1 race at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. The car then morphs into Ayrton Senna’s iconic MP4/4 from 1988 making its way around the narrow corners of the Monaco Grand Prix. Then the animation jumps all the way to 2006 when Jenson Button won the Hungarian Grand Prix at the wheel of Honda’s own F1 car and team. From there we cut to Max Verstappen and his heroic win at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, and then again at the German Grand Prix.

The piece is interlaced with live-action footage from the races, highly stylized animation, nice use of typography, all built on a limited color pallet of red, black, yellow, blue and white. The style of the animation has a nice graphic novel look, that is matched perfectly to the driving music and soundtrack of engine sounds, crowd, and announcer overlays that help pull the whole thing together. The small details like the speed lines that emanate from the bold titles and the insertion of the Japanese text is a really nice visual design touch that is carried throughout the entire video.

Well done Honda. This is one of the better promotional pieces I’ve seen for Formula One. I’m not sure where this is going to run but I have a feeling during broadcast F1 races. It has a run length of 60 seconds and could be edited down to a 30, or even a 15-second spot if needed.

The high production value on this is sure to pay off. So a solid spot.

Not Your Typical Transformers. PARAFUSO A+’s Opening for GP Brazil.

PARAFUSO A+ has created the opening sequence for the GP Brazil 2013 race. The animated short captures the magic of a little boy’s imagination as he plays with his toy cars. As they race around the toy speedway, the cars transform through each major iteration of Formula One car design. This opening sequence features really nice 3D animation combined with virtual camera work and post production that helps sell the excitement of Formula One racing. Great Stuff.

Who Wants a 1957 Maserati 250s? I do.

IIf you have a couple million extra dollars lying around and you are in London this September, you might want to pick up this 1957 Maserati that is being offered via RM Auctions.

Quite possibly one of the most beautiful race cars ever built, this late 1950’s classic has been fully restored to perfection. This 1957 Maserati 250S is one of a handful that were ever built. And in my opinion this vehicle represents the best of the 200S series Maserati’s from that period. The car was popularized on the amateur racing circuit worldwide. Unlike the smaller 200S, the 1957 Maserati 250S was powered by a powerful 230 horsepower inline 6 cylinder engine that could propel the car to 161 mph against professional-class competition.

The definitive lines of this car, smooth, sleek aerodynamic make the look. That long slender nose gracefully sloping toward the ground. Wire spoke wheels. The thin windscreen, and the drivers fairing. Those high arched fenders, and that Maserati Red… This was a remarkable vehicle for its time, and this version has been restored to that original esteem. By the look of the photos you’d think it just rolled out of the Maserati workshop, ready for its next rider to come calling with a hefty checkbook.

This 1957 Maserati 250S will go under the gavel on September 8th at the RM Auctions London show. Reserve and estimated bidding pricing has not yet been released.

Gymkhana FIVE: Ultimate Urban Playground… San Francisco.

Quite possibly one of the best car chase sequences ever filmed is the seven minute chase in Steve McQueen’s movie “Bullitt”. The sequence below comes close though. Technically this isn’t a car chase. It is simply a very skilled race car driver devouring the streets of San Francisco at high speed in a rally car. This is however a really great piece of shooting, editing, and sound design for DC Shoes.

I’ve watched this about 15 times, and I have lost count of the number of edits in this. There is combined footage from at least 6 GoPro cameras, plus footage from the air, the street, and buildings. Portions of it are over clocked for some spectacular slow-mo shots, and there are a couple of really great dolly moves as well. While this probably has 14 year old boys everywhere peeing themselves and dreaming of driving like this, the editing is of this short is what gives it an edge.

I can’t even imagine what it cost DC to pull this off. They shut down the bay bridge and a huge chunk of San Francisco’s roads to get all of this footage.