Yes indeed a real Miura in the opening scene (they were still in production in 1969). If you look carefully when the wreckage is tumbling down the cliff you'll see that the engine was removed first.
Don't tell me you have never seen it before? Must be one of the most famous car scenes in a movie. Dozens of magazines have taken Miura's up that road to replicate the scene, without the crash of course
quick quote from a vlg post: >>The film opens with some entrancing shots of the orange Miura and its lone driver soaring up the pass towards the Grand St. Bernars tunnel into which it dives at speed. But oh, alack and alas, the naughty Mafia have left a massive earth-moving machine three-quarters of the way through the tunnel, against which the Lamborghini demolishes itself and its driver. The earth mover then backs out and tosses the crumpled remains over the edge where the carcass bounds down the mountainside shedding pieces as it goes. And this was no mock- up but a real, live Miura, for an intensive investigation beforehand showed that it would cost almost as much to build a mock Miura as to buy the real thing and demolish it, after removing as many components as possible. Moreover, mock cars have that awkward habit of never looking genuine on the screen. The same applied to the four Jaguar Es and two Aston Martin DB4 drop-heads, and considerable skill was needed by the props department in selecting cars that were as nearly worn out-and as cheap-as possible and yet sufficiently roadworthy to be driven from England to Italy. The fact that two Astons were required was rather a disaster, but when the first one was pushed over the edge, an explosive charge concealed in it exploded prematurely and ruined the shot. So a second one had to be obtained. Ah me.... <<
OK, I won't tell you. I saw it when it came out, and recently saw it again, in comparison with the remake. (Original is FAR better, IMO) Just thought the vid would be interesting for a re-look.
I'll probably get flamed for not searching elsewhere but what the hell... I read (have no clue where) that the car was later salvaged from the ravine and saved? So is this car known to be out there somewhere...?
Certainly not out of the question at today's value, but in 1969 it would have been a lot cheaper to just order a new one.
Ok, so I did my own homework after all... courtesy of http://www.theitalianjob.com/cars_fastcars.htm This could explain why no one has come up with a serial number attributed to the movie car. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I've always wondered how hard could it have been to just zip around the tractor, as there appears to be plenty of room. Too much brake fade? Poor headlights? Probably a bit of both, I suppose.
In the Diana Ross Movie Mahogany she drives a Iso Grifo off a cliff. It is well documented that the car was not a movie prop. Here it is 55 seconds in http://www.videodetective.com/movie_trailer/MAHOGANY/movie_clip/P00003687.htm
How about the Citroen SM that Burt Reynolds dumps in the river in The Longest Yard... "Don't you take my Maserati" lol...that's kind of a stretch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgcGQx_Efow&feature=player_embedded# Hey, lest turn this into a movie car/wrecked exotics thread! I can come up with a few more
