Can you believe our government wanted to tell us we could only drive 55 mph on the interstate? How could we get anywhere? Like Sammy Hagar, I can't drive 55! Nor do I think I could keep a Ferrari 512 BBi under 55. OnScreenCars.com is proud to present another great `80s car music video!
Inspiration
Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest events. After a recent speeding ticket Sammy Hagar wrote this song about his speed limit frustrations. The incident happened while on a long drive from Albany, New York to Lake Placid. Sammy was on his way to meet up with his family at their cabin. He was caught in a speed trap. The cop ticketed him for doing 62 in a 55. As his took the ticket, Sammy looked at the cop and said "I can't drive 55." Viola the hit was born.
The Video
The video was shot to promote Sammy Hagar's album VOA (Voice of America). The video shows Sammy making some runs around the track in a Ferrari 512 BBi before meeting up with his real life mechanic, Claudio Zampolli. He then hits traffic on a busy road. As the song says "...too much traffic and I can't pass..." Classic! Sammy's band is picked up and thrown in jail and spends the rest of the video getting out.
The Car
The Ferrari BB (aka Berlinetta Boxer) was mid-engine car platform built by the company between 1973 and 1984. The horse in the video is one of 1,007 Ferrari 512 BBi built between 1981 and 1984. The 512 BBi is an improved version of the original 512 BB. The differences are the fog lamps, fuel injection system (hence the "i" in the name) and special tires from Michelin (TRX metric). 512 BBi is powered by a flat-12 engine that produces over 350 horsepower. Combined with a low weight configuration and design the BBi runs 0 - 60 in 5.4 seconds. To say 55 mph comes quick is an understatement.
Final Thoughts
The song may be timeless. But the clothing Sammy wears in the video may not be. I know I wouldn't be caught dead walking around looking like that. Oh well. It was the '80s. You can't say much. As for the car action, I give it a 10 outta 10. The song has been used in several films. Including Back to the Future II (alternative 1985 Biff's town center). You can also check out some of Sammy's others rides.Till next time. Stay out'a trouble. You can handle 65/70 mph a lot better than 55!
The rare or not so rare 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Bueller... Bueller... Bueller...
Cameron: [Ferris slowly pulls the Ferrari out of the garage] No, Ferris. I'm putting my foot down. You're just gonna have to think of something else.
[Ferris keeps driving]
Cameron: How bout we rent a nice Cadillac? My treat! We could call a limo! A nice stretch jobs with the TV and the bar. How about that?
Ferris: [Ferris pulls the car back slightly] Come on. Live a little!
[Cameron crosses himself, walks to the car]
Yea, I can't blame Cameron for trying to stop Ferris Bueller from taking his dad's rare 1961 Ferrari 250 for a joyride. Especially knowing that only 55 of these cars were ever built. But hey, ya only live once right? As Ferris Bueller says: "Life moves pretty fast, If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Solid words, I might add. But seriously how rare is this car?
The real thing.
At the time of the film, said car would have been worth around $350,000. If you think that's chump change. How about the same car on the auction block today? The highest recorded auction sale of a Ferrari 250 GT California was $10,894,900. That car once belonged to actor James Coburn and was won by British national radio DJ celebrity Chris Evans. The original cars of course were all hand built with steel and aluminum body panels. The engines were the same V12 engines Ferrari used in their Tour de France race car at the time. Very classy and very rare automobiles.
Well the one on screen, not so rare.
Due to the rarity of the car, three replicas were used in the film. The fiberglass replicas were built by Modena Design and Research for Paramount Pictures. Modena used MG convertibles as a base car. Under the hood, Ford's beloved 302 V8 was crammed in. Overall these replicas were very well crafted. To an untrained eye it's fairly hard to tell if they're the real or not (fooled me for years). Matter of fact, Ferrari ended up suing Modena for use of trademark design and emblems. Not soon after the suit the company went out of business.
Interesting Facts
Have you ever noticed the license plate numbers/names on different cars in the film? For example the license plate on the Ferrari says "NRVOUS." Other cars appear with special vanity license plates as well. Some examples include the text VCTN (National Lampoon’s Vacation), TBC (The Breakfast Club), MMOM (Mr. Mom), and 4FBDO (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). This little Easter egg plays tribute to the director's (John Hughes) earlier works. Another interesting fact is Ferris and Cameron attempt to row back the mileage by running the car in reverse. This trick would work with most cable driven speedos. If the movie Matilda had been around prior to Ferris Bueller, I'm sure the guys would have tried using the electric drill to reset the mileage.
Final Thoughts
As with all good things, they must come to an end. If you've seen the movie, you've seen the horror a classic car crashing through a window and dropping off into a creek. If I were Cameron's father it's hard to say what I would have done. But again, it's just a car. In this case it was a replica of a classic rare car. Not all is lost. Kids, learn a lesson from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. If you're thinking about taking your parent's rare car out on a joy ride (without them knowing), don't do it. There are plenty of ways to "live" life and have fun. Happy skip day(s) to all the seniors of the class of 2010! Till then have fun and don't get caught.
