For the briefest of intervals, all signs pointed to the months-long SAG-AFTRA strike coming to an end as union bosses and studio executives launched a new round of negotiations. During that brief interval, director Michael Mann and his Ferrari cast came out to promote the biopic.
Ferrari is one of the most anticipated releases of 2023 both because of its stellar cast and the fact that it tells the story of the most difficult years of one of the most fascinating figures in motorsports. Starring Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari and with Michael Mann in the director's chair, the Ferrari biopic will focus on recounting the year 1957, by far the most challenging for Enzo and his Scuderia.
Auto enthusiasts can't but rejoice at Hollywood's relatively recent obsession with automotive legends, but Ferrari is promising to be a real treat for movie buffs, as well – as long as they won't pay too much attention to what sounds like a rather sketchy Italian accent in all the characters.
This much attention on the film has naturally brought questions of the replica cars used in the film and whether Driver got to enjoy any of them. Perhaps aware of the impact his words would have, Driver stated earlier this year that he'd been banned from driving any of the race cars for insurance reasons and that he got stuck with a dolly car. He did get to race modern Ferraris on the race track a few times, though.
Late last week, Ferrari had its U.S. premiere within the 2023 edition of the New York Film Festival, which meant Mann, Driver, and the rest of the cast were on hand to speak to the press. It also meant Driver got the opportunity to clarify his previous comments, which casts him in a slightly more badass light.
Photo: Neon
As it turns out, the dolly car he drove during production was a replica of one of those "moving coffins" famous in the '50s – so, a race car, if you know your Ferrari racing history. His single-seater had been modified to carry a camera, but as Driver explains it, it was still very much like the other period-correct race machines producers had built for the film.
Consequently, it was "terrifying." "It teleports you back to the time and you realize if you turn left or right the wrong way, then you’re dead," Driver told one trade publication at the premiere. "There’s at least seatbelts in the newer cars."
Mann interrupted to explain that the lack of seatbelts was due to the high risk of accidents during a race, which earned these cars the "moving coffin" moniker. Chances of survival were better if the driver was thrown out of the car in case of an accident, as compared to being stuck inside and dragged by the wreckage.
Photo: Screenshot | Ferrari first trailer
On the same occasion, Mann revealed the studio built more than a dozen Ferrari and Maserati replicas and that 14 or 15 of them were used for the Mille Miglia sequence, during which time they hit 140-150 mph (225-241 kph) – and "[did] so safely," according to the director. Actor Patrick Dempsey, who has experience in professional racing, got to drive one of those replicas.
As for Driver, besides getting briefly behind the wheel of that dolly "coffin” at an abandoned airstrip in Modena, Italy, he also got to race a few of the newer models at the track just to get a feel of what his Enzo character would be.
Ferrari is scheduled for a wide theatrical release on Christmas day, but if you wish to know more about those "moving coffins" and the inherent risk of being a race driver in the '50s, the brilliant 2017 documentary Ferrari: Race to Immortality from director Daryl Goodrich is now streaming on Max (nee HBO). You're welcome.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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