This is one for the movie buffs, especially those into car flicks. The 2003 box office hit The Italian Job with Mark Wahlberg, Jason Statham and Charlize Theron, employed the first three electric MINIs in the world.
Fans of the film, which is itself a loose remake of the 1969 film of the same name, probably know this already. But for those who enjoyed it but never got to digging around in the backstory, this will probably come as a most pleasant surprise: the MINIs in the film were electric. Well, not all the time and not all of them, but three MINIs were created specifically for the production to get greenlit for the Los Angeles underground.
This comes courtesy of Drivin’ Theater Club and The Drive: for one of the most significant scenes in the film, the one in which the three R53 Cooper S cars drive down the stairs into the underground tunnels, producers had to get electric versions of the vehicles. Authorities wouldn’t let them film on location otherwise, because of the exhaust fumes.
As noted above, diehard fans of the film probably know this, since it’s not news. Director F. Gary Gray talked about it in 2013, when he confirmed that of the 32 custom MINIs they used for the film, three had all-electric drivetrains for the underground scene.
“They wouldn't allow us to shoot in the tunnels with cars that had combustion engines. So I said, ‘Okay, great, we'll just get electric Minis and that'll be fine.’ We called BMW and he said there aren't any electric Minis, they don't exist,” he explained, as seen in the video below.
Transportation coordinator John Carpenter was tasked with the job of converting the MINIs to electric, which he completed to great success. “The only electric Minis that existed on the planet Earth,” Gray said. “It's one of my favorite moments with the Minis because of the size. I mean, you can't imagine any other car doing this stunt except the Minis.”
Also, the actors were doing the driving when they rolled down those subway stairs and there was no CGI trickery employed. You’re probably feeling like an Italian Job re-watch right now.
Fascinating bit of trivia I learned today. For the subway chase sequence in the Italian Job remake, the crew had to convert the stunt 2003 Minis to electric drive because the city of LA wouldn't allow any exhaust fumes in the metro tunnels. pic.twitter.com/qE5dY3Vn4n
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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