In 2014, Need for Speed hit the theatres, based on the hit video game by the same name. The protagonist in the movie is Aaron Paul, aka Jesse Pinkman from the hit series, Breaking Bad. More recognizable names are Michael Keaton, Rami Malek, Imogen Poots, and Fifty Shades of Grey star, Dakota Johnson.
The premise is of course, all about the poor but good guy who has a need for speed and has to get the bad guy at the same time. And the star of the show isn’t the villainous Koenigsegg Agera R, but the rare Ford Shelby Mustang that later turns out to be the hero car. There’s another custom 2015 Ford Mustang in the movie, but that only comes in the end scene, just before the credits roll, but that’s a story for another day altogether.
So what was the actual car underneath the Shelby badging? And why was it so important in the story? And finally, what happened to that gorgeous blue and white Mustang after Need For Speed? Here are the answers we dug up…
The Mustang In The Movie
For all those who haven’t seen the movie, here’s the gist of it all. Tobey Marshal (Paul) runs a custom build shop and to make ends meet, competes in street races. He is asked to complete the build of a rare Ford Shelby Mustang by an ex-rival and the main villain, and so he does. Later, he manages to sell the car for upwards of a million, enraging the bad guy.
To cut a long story short, this is the Ford Shelby Mustang we are talking about and it comes with a legacy of its own. Obviously, this is not a “rare” Shelby Mustang as it is portrayed in the movie but carries a special legacy nonetheless.
In the movie, towards the end, just before the actual, thrilling race starts, the Ford Mustang is rammed by a tow truck, showing the car to be destroyed and incapable of running, let alone racing. Luckily though, nothing happened to the hero car of the movie and it remained intact and very alive.
The Actual Mustang Build
While the car in the movie is portrayed to be a Shelby Mustang, in truth, it was a special one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang GT500 built by Ford and DreamWorks. It came with a custom body as well as unique silver paint and Kona blue racing stripes.
The custom body kit is pretty unique as well, with a gaping lower splitter, special air intakes for a more muscled look, and a dual-scoop hood. Bigger rocker panels with custom side scoops, a rear diffuser as well as a rear spoiler were further additions to the same. Low profile mirrors also added to the look of the car as did the 22-inch alloys. The interiors were also customized to better fit the Need For Speed game and movie look and create further buzz for the car.
In the movie, the car is supposed to be making more than 900 horses, which is why the protagonist, Tobey Marshall can race the car to speeds of 239 mph, to prove its mettle. In reality, despite being tuned, the 5.8-liter V8 engine in the car was able to jet 500-600 horses, not that this was a measly amount…
In fact, to increase excitement about the car as well as part of movie promotions, this very Ford Mustang GT was used as a pace car in the venerated 2013 Ford EcoBoost 400 season finale that happened at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was driven by one of the cast, Ramon Rodriguez, who plays Joe Peck in the movie.
So, Where’s The Need For Speed Mustang Now?
In 2014, after the movie wrapped up, this 2013 Ford Mustang GT500 was put up for auction, the proceeds of which were to go to Henry Ford Health Systems charity, a non-profit founded by Henry Ford in 1915, aimed at providing health services to impoverished families around Michigan.
After a rather spirited round of bidding, the winner was declared to be Dave Flynn from Columbiana, Ohio. Flynn owns a string of dealerships in Ohio and is also the same guy who bid for and won the first 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 so put up for charity, this one for more than $500,000. The man may be a car collector but is quite the charitable soul as well.
So the Need For Speed Mustang is in safe hands and likely to be the pride and joy of anyone in the automobile industry. It was also the perfect marketing ploy by Ford and breathed in a fresh lease of life for this iconic brand, the Mustang.
Of course, the good thing about this movie is that it destroyed a prop and kept the actual car alive. Not many movie cars end up surviving the movies and some have been destroyed in epic scenes. Luckily for the Mustang, Need For Speed did not have a need to destroy it.
Sources: TopSpeed, GMAuthority