Pristine W113 required for TV programme in London...

[Peter van Es]

Dear all,

I am posting this message as they approached our Group. I have no affiliation, the Group does not vouch for them. Do your own research. It's at your own risk. Contact Jamie directly if you'd like your beautiful car featured... I can think of one or two UK based cars which could qualify...

Dear whom it may concern,
 
I work for Attaboy TV, a television production company based in London. We produce a number of car-related programmes, most notably Wheeler Dealers  for the Discovery Channel, and we are now making a brand new high spec car series called Carhunter for a new international channel. This series will be presented by Mat Watson who does a lot of work for Carbuyer, an online Youtube channel. The premise of the show is that we meet a new buyer in each episode who wants to find a particular classic car. Our presenter Mat will then  travel throughout Europe looking for the perfect example.
 
The reason that I am contacting you is that one of our episodes is around the Mercedes W113 SL Pagoda, and we looking for a pristine SL Pagoda to film. This would be for the opener of our show, and we want to show our audience how an ideal Pagoda should look. So I wanted to ask if you could kindly ask around your club, and see if anyone would be interested in having their car featured? We would really appreciate any help you could give us!
 
This filming would take place at our studio in High Wycombe on January 21st , and we would be happy to cover the expenses for the owner to drive/ trailer the car to and from the studio. If they are not available on that day, but would still like the car to be featured. We can arrange for a professional transport service to pick up the car.
 
I hope this of interest, please let me know if you have any further questions?
 
Jamie Wenban
Researcher
Attaboy TV
 
Unit J, J313, The Biscuit Factory,
Clements Road, SE16 4DG,
Bermondsey, London
T:  +44 (0) 20 3176 0396 |M: +44 (0) 7807 397591  
http://www.attaboytv.com
email: jamie@attaboytv.com

[JamesL]

Maurice's car springs instantly to my mind! Or Kamal's. Or one of Andy Totten's...

[Peter van Es]

Exactly.

[Benz Dr.]

I've had several TV shows and motion picture operations call me over the past 25 years looking for cars to do everything from movies, to advertising, to car shows and also videos. All of them offered to provide more than a bit of money for travel time to the set. I kind of think that this should be no different.

 Most people are thrilled to think that their car will be on TV or seen on the big screen so they really never think about asking for compensation for their time away from work and their effort to get their car ready to show. Since this is a commercial venture, they should consider that. Most everyone I've ever sent to a commercial set walked away with a lot more than something for their time and efforts than just travel time.   

 However, it's their car so........

[Tyler S]

Just so long as they don't let Richard Gere drive it. Sorry...I had to.
Here's a good article from Road and Track about SL's in film.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/news/a17997/at-the-movies-mercedes-benz-sl/

[Benz Dr.]

Odd you should mention that film. They used a speedometer that I supplied to them for the scene where they showed a close up of him doing about 80 MPH.

[stickandrudderman]

Interesting, I don't think I've ever seen a pagoda that I would describe as perfect!
Edit: I see that they are looking for pristine, not perfect.

[JamesL]

The white one in your shop has to be close to being finished... That has to be pristine....

[Tyler S]

Benz Dr., Do you know any of the history of the car/cars they used in that film? I remember watching it with my Father shortly after someone had backed into his car. He said, "Damn! I coulda used that tail light!" I know there was prob a wrecker fixed up enough to put through the crash scene. There are a couple of discrepancies between shots of the car.

[mbzse]

Benz Dr., Do you know any of the history of the car/cars they used in that film?

In addition to all the first-hand info DanC can provide, I offer the following which stems from M-B Forum postings; way back in the 1990's:
">-Kris Salzer  wrote:
>./. ".... Turns out a lot of the existing old-style 230SL driver's side door panels were used up in a recent movie [film came out in 1994] that starred Richard Gere where he skids his 230SL sideways into another car. Thanks a lot, Dick..."./.
Hans: As a follow up I can mention that this (IMHO sentimental, but at least the lead character has good taste in cars....!) Paramount film is called "Intersection", and features shots throughout the movie, some of it great sequences, of a silver 280SL with hard top fitted.
What surprised me in the crash scenes was that the H/T stayed on although the car overturned several revolutions, and it did not cave in. Strong things these SL´s!
BTW, Richard Gere has M-B's in many of his films. "American Gigolo" (1980) for example prominently features a nice black R107.
More W113, Dudley Moore's girl friend "Samantha" (Julie Andrews) has the good taste of driving a silver SL Pagoda in the film "10" (also starring Bo Derek).       Hans in Sweden 
See "Intersection" just for the SL. Watch as Gere takes two hours to crash a 1970 280SL. (280SL owners may need counselling afterward.)   Oh, and Sharon Stone is in it also.   /Jim Mahaffey
The film was shot in Canada, British Columbia, the Fraser Valley to be exact. In fact, his dying moments are in one of the hospitals in Abbotsford.
Regarding Intersection: my boss was the mechanic on set for that movie and currently maintains 2 of the surviving cars, a close eye will notice that all the cars had their front bumper overriders set too far apart -Why? A movie guy came to our shop looking for Jaguar E-types for use in the movie. My boss convinced him that a 280SL was a superior vehicle, and showed him one of our customers cars which had incorrectly placed overriders and a Nardi wheel--it was then the prototype for the movie cars. /Randall Farac

Remember, you can view SL scenes from this and other films right here on our Website; http://www.sl113.org/wiki/Main/Video
/Hans in Sweden

[Benz Dr.]

Someone from the movie called me one day and asked if I had a silver 280SL with red interior for sale. I said no but I could get other parts for him. He asked about sheet metal and in particular a USA speedo. I had one and he told me they would use it in the main car that they wouldn't '' wreck.'' He wouldn't tell me much about the film as it was just in the initial stages.

As I remember it, I was dealing with a parts guy from Chicago who later moved to Olympia WA. Since this was close to the set, I handed off to him and he supplied the sheet metal for all of the cars in the film. From what he told me, the props guys made a frame for the car and the sheet metal was quickly hung on that so it could be just as quickly removed. Each take was done with different cars that were used until they were either too badly damaged, or no longer safe to drive. Each car was shot for each angle and then the whole thing was carefully seamed together. The main car that he kept for quite a few years and a back up were not used for the crash scenes but several others were.

Frankly speaking, the best part of the movie was the crash scene and the red head who is from the Toronto area.



On a somewhat later note, John Marshall ( parts guy from Olympia ) and I had a good laugh about RG's  gerbil fetish. I don't believe it's true but it is funny. 

[Tyler S]

Wow! Thanks for the great info guys. Did you ever get the speedo back? Or is it MIA.
Yes I remember that Gere-bil rumor. I think I was in high school when that started.

[Benz Dr.]

No, never saw the speedo again except for in the movie. I expect that it remains on that car to this day. Any shots of his nice car were all this particular one and I believe it's the one he had for a while. The actual crash car had a roll cage fitted and the hard top was bolted to the cage. Great slow-mo in that segment which, if nothing else, shows the violent nature of a roll over at speed. I seriously doubt that any hard top would stay on the car at any roll over speed and not at 80 MPH. It's only held on at four points and those chromed caps are made of not very strong die casting. The soft top can crack those parts if the bars are out of alignment.   

[Peter van Es]

Guys…

some relevant clips here…

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/Main/Video

Peter

[floatinghat]

I was traveling on business and "Into the Wild" was being filmed down the street.  They inquired about period cars for rent.  My wife thought it would be cool and called me.  "No, if you can't drive it why would I let some actor I don't know drive it". 

I read the to book it was great, movie was ok.  I could have helped make it better but nobody drives my car.