Pavel's Blog

Sounds romantic, doesn't it? A leisurely trip along the mostly deserted boulevards of Paris, enjoying that incredible morning light and the beauty of the city before it fills up with all of the traffic and craziness of the day ahead? Well, maybe not all of the craziness...

Check out this amazing film, shot with a camera attached to the front bumper of a Ferrari driven by someone very, very skilled (if not very wise, socially responsible, or concerned with self preservation). The French text at the beginning makes the claim that the movie was created without cutting or speeding up the film.

(From Lynn Cherny, who got it from Steve Crandall, who got it from "Jeff".)

Update: This film is actually pretty well known among a certain subculture. It was apparently made in the late 1970s (some say 1976, others 1977, still others 1978) with a gyro-mounted camera on the bumper, fairly new technology at the time. The web is, as usual, full of wonderful bits of information about the film, as well as cute hacks related to it. My favorite two so far are this detailed speed analysis, showing a top speed during the film of a staggering 136.7 mph, and this lash-up with Google Maps showing the precise route taken. You can even buy the film on DVD.