For so long as I can bear in mind, I’ve been a complete automotive nerd. Sparked by my mother and father, who took me to native hill climb races within the North of Italy proper across the identical time I began strolling, automobiles are all I’ve ever been fascinated about. Whether or not on a household highway journey, throughout every day college bus commutes, or whereas using my bike across the neighborhood, I used to be at all times car-spotting. And it’s by no means actually stopped; from Italy to the UK after which onto Japan.
In spite of everything this time, I contemplate myself to have an above-average data of automobiles, which might be an excellent factor given I shoot, movie, write, and speak about them for a residing. However up till very not too long ago, I had by no means heard of the Hyundai Pony. The primary time I heard the identify was when Luke Huxham referred to as me a couple of months again asking if I wished to return and shoot the behind-the-scenes photograph content material for a movie he was to direct in South Korea.
That movie is Run Pony Run, which you must press play above to look at for those who haven’t seen it already.
Quick ahead a couple of weeks, and I discovered myself at a port in Seoul subsequent to Nobutero ‘NOB’ Taniguchi and a wild custom-built Hyundai Pony II drift automotive.
What on earth was taking place? It’s fairly easy actually. Peaches, a South Korean automotive culture-based life-style model, has constructed the wildest interpretation of Korea’s most iconic automotive and invited one of many world’s finest drifters to drive it for a brief movie.
The Hyundai Pony, produced for 15 years from 1975, was Korea’s first mass-produced automotive. It introduced reasonably priced motoring to the nation, and due to that, it holds a particular place in each Korean’s coronary heart. Peaches’ automotive began as a second-generation Pony II. However as you may need guessed, it’s a far completely different machine now than the one which rolled off Hyundai’s manufacturing line in 1982.
Khyzyl Saleem was referred to as on to reinvent the Pony’s exterior and settled on a Group B rally design that’s completely consistent with the automotive’s age however provides aggression and performance. Underneath the pores and skin, the Pony’s unique naturally-aspirated Mitsubishi four-cylinder engine was swapped out for a Theta II Turbo mill (Mitsubishi 4B11 based mostly) from a Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T. It’s not inventory, with about 400hp on faucet.
Peaches started constructing their Pony II late final yr, with Taniguchi flying to Seoul a number of occasions to arrange and shakedown forward of filming.
Taking pictures behind-the-scenes content material for a manufacturing like that is at all times enjoyable. You get to comply with the photographs being put collectively – just about by no means in chronological order – and witness what goes into creating the movie’s feel and appear.
Location 1: The Port
This brings us to the primary principal location of the shoot, a port round an hour outdoors of Seoul’s metropolis middle.
The movie’s storyline sees Taniguchi being shipped from Tokyo to Seoul inside a container. As soon as he arrives in South Korea, Taniguchi jumps straight into the Pony II and sends it sideways at completely different places.
For me, testing all of the cinema-grade movie gear and instruments is simply as enjoyable because the filming, beginning with the U-Crane-equipped Mercedes-Benz ML 55 AMG digicam automotive.
Within the first motion scene, which was being up and shot right here, Taniguchi blasts out of the port at pace.
On the primary day, the automotive was plagued with a number of technical points that noticed it considerably down on energy.
You’ll be able to see the engine format with the top-mounted turbo and the pushrod damper setup that makes up the entrance suspension geometry.
I used to be impressed at how Taniguchi overcame the dearth of energy through the use of the automotive’s momentum to get it to slip in the appropriate locations so the workforce working the U-Crane may get their photographs.
As evening fell on the primary day, the crew took care of a number of the container photographs.
This gave me time to correctly look over the automotive.
What Khyzyl managed to do with the Pony II hatchback is loopy. It actually seems to be like one thing that would have competed in Group B rallying again within the day. That is achieved via big entrance and rear field fenders that give the Hyundai new proportions. Refinements across the aspect skirts and the minimize rear bumper inject some modernity into the bundle whereas including much more perspective.
It’s additionally wild how a lot wider the entrance monitor is in comparison with the rear, the wheels barely being contained by the outsized fenders.
One other fashionable contact is the roof spoiler that flares up on its extremities and consists of a number of components to maximise downforce.
With one peek inside, you may inform this automotive is function-focused. The cabin options uncovered tube framing, roll cage reinforcements, uncooked sheet metallic, and never a lot else.
The rear part of the roll cage offers area for twin overflow tanks for the rear-mounted radiator, together with mounting factors for the rear pushrod suspension format.
Once I returned to the set, the container touchdown sequence and Taniguchi’s arrival photographs have been being captured. That is my favourite a part of the movie; the person himself sitting comfortably in a lounge chair behind the container, illuminated by a single mild.
The scene ends with Taniguchi strolling out of the container and revealing the automotive.
By this time it was late, however fortunately we had a relentless provide of espresso and snacks to maintain us going into the wee hours. I like how the meals truck was displaying a poster of Taniguchi.
Some drifting scenes required onboard photographs of Tanaguchi, however these weren’t captured the way you may assume they might be. Firstly, fake tire smoke was created by spraying oil on some burners.
Flashing lights seemed like pace, and with the smoke pouring into the cabin, it seemed like Taniguchi was drifting.
That is what all of it seemed like from a couple of steps again. Fairly loopy.
The primary cameras used for filming – together with this scene – was a pair of full-frame Sony Venice 6K models mated to a wide range of cinema-grade prime lenses.
That is the kind of setup utilized in Hollywood film productions; no expense was spared in guaranteeing an ultra-high-quality cinematic look.
The evening ended simply because the solar was about to interrupt throughout the horizon, the final shot being Taniguchi drifting across the man on a scooter.
Location 2: Previous Seoul
The next night – after the crew grabbed a couple of hours of sleep until mid-afternoon – everybody was again at it. This time our location was within the middle of Seoul on a hill that seemed prefer it was nonetheless caught within the ’70s. That is the place we’d be taking part in with toy automobiles.
Whereas the crew was organising their gear and ready for evening to fall, I went for a bit of wander and checked out the town views from the hillside location.
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Within the movie, that is the place Taniguchi parks up the Pony II and meets a baby taking part in with a duplicate of his automotive. Pictures within the bag, day two wrapped up.
Location 2: Enjoyable On Monitor
On the ultimate day of taking pictures, all of us moved to the AMG Speedway, an hour or so outdoors Seoul, the place many motion photographs have been taken care of.
Arriving because the monitor opened, the rigging crew wasted no time organising two digicam angles.
I’m positive you may spot which photographs within the video got here from this low-mounted digicam.
On the identical time the manufacturing was occurring, Taniguchi was documenting the expertise for his personal channels.
The day was full of a ton of driving, and the Pony II – now with additional energy because of some in a single day engine work – was performing flawlessly.
As if taking pictures a manufacturing of this magnitude wasn’t arduous sufficient, there was a time crunch of simply three days, therefore the loopy schedule. Taniguchi needed to return to Japan for racing commitments, and the automotive wanted to be shipped to Poland for Membership de Ultrace 2024.
It’s at all times enjoyable engaged on these initiatives. Hopefully, the subsequent one isn’t too distant!
Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
dino@speedhunters.com
