With modern day racing video games blurring the lines between virtuality and reality, it's no wonder some readers mistook last Friday's Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Trailer featuring a Police-livered Lamborghini Murcielago and a Pagani Zonda for a very well executed CGI when in fact it was a real-life film (see it here). If you still have doubts, then follow the jump to watch the video and get behind the scenes of the live-action shoot out.
Live action game trailers are nothing new. It's an easy way for developers to tease their upcoming titles without having to reveal any actual graphics or gameplay. Recent examples of this include Resident Evil 5 and Halo 3: ODST.
So there's a new trailer out for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, the latest in the NFSseries and the third Hot Pursuit title. However, this trailer comes with something special: a spectacular live action realisation of the chase from the E3 reveal trailer.
In the original trailer, we see an epic chase whereby a Koenigsegg CCX, Pagani Zonda Cinque and McLaren MP4-12C are pursued by two Ford Shelby GT500s, a Bugatti Veyron, a Lamborghini Murciélago and a Bell 206 helicopter. This is all realized (presumably) with the in-game engine and is pretty sweet in itself.
However, it's nothing compared to this real-life chase between an orange Zonda Cinque, police issue Murciélago and Bell 206 through the Italian Alps from the game's marketing team. It's the sort of thing that has to be seen to be believed. Watch the video, and let us know what you think in the comments.
Youtube's Marchettino has some neat footage featuring one of two Gallardo 560-4s donated by Lamborghini to the Italian police (the other was totaled last year - see here). The cars were originally acquired in 2008 as replacements for the first two Gallardo police cars (donated in 2004), and their purpose is to rapidly transport organs and patrol high-risk sections of Italy's certain highways.
It's not every day that we get to see police rolling around in Lamborghinis, so when stuff like this pops up it's always a treat. Check out the vid below to see the 5-0 Lambo howling along in the rain at Monza with a handful of other exotics.
The Texas Mile had its inaugural event back in October 2003 and since then it has become very popular among performance enthusiasts. There you can drive on a one and a half mile highway section as fast as you can and not be in trouble in the eyes of the law. Oh, and you can set some records. Just what the owner of this twin-turbo Lamborghini Gallardo intended, but things went horribly wrong for him as you can see in the video after the break.
Richard Holt's rocket-on-wheels was built by Underground Racing with the twin-turbocharged V10 rated somewhere between 1,500-1,900 hp (1,119-1,417 kW). More than enough to attempt setting a new standing mile world record.
Eyewitness reports say that the car hit the 1 mile marker with no trouble, immediately deploying its parachute. At that moment it suddenly veered off to the right and, after hitting the grass and a small obstacle, took to the skies going well over 100 mph or 160 km/h.
The reason? Strong crosswinds, it seems. Fortunately, Mr. Holt was able to walk away from this one, the only real victim being the car.
At the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, design students Daniel Chinchilla Ochoa and Alberto Fernandez Albilares prepared this Lamborghini design study, called the Indomable.
Under the supervision of Filipo Perini, head of Lamborghini Centro Stile and designer Alessandro Salvagnin, Ochoa and Albilares were tasked with creating a design study based on the existing Lamborghini Gallardo's wheelbase.
The Indomable is the result. Said to be inspired by the latest generation fighter planes such as the F-22 Raptor, it incorporates features like a Y-shaped glass engine bay cover and a taillight assembly that also acts as the rear wing.
Ochoa has had an interesting career. Having worked on everything from aftermarket aerokits for Volkswagens and Fords to designing busses for his homeland of Mexico, he then worked an internship at Lamborghini Centro Stile for 6 months after finishing his Masters at Scoula Politecnica di Design.
By Tristan Hankins
Designers: Daniel Chinchilla Ochoa & Alberto Fernandez Albilares
