Directed by Edgar Wright, the 2017 film Baby Driver is a heist-caper with top-notch car chase scenes. Many have compared this film to Drive and The Driver because all three films focus on a stoic gangster getaway driver as the good guy. But those two films are dark, gritty, crime films, Baby Driver is a Hollywood blockbuster with a big ensemble cast including Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx in addition to the title character Baby played by Ansel Elgort.
Baby is a getaway driver, paying off his debt to a gang by helping with heists. But every time he thinks he’s out, they pull him back in! A good guy forced to do bad things, all Baby wants is to escape the mob and run off with his pretty girlfriend. If you’re looking for more plot synopsis, go to Letterboxd or something; this is Demaras Racing so our only focus is on the cars.
The star of the movie is the red Subaru used in the opening bank robbery getaway scene. The 2006 Subaru WRX received a 300hp, turbocharged EJ257 engine from an STI plus the 6-seed manual gearbox. The customization performed by ALLPRO Subaru included a Cusco LSD rear differential, OS Giken front differential, Exedy clutch and a hydraulic handbrake.
The second significant car in the movie is a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. This is the car that Baby steals from a couple of vape-cloud busting stoners just hanging out in a parking lot. It’s actually kind of funny, because those dudes are stereotypical Subaru WRX drivers (at least according to social media) but they’re in a 392 cu. in. V8 powered muscle car.
Clearly a marketing tie-in with Chrysler Corp, the Hellcat was a brand new car at the time of the movie’s release (whereas the Subaru was already a classic).
It’s unfair to boil down all the cool cars and chase scenes in this movie to just a couple of red cars. But hey, those two are enough to justify the price of the movie ticket. Keep an eye out for the 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V that Baby drives on his date, or the 1985 Chevrolet Blazer K-5 he tries to escape in, and the 1959 Chevrolet Impala his girlfriend uses to pick him up from jail. Lucky guy!
Great car flick, definitely one of the best from the past 25 years. The stunts are over the top, there’s even a plot to entertain you between the chase scenes, and hey; there hero car is a Subaru WRX. What more can a gearhead ask for in a movie!
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