A fun video of “playing” in the (empty!) streets of San Francisco. I’m going to have to find some of those streets the next time I’m up in The City.
saw this earlier, astounding.
Kudos to Scott Logan who was the Location Manager on this - acquiring all the permits and getting all those road closures is a major deal.
That was ridiculous - he played with drift like a Stradivarius. That level of control over a car just boggles the mind. What was that silver control stick that was there in addition to the other black stick?
So much tire smoke, but seeing him bomb through my home city was pretty amazing. Could’ve done without Styx at the end, but that’s just my inner music snob - Styx is a freakin’ Chicago band ;). How about a little Metallica for that kind of fierce driving?
I believe it is an oversized “e-brake” lever, you see him pull it to initiate drifts.
I’m pretty sure that’s what it was. Parking brake lever.
At the start, on the Bay Bridge, he’s pulling back on it while spinning his front drive wheels, then lets go to launch.
One thing I can’t figure out is, is that specific hopped-up car FWD, RWD, 4WD, or driver configurable depending on if he wants oversteer or not?
At times during the video those rear wheels are breaking traction to break the back end loose, while at other times it looked like the rears are locked up (parking brake applied) while the front wheels are breaking traction and powering the car around a curve.
Anybody know?
How fast is he going on the straights and when drifting?
It is definitely an AWD car.
http://www.eurotuner.com/news/eurp_1107_ken_block_reveals_hybrid_function_racecar/
It is configurable to use different power distributions but I’m not sure whether this can be done on the fly while driving.
That video is a lot of fun. Even my wife, who has no interest in cars, but who is from San Francisco, loved it.
I guess the city wouldn’t let them use actual cable cars. Early in the clip, when he’s circling the two cars, you can see that they actually have rubber tires. They’re tourist buses that are fitted out to look like cable cars. They use engines rather than being pulled by the cable, and they don’t run on the tracks.
I’m betting, also, that they asked to use Lombard Street for the windy uphill section, but were refused. The street they used, Vermont Street in Potrero Hill, is actually steeper and has tighter turns, but has one less turn than Lombard. It’s also nowhere near as well-known as Lombard.
Lombard is also brick and a major tourist attraction that they certainly don’t want torn up or to have to clean up I would imagine.
I think it’s more about their speed, since CCs move at approx 9mph. The CC cable moves at a constant speed.
Those trolleys are going much slower than 9mph. Maybe 2 or 3, is my guess, and would be better for the stunt.
As best as I can tell, these are the stunt locations. Some streets I’m unsure of. I live an hour away from The City and don’t get over there that often, but next time I do I’ll try to see if any skid marks are still there. I think the stunts were done in May.
[ul]
[li]Exits I-80/Bay Bridge at Fremont St, heads NW on Fremont.[/li]
[li]Slalom while driving S on Battery St, between Sacramento and California Streets; crosses Halleck St, ends with a 270° sliding turn at California St, pointing W and moves to CC trolleys.[/li]
[li]Figure 8 around 2 CC-like trolleys moving slowly; stunt done on California St, between Battery and Sansome Streets.[/li]
[li]Dockyard and Pier 50, just S of AT&T Park.[/li]
[li]Driving N on Taylor, jumps across Vallejo St at the top of Taylor St hill (just N of Broadway Tunnel). Car lands at the first lateral (wrt the car) concrete seam that is downhill from the triangular caution zone painted on the street.[/li]
[li]Turns R (E) onto Green St, sliding turn at intersection, Taylor x Green. Crosses the Mason St CC tracks. Turns L (N) onto Powell; does figure 8 on Powell, at Green, at the N side of intersection (and 1 blk S of Washington Sq). Finishes figure 8 and heads S on Powell.[/li]
[li]Jumps intersection going downhill - not sure, perhaps Powell x Green? (note the brown house on the corner with green pine tree and 2 bushes in front, at the downhill left-side of this corner).[/li]
[li]Vermont St climb, crooked road, between 20th and 22nd Streets.[/li]
[li]Jump R turn at same intersection (Powell x Green?), but going uphill instead. (Same brown house with green pine tree and 2 bushes in front, on this corner.) Car heading N on (Powell?), jump turn R (E) onto (Green?).[/li]
[li]Dirt bike stunt on Potrero Hill (Hwy 101 seen in background). Stunt done atop a hill, with bike heading E (on 22nd St?).[/li]
[li]Finish Line is on Twin Peaks Blvd hairpin turn, at the NE part of Twin Peaks.[/li][/ul]
You’ve got the climb up Vermont correct here, but not the rest.
The figure 8, and the two jumps, are not at Powell and Green; they are on Potrero Hill, at 22nd and Rhode Island. You can see the intersection here. Go to Street View and you’ll see the brown house with the tree.
Cool, thanks for that correction.