Rush: The real thing
CGI has been a cinematic staple for quite a few years, but proved less essential for Rush than anticipated. Adam Cooper explains
As many original cars as possible were sourced, giving the racing scenes a lot of authenticity
Wherever possible Ron Howard used genuine 1976 Formula 1 cars to make the Rush story come alive, but his team also had to create replicas for the trickier action scenes, and to use when local noise restrictions meant it wasn’t possible to run a DFV or Ferrari flat-12.
Two replica McLaren M23s and three Ferrari 312T/312T2s were built, while there was also the option to swap bodies to create rarer beasts such as the Ligier JS5 and Brabham BT45, since original examples weren’t available. Two BRM P160s were also created for the film.
Much of the footage, however, involves real cars sourced from the Historic Formula One series, including James Hunt’s M23-8 championship winner. In some cases cars required temporary bodywork mods – for example the two Tyrrell P34s had to be converted from their usual 1977-spec, and the real Ferraris had to serve as both 312Ts and T2s. Others required tall airboxes for the early-season races, before the rules changed at May’s Spanish GP.