Screencap from Steve Day's recreation of the Bullitt car chase
At last count, there were at least five reasons to love the internet:
1. [REDACTED]
2. Cat videos.
3. The Oatmeal.
4. The lovely and talented High Gear Media family.
5. The opportunity it provides crazy obsessive people to show off their handiwork.
And in service of #5 comes news that graphic designer Steve Day has reconstructed the epic car chase from the Steve McQueen masterpiece, Bullitt, using slot cars.
Apparently, Day recently hit a midlife crisis, and as men in that position tend to do, he began thinking about the things he loved as a little boy. At the top of the list: his Scalextrics racetrack. Naturally, he bought one.
He soon became obsessed with his childhood toy (as men in mid-life crisis mode tend to do) and decided he and the track were meant for greater things. And so, Day chose to re-stage a classic film scene with his new/old toys. And if you're going to re-enact a film scene with miniature cars, there are few better than the Bullitt car chase, featuring a 1968 Ford Mustang GT and a 1968 Dodge Charger -- two models that, coincidentally, were recently reissued by Pioneer Slot Cars.
Day hasn't finished the project just yet, but his trailer gives a good taste of what's to come. Behold:
And the full version from the movie, for comparison:
Day hasn't quit his day job (no pun, obvs), but he's continuing to work on these recreations. Next up: the Dukes of Hazzard (yay!) or The Italian Job (well, all right). Stay tuned.
[NYTimes]
