Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 Breaks Into the Movies

After General Motors had several of its models starring in one blockbuster movie (Transformers, anyone?), Ford is following GM in its stellar presence in the cinema. But unlike GM, Ford’s vehicles are not just featured in one movie. Last year in the Casino Royale, the Ford Mondeo and the Aston Martin, which was until then, owned by Ford Motors shared the glory with the international spy epic. And now for the Holidays, the red, white striped Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 will be driven by the only surviving man in the world, Will Smith, in the movie I am Legend.

"There is no doubt that the Shelby Mustang GT500 is the costar of the first part of this story," said Brian Daly of Ford Global Brand Entertainment (FGBE), which places Ford vehicles in movies, TV and other media. "Smith plays the sole survivor of an apocalypse who races around the deserted, gray, empty streets in this fantastic bright red Mustang. The sequences are incredible.”

Daly is not just the one impressed the Mustang’s presence in the movie, the Los Angeles Times auto blog is also buzzing about it. Reporter Josh Hancock commented, "The shots of the Mustang blasting around totally traffic-free New York will be the envy of every urban driver. I lost myself in that dream just with the sound of that car growling through the city streets."

The talks between Daly and Warner Bros about I am Legend started in spring of 2006. After some work with many studio executives, the script of the movie was done.

"The producers knew they wanted an American-made vehicle and the Shelby Mustang was perfect casting," he said. "But I also knew Chrysler and GM were making pitches. I kept imagining the folks at Camaro piecing together all kinds of prototypes to get those scenes."

"Getting Ford brand vehicles in movies like I Am Legend works in two ways," said Bob Witter, manager, FGBE. "First, producers know that as the audience recognizes a vehicle they see in real life or have been thinking about, the story becomes more relatable. And second, when our products are on-screen they can engage the viewer in a totally different fashion and help enhance our commercial and marketing investments."

The makers of the film, with its excellent production team expect the movie to be a hit. With Will Smith as the lead actor? I’m sure movie maniacs will dig his film and I’ll be one of them. That’s all for now, I’m searching online for a new Acura Integra distributor cap.