Take a Closer Look at the ‘Furious 7′ Off-Road Charger

BOLD RIDE

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Posted by Zach Doell

 

 

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to sit down with Dennis McCarthy, picture car coordinator of the Fast and Furious series going back to Tokyo Drift. We talked about launching cars out of planes, the amazing life of Paul Walker, and one car in particular – the Furious 7 off-road Dodge Charger. 

McCarthy said that of all the F&F cars, the long-travel Charger was his favorite… and by a long shot. No not Brian’s Supra, not Dom’s iconic 10-second Charger, but the high-riding off-roader you see before you. That might be a shocking revelation to Fast and Furious fans, but take a look at this behind-the-scenes footage of the car, filmed by the AFICIONAUTO, and it’s easy to see why the latest Charger rises to the top.




McCarthy, a veteran off-road racer himself, built all seven of the off-road Chargers based on Pro 2 racing truck platforms. This gave the cars extreme levels of wheel travel, which became quite necessary during the rougher portions of filming.

Four of the Chargers were built to full race-quality specifications with the other three equipped for specific stunts, including the dramatic ‘skydiving’ scene. McCarthy recalled that all of the cars survived the leap from the plane on multiple takes, except for one Charger. It landed on its wheels, the wind picked up, and it was dragged half a mile across the desert – losing every last one of its body panels.

What will they do for the next movie? McCarthy joked that he didn’t know if he could top Furious 7. Given the series’ penchant for going bigger and more insane with every iteration, we have absolute faith he’ll think of something.

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