The Prancing Horse teamed up with the original director Claude Lelouch behind the 1976 short filmC’était Un Rendez-Vous , which featured a pre-dawn, high-speed and highly illicit drive around the empty streets of Paris. Set to a Ferrari 275 GTB soundtrack, it was actually driven in Lelouch’s Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9, because the car’s hydraulic suspension would better support a camera. Though there is no official credit of who was driving, it’s widely believed that Lelouch’s friend, six-timeLe Mans winner and former Formula 1 Grand Prix winner Jacky Ickx, was behind the wheel.
This time, the Monaco principality officially closed its streets for filming of what Ferrari callsLe Grand Rendez-Vous . Charles Leclerc, Ferrari’s youngFormula 1 star and a Monegasque himself, piloted the Italian marque'sSF90 Stradale , Ferrari’s first hybrid series production model, reportedly at speed of up to 240kph. Look closely at the finished film and you’ll even see a brief cameo of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, grand master of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Speaking of the film in an official statement, Ferrari explained:
“The roar of hybrid V8, generating a total power of 1,000 CV, sent out a message of optimism and signalled a first step towards the return of motorsport, film and social life as we endeavour to put the pandemic behind us through mutually responsible behaviour, commitment and solidarity.”
ThatLe Grand Rendez-Vous also helps promote the upcoming Historique Monaco Grand Prix and gave its new F1 number one the chance to stretch his legs outside the realm of a SIM racing rig couldn’t have hurt much either.
*Images courtesy of Ferrari and IMDB
