GENEVA, March 3, 2014 – Ford Mustang has been a star of the silver screen and the small screen for nearly 50 years, with more than 3,200 appearances in movies and television shows. Now, the new Mustang is getting off to a quick start with its movie debut in "Need for Speed" on March 14.
“Need for Speed” star Aaron Paul will drive the custom 2014 Mustang hero car in the highly anticipated movie based on the long-running Electronic Arts video game series, and will take the wheel of the next-generation Mustang in its first on-screen appearance as well.
“On-screen or on the road, the visceral sight and sound of Mustang has been inspiring fans for nearly five decades,” said Jim Farley, Ford executive vice president, global marketing, sales and service and Lincoln. “The feeling of optimism and being in control that Mustang’s world-class power and performance provide is a perfect match for Aaron Paul’s character in ‘Need for Speed.’”
When the original Mustang debuted in April 1964, it was still an unknown quantity, but the producers of Goldfinger almost immediately cast a Wimbledon White 1965 convertible in the movie. Five decades later, Mustang is an automotive and pop-culture icon, and “Need for Speed” director Scott Waugh wasted no time getting the new Mustang into his film months before it goes on sale.
“I chose Mustang because it is a car that really represents American culture,” said Waugh. “It just represents modern muscle, and it’s iconic, having been in some of the greatest car chase movies of all time.”
Chronicling the filmography of Mustang is such an enormous job that it took more than 100 contributors to populate the MustangIMDB.com site created by Stefan Thorarensen, founder and board member of The Icelandic Mustang Club. With more than 3,200 entries, the list grows almost daily.
Reflecting the importance of movies to the Mustang story, Hollywood was selected as one of six venues for the global reveal of the new Mustang on Dec. 5, 2013, alongside a European debut in Barcelona, Spain. Mustang was driven out onto a pad of wet cement in the forecourt of the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. Like nearly 200 human stars, including several actors who helped make Mustang a star of the silver screen, the new Mustang had its prints and signature logo preserved for posterity in the cement.
Fans of the video game franchise already have access to virtual drives of the new Mustang, which became available as a free in-game download in EA’s “Need for Speed™ Rivals” in mid-December. Players in the game can also customise their Mustangs with a choice of five popular designs created using the online Mustang Customizer, including one inspired by RTR founder and drift champion Vaughn Gittin Jr.
2015 Ford Mustang
The all-new Mustang is the most advanced version yet of the iconic car and goes on sale in Europe in 2015; the first Mustang ever confirmed for sale in Europe in almost 50 years of production.
The sleek new design of Mustang Fastback and Convertible is backed up by world-class performance from engines including a new turbocharged 2.3-litre EcoBoost delivering more than 309 PS and 407 Nm of torque, and a 5.0-litre V8 with more than 426 PS and 529 Nm of torque.
In addition to state-of-the-art connectivity systems, Mustang features available advanced driver-assist systems, track apps, launch control and more.
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 181,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information about Ford and its products worldwide please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual
markets and employs approximately 47,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and approximately
67,000 people when joint ventures and unconsolidated businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor
Credit Company, Ford Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 22 manufacturing
facilities (13 wholly owned or consolidated joint venture facilities and nine unconsolidated joint venture
facilities). The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was
founded. European production started in 1911.
DreamWorks Pictures’ Need for Speed marks an exciting return to the great car culture films of the 1960s and ’70s, when the authenticity of the world brought a new level of intensity to the action on-screen. Tapping into what makes the American myth of the open road so appealing, the story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country journey for our heroes — one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption. Based on the most successful racing video game franchise ever with over 140 million copies sold, Need for Speed captures the freedom and excitement of the game in a real-world setting, while bringing to life the passion for the road that has made our love of cars so timeless.
The film centers around Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), a blue-collar mechanic who races muscle cars on the side in an unsanctioned street-racing circuit. Struggling to keep his family-owned garage afloat, he reluctantly partners with the wealthy and arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). But just as a major sale to car broker Julia Maddon (Imogen Poots) looks like it will save Tobey's shop, a disastrous race allows Dino to frame Tobey for a crime he didn’t commit, and sending Tobey to prison while Dino expands his business out West.
Two years later, Tobey is released and set on revenge — but he knows his only chance to take down his rival Dino is to defeat him in the high-stakes race known as De Leon — the Super Bowl of underground racing. However to get there in time, Tobey will have to run a high-octane, action-packed gauntlet that includes dodging pursuing cops coast-to-coast as well as contending with a dangerous bounty Dino has put out on his car. With the help of his loyal crew and the surprisingly resourceful Julia, Tobey defies odds at every turn and proves that even in the flashy world of exotic supercars, the underdog can still finish first.
Need for Speed is presented by DreamWorks Pictures, produced by Patrick O’Brien, John Gatins and Mark Sourian, and directed by Scott Waugh. The screenplay is by George Gatins. The story is by George Gatins & John Gatins, and, based on the video game franchise created by Electronic Arts. The film releases in U.S. theatres on March 14, 2014.
Need for Speed is a trademark of Electronic Arts Inc.
