Facts
-
Year of manufacture
1993 -
Movies
The Fast and the Furious (2001), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) -
Movie role 2003
Orange Julius’s RX-7 -
Screen driver
Amaury Nolasco -
Status
Original hero car from the movie -
Engine
13B twin-rotor Wankel engine, 1.3-litres, twin-turbo -
Power
259 hp -
Gearbox
Five-speed manual gearbox
One car, two screen lives: before this Mazda RX-7 cruised through Miami by night as ‘Orange Julius’, it had already been part of Dominic Toretto’s fleet of red RX-7s in Part 1 of The Fast and the Furious. For Part 2, the red stunt double was transformed into a one-off orange model with a new body, a new paint job and a name that nobody could overlook.
The vehicle on display at the Red Bull Ring Classics is an original movie car that featured in both films. ChromeCars is presenting it as a hero car in its unrestored original condition and in running order.
The vehicle
The third generation of the Mazda RX-7 was unusual right from the factory gates. Under the flat bonnet lies not a conventional piston engine, but a compact twin-disc Wankel engine with two turbochargers. The result? Low weight, high revs and an almost perfectly balanced weight distribution.
Orange Julius clearly embodies the tuning aesthetic of the early 2000s: ‘Ultra Orange Pearl’ paintwork, yellow-and-red digital graphics, a Versus body kit, a J-Spec bonnet, additional fog lights and polished 18-inch wheels. The film production team opted not to fit a huge rear wing with the result that the RX-7’s rounded silhouette remains clearly recognisable.
The term ‘unrestored original condition’ refers to the preserved configuration from the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious, i.e. the car has not been rebuilt or modernised at a later date. ChromeCars lists it as a ‘roadworthy hero car’.
The movie character
Orange Julius is one of the drivers who takes on Brian O’Conner at the start of 2 Fast 2 Furious. During the race, he is locked in a particularly close battle with Suki and her Honda S2000. She rams the RX-7 and eventually overtakes it. When Tej orders the drawbridge to be opened, Brian, Slap Jack and Suki jump across.
Julius brakes before the steep ramp – a sensible move, but one that leaves him with no chance of victory. Later, he returns in the RX-7 as part of the major diversionary operation. We learn very little about the character himself. As with Slap Jack, the car takes on the lion’s share of the characterisation.
Fun fact
The flames coming out of the exhaust weren’t caused by a heavily tuned engine. For the first of the two films, a special exhaust fitted with a spark plug and a propane supply was installed. The film crew was able to flick a switch and trigger the flames at just the right moment. The red ‘NOS’ buttons on the steering wheel were also mainly props: they were not connected to a nitrous oxide system.
The story behind the movie car
The RX-7 originally rolled off the Mazda production line in silver and with an automatic gearbox. For The Fast and the Furious, it was converted into one of several stand-ins for Dominic Toretto’s red RX-7. In the production documents, it was designated as ‘Stunt 2’.
For 2 Fast 2 Furious, the car was given a completely new look. The body kit, rear wing and paintwork from the previous film were removed. New features included the Versus body kit, the J-Spec bonnet, pop-up headlights, additional fog lights, 18-inch wheels and the orange paint job with its striking digital graphics.
The automatic gearbox was also replaced with a five-speed manual gearbox. This allowed the actors to visibly change gears during interior shots. A safety fuel tank was also installed in the boot for the shoot.
According to the available production documents, this vehicle was the only RX-7 actually used in full Orange Julius configuration. A stand-in from the first film thus became a hero car in its own right for the second instalment.
The legend
- To this day, various movie car stories are intertwined with the history of Orange Julius: · “That’s Dominic Toretto’s RX-7.” The car was part of the red RX-7 fleet from the first film. However, it did not automatically feature in every Toretto scene.
- “There were several identical Orange Julius RX-7s.” Multiple cars were apparently intended for use. However, according to production documents, only this particular car was used in this livery throughout.
- “The RX-7 later appeared in other films and music videos.” Such appearances are attributed to various Orange Julius cars. It is not always possible to definitively identify them as this particular car. It is a proven fact that the RX-7 displayed at the Red Bull Ring Classics was used in both films. It remains unrestored in its ‘Orange Julius’ livery and is in running order.