DVD: The Big Engine That Could (Thunderhill 25 Hours Documentary)
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Everyone loves an underdog!
In The Big Engine That Could, a group of regular guys participates in The 25 Hours of Thunderhill, the longest endurance race on the US road racing calendar.
Not only that, they have selected an unlikely beast of a car to race – the Ford Mustang – an American icon that is bigger and heavier and technologically simpler than the competition.
But they have a weapon, not exactly secret: the 450 hp Boss 302 V-8 from Ford Racing.
Will The Big Engine, and a lot of heart from Team Winding Road’s 16 crew members, be enough to finish this grueling race and possibly stand on the podium in class in the December 2013 running of the 25 Hours?
Win or lose, The Big Engine That Could will be a film of the process, the thrills and the problems of endurance racing, with behind the scenes coverage of the team's progress and plenty of in-car footage.
Ratings & Reviews
4 Reviews
Very interesting DVD
I bought this hoping for some in depth looks at the nuts and bolts of the car build itself, and I was a little disappointed in that regard (hence the 4 stars), but the show was a very enjoyable look at race day at Thunderhill. Good production values and some really cool in car shots.
Jon Valin - Film Critc
09/17/2014 13:40:00
The Big Engine That Did
I’m not a particular fan of car racing, but I did own a small-block Ford V-8 back in the day, and watching a Ford Racing version of a Boss 302S Mustang being driven to unlikely victory in the 2013 running of the “25 Hours of Thunderhill” endurance race brought back hormone-stoked memories of my youth. The Big Engine That Could—an expertly made film about a race-mad but inexperienced team (this was only their second outing) of amateur drivers, mechanics, and support staff from Winding Road magazine, pitting its 450hp muscle car against lighter, sleeker, better-cornering BMWs (and beating them!)—is part documentary and part family saga. The documentary part—with downright thrilling in-car race footage—gives you a truly exhilarating sense of what it is like to be in the driver’s seat on the three-mile, fifteen-turn (several of them hair-pin) Thunderhill Raceway course in Willow, CA, for an entire day and night of high-speed pursuit. The family saga part—which centers on a father-and-son driving team (Tom Martin, Editorial Director of Winding Road, and his son) and the extended family of close friends and relations who make up the Winding Road Racing crew—gives you a just-as-remarkable sense of what leads otherwise rational people to take on a grueling, high-risk challenge like the “25 Hours of Thunderhill.” In various pre- and post-race interviews, the skill, concentration, and teamwork of the race footage is made human by the sheer love of the sport that the Martin crew—men and women alike—share. Successfully funded by Kickstarter, The Big Engine That Could couldn't have been better shot and edited. Obviously it will delight die-hard car-race fans, but, a bit to my surprise, it also pleased a non-fanatic like me with its well-gauged mix of the professional and the personal, of the race itself and of the spirit of the racers.
James Juhl
09/17/2014 10:58:00
I want more
I've been a Mustang fan for a long time and it was cool to see this story about a Mustang winning its class. I can't wait until the Paul Brown movie is out (even though it's production quality is a little lacking compared to this). I called this a trimmed down version of the Patrick Dempsey Le Mans special Velocity had on. Except it was better because it was a Mustang. I would have like some extra features though or it could have even been a little longer.
Anonymous
08/02/2014 9:13:00
highly recommended
I might be very biased because I was on the team but this is an amazing documentary and video.
John
12/02/2015 18:40:00