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Above, original art, ‘Rendezvous with 458 Italia’ by Chad Glass.
By Stephen Mitchell
Artwork by Chad Glass
From the Archives, July 20, 2011
Would it be possible to recreate Claude Lelouch’s legendary film ‘Rendezvous?’ Director Stephen Mitchell thought so and he had plan. [Read more…] about Rendezvous in a Ferrari
Stephen Mitchell recalls his youth in California during the 60s and his GTO.
Filmmaker Stephen Mitchell recently wrote “Rendezvous Redux” for VeloceToday. Below, for the first time, is the full story behind Stephen Mitchell, the amazing YouTube videos and GTO 3987. And whether you view the two film clips before or after reading the article make sure you do and watch them all the way through. You will be amazed. Trust me.
In early 1964, Car and Driver’s Editor David E. Davis thought it would be a great idea to compare the new Pontiac GTO with a real Ferrari GTO, and bet the March cover on it. Came the big day and a Ferrari GTO couldn’t be found. Uh-oh.
[Read more…] about Ferrari GTO S/N 3987
Aside from the videos (which you don't want to miss) there are few still shots of Mitchell actually driving his GTO. But here is Tom Price enjoying his GTO in 2009. Photo by Richard Prince.
By Stephen Mitchell
Seen in the context of its time, there was nothing quite like the GTO.
When entering the cockpit, I never got used to the fact that the pedals were so close. I’m 5’10″ and my knees were splayed around the steering wheel in an effort to fit into the car. Anyone who has ever made this complaint about a Lusso (which I also owned at the time) or GTE never sat in a GTO! This lack of legroom was probably a result of the rearward placement of the engine for better weight distribution. The bulkhead behind the seat limited aft seat travel, so there was no way to adjust for comfort. I always had it in mind to have the pedals moved forward, but never did. You adapt to the GTO, it doesn’t adapt to you. I’ve heard similar remarks made about the Old Man.
Headroom was fine and the seat was comfortably wide. One of my favorite things about the car was the position of the gear lever in relation to the steering wheel. Visually, that marvelous aluminum gear knob looked as though it would be too high for comfort. One is accustomed to having to reach down for the lever to shift. With the GTO, the knob was only inches away from the wheel, so shifts could be made very quickly with a short lateral move of the hand. In front of you, the tachometer had a telltale that would move to…and remain at…the highest revs attained. I never exceeded 7500 rpm.
GTO shift lever and knob was more than prominent but well placed. This is the interior of chassis 4399 as photographed by Hugues Vanhoolandt.
Would it be possible to recreate Claude Lelouch's legendary film 'Rendezvous'? Director Stephen Mitchell would use a new Italia.. Original art, 'Rendezvous with 458 Italia' for VeloceToday by Chad Glass.
By Stephen Mitchell
Artwork by Chad Glass
French Translation follows English text
When Stephen Mitchell was recently introduced to VeloceToday by Wallace Wyss, he told us a bit about himself, mentioning Ferrari, film making, and Paris. We added this up and asked him his thoughts on, of course, Claude Lelouch’s film ‘Rendezvous’. Bingo!! We pressed the right button.
Mitchell was born and raised to have a Hollywood career–literally. A native of Los Angeles, he studied sound, cinematography and editing with department heads from CBS Cinema Center in Studio City, California where Steve McQueen had his Solar Productions. Working as an extra and in small speaking parts in Hollywood films, he practically lived on the set of the television series Mission: Impossible as a family friend directed many of the show’s episodes. Obviously a film career was in the making, but instead of Hollywood, Mitchell’s film career began in France. “I went to Paris because I saw a film by Claude Lelouch—“A Man and a Woman”. It showed me exactly the kind of film I wanted to be making and it wasn’t happening in Hollywood.” We’ll let Mitchell take it from here…
While my interest in films was already well established, strangely enough my passion for cars took root while I was recovering from a head-on collision on the Ventura Freeway. I wasn’t expected to live through the first night but, in the end, my father and I both survived. I read one Road & Track magazine after another, learning and becoming excited about Ferraris, Formula One and the incredible collection of personalities that populated those worlds. It was family friend and mentor Paul Stanley, the director who issued a standing invitation to visit the sets he worked on, who told me I should see A Man and a Woman. (1966) It had impressed him and he figured I would like it, too. That was an understatement. [Read more…] about Renedezvous Redux? Reflections on Claude Lelouch