A "Rush" comes to the movies.

Editor-in Chief's Note: I will be back next week with a new "Fumes" column. I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all the hate mail I received for failing to mention Alessandro Zanardi at the same time I discussed Niki Lauda's return to racing after his horrific accident. I certainly didn't mean to demean Zanardi's sheer force of will and tremendous courage in any way. - PMD

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. The new trailer for the movie Rush - the film about Grand Prix racing during its most meteoric era as defined by the battle between James Hunt in the McLaren and Niki Lauda in the Ferrari - has burst on the scene this week and the initial look is spectacular. Directed by Ron Howard, this will be the first major league film about racing that merits serious consideration from enthusiasts in decades.

When you really think about it we've only had two major films about racing that were worth talking about. The immortal Grand Prix, to this day one of the most riveting racing films of all time and one single handedly responsible for fueling many a young man's passion for racing when it debuted in 1966. And Le Mans, which started out as a vanity project for Steve McQueen but ended up delivering some of the most fantastic racing scenes ever recorded on film. That's it. Two memorable films about a sport that is well over 100 years old.

Rush promises to be different for several reasons. First of all Ron Howard lends an air of gravitas to the project that other half-assed attempts since Grand Prix and Le Mans could never come close to equaling. Howard is an Academy Award-winning director who doesn't get involved in just any project, but rather, the subject must move him. And when it moves him he has a track record of making excellent movies. In other words, this new film will have the utmost in production values, technical expertise, script writing and cinematography. And that is quite apparent when viewing the trailers (see below).

It also means that the story in Rush will have to be first rate as well, because Howard isn't making a racing film directed at a narrow group of racing enthusiasts. He's making a first-rate film that happens to be about an era of racing filled with intensity, punctuated by drama and defined by bravery. And the passion that lurks in the hearts of men.

The subject itself is compelling, with the epic battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda that played out throughout the 1976 F1 season front and center, including the horrific wreck at the Nurburgring, which burned Lauda severely, almost costing him his life. And Lauda's incredible return to the sport just four weeks later against impossible odds, an achievement that remains simply unequaled in terms of bravery and the sheer force of will. Hunt and Lauda couldn't have been more different, polar opposites in the most intense pursuit in the world, one that magnified their every move and made them larger-than-life characters in a speed-warped world already defined by some of the most outlandish characters in sport.

I hold out high hopes for Rush, and given the scope of the official trailer here, and the behind-the-scenes trailer here, my optimism seems cautiously justified. I remember seeing Grand Prix when it opened at a theater specially-modified for wide-screen "Cinerama" viewing here in Detroit, and it remains one of the most moving experiences on film I have ever witnessed. It fueled my passion for the sport back then, and it still holds true for me to this day.

I hope Rush does the same for a brand-new generation.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Watkins Glen, New York, 1976. James Hunt at the U.S. Grand Prix East in Watkins Glen, New York. Hunt (No. 11 Team McLaren Marlboro McLaren M23-Ford Cosworth DFV) had a fantastic battle with Jody Scheckter (No. 3 Team Tyrrell ELF Tyrrell P34/Ford Cosworth DFV) during the race and eventually prevailed, winning for the sixth time that season. Niki Lauda (No. 1 Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 312T2) finished third. Watch the video here and notice how Watkins Glen looked without the Bus Stop chicane.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD