I don’t think Brian Bedford even had a driver’s license, so he was obviously on edge, as he’d never gone as fast in an automobile, and the notion of car control at high speed was totally new to him. It was pretty easy to see who was going to be the star here, and who was the real racer among them.
#Grand prix cast driver
He recalls that “prior to production, or any driver training, Frankenhiemer asked me to take each of the four main actors out in a race car to see how they felt about the speed. Connections wise, it also didn’t hurt that Carroll Shelby signed onto the film as “Technical Consultant.” At the time, legendary Cobra pilot Bob Bondurant was already entertaining the notion of opening a professional racing school, and also having considerable F1 experience, was a natural to coach Garner literally and figuratively up to speed. While Garner liked cars and had a certain natural talent, he needed to be trained for this aspect of the role. Garner and Frankenhiemer both agreed that in order for Garner to appear credible in the role, he needed to look, act, and drive like a real grand prix racer. However prior to the filming of either, American acting favorite James Garner signed on to portray American Formula 1 driver Pete Aron in director John Frankenhiemer’s landmark film about F1, Grand Prix, filmed during the 1965 F1 racing season. Among the most memorable are the Mustangs that appeared in Gone in 60 Seconds (the original and the remake) and of course in the iconic Steve McQueen chase scene epic, Bullitt. Over the last five decades, Mustangs have made thousands of appearances in movies and television.