Turns out the real stars of the film The Last Stand aren't Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, or even Johnny Knoxville. No, this film belongs to the 2 cars tearing up the screen (and everything else in between): a Corvette ZR1 and Camaro ZL1.
Who will win? The Cyber Gray Metallic ZR1 or the Victory Red ZL1? In the end, it doesn't matter, as the viewers get one of the best car chase scenes in recent memory.
The Last Stand is clearly having fun, through typical Hollywood embellishments, especially dealing with cars doing stunts like this. One of the more realistic scenes in the film was a dramatic chase through a cornfield. Yes, a 120K and a 60K sports car ram each other to pieces, all the while being pummeled by corn stalks. Forcing these street bruisers out of their typical settings to blindly drag race through the corn makes this cat-and-mouse sequence so effective (especially while eating, uh, popcorn).
In the end, both cars are totaled when they smash into some farm machinery. The Camaro even loses its top, having it cleaved flat with the hood and decklid, making for an expensive (and dangerous) convertible conversion.
The Last Stand is about a drug cartel boss escapee from an FBI prisoner transfer (like those ever go smoothly) trying to make it across the Mexican border. Only there’s a distinct difference to the typical Hollywood formula: his escape vehicle is the nearly unstoppable Corvette ZR1. To set off the tone of the film, the opening scene has a cop clock the car (with no lights on for dramatic emphasis) at 197mph. From then on, you know where the film is heading. (In its defense, Chevy claims “a test track top speed of 205mph.”)
For reference, the supercharged Corvette ZR1 makes 638 horsepower with 0-60 times in 3.4 seconds, according to the official site. The ZR1 boasts plenty of muscle in stock form, though in the movie it was said to be a stolen show car making 1,000 horsepower.
For comparison, the Camaro ZL1, with a supercharged 6.2 liter engine similar to the Corvette, makes 580 horsepower with 0-60 times in 3.9 seconds, according to the site.
Clearly the Vette would have the edge, though the Camaro is decidedly more practical. If you count a tiny rear seat as usable kid’s space, that is.
Still, I noticed some Camaro continuity issues. It is clearly a ZL1 Camaro with the optional front fascia and special hood with air extractor. There are ZL1 chrome emblems on the hood, too. But in one shot as Arnold is driving, “SS” (as in Super Sport) is embroidered on the headrests. It should be “ZL1.” Also, in several other shots the Camaro has silver wheels, which are normally blacked out on the newest ZL1. My guess is they used some extras, or SS Camaros (perhaps even RS V6 models with mods?) to keep production costs down.
While it’s somewhat disheartening to end up with a couple of performance cars as scrap, it’s a whole lot of fun watching it get there. And let’s face it: these cars aren't irreplaceable. Maybe it reinforces the fact that cars should be driven- hard- and not be regulated to trailer queen status. Chevy enjoys being the automaker to prominently feature its cars in movies, and rip them to shreds (ala Transformers).
Arnold may be an old action hero, but The Last Stand is actually a decent movie with some good moments of humor. In one scene, a sheriff holds up a Conan sword in an obvious (and hilarious) reference to Schwarzenegger’s comic book character portrayal from the ‘80s. It’s good to see him back in the movies, as his last leading role was in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
For more information on the Corvette ZR1, click here:
(http://www.chevrolet.com/corvette-zr1-sports-car.html?seo=goo_|_GM+Chevy+Retention_|_GG-RTN-Corvette+ZR1-BP-SN-Exact_|_Corvette+ZR1+HV_|_corvette%20zr1)
Those interested more about the Camaro ZL1, click here:
(http://www.chevrolet.com/camaro-zl1-sports-car.html?seo=goo_|_GM+Chevy+Retention_|_GG-RTN-Camaro+ZL1-BP-SN-Exact_|_Camaro+ZL1+HV_|_camaro%20zl1)
For more information on The Last Stand, click here for the official site:
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