Around 1982 I found a garage-kept '72 914 in the beach cities of LA, the car was 10 year old. Original everything. It was really nice. I then had to leave town, had a good offer for a contract position in Chicago. Locked the car in the garage, hired my brother to look after the house. Did not give him a garage key.
A few month later came home from Chicago and the lock on the garage door was gone. Opened the door and the car was there, car cover on it just like I left it. After a day or two my brother came by - I had not told him that I was going to be in LA ( this is WAY before cell phones) and he was shocked to see me. He said: "I guess you saw the car" to which I replied sure, seems OK. And then he started to tell the story why the lock was removed.
OK, for those of you outside of LA, every group of guys in LA has at least one dude that is going into the movie business. One of my brothers friends was always talking about this and writing scripts and critiquing movies that were at the theater - you know the guy. Turns out that while I was away he got the money to shoot a short film about a girl, a car and stolen money. Budget so LOW that they collectively decided to use my car.
So they did all of the outside action shots from a Ranchero with a camera mounted on a tripod but when it was time to do the inside shots (girl driving car, etc.) they mounted a big-ass Panaflex all over the car for different shots. One shot the passenger's side, another shot from the Targa Rail looking forward and then backward. Last was from the front windscreen for the "you are driving the car" shot.
The script called for a panic stop right up to the bad-guy. So my brother did the stunt driving ( he knew the car well and had a few 2002BMWs) and he drives like hell, slams on the brake hits the mark (Hollywood for perfect stop) and the camera comes loose and tumbles down the front of the car. Dents and gouges all the way down.
So, he tells this story and then says that miraculously the film canister kept closed and all of the film was preserved and looked great! So I am waiting for the part where they tell me about fixing the car………..still waiting!
The movie was called Gone Riding, it is long lost according to the assistant producer - my brother.
Click to view attachment The Car - before the event - note the Ranchero in the background.
Click to view attachmentDuct-tape will not hold one of these to a car - just say'n