Audi R8 in Iron Man

[gdae]

Took my chick out to see Iron Man Friday night.
Audi was clearly a major financial backer of the movie. Stark builds The Suit in his garage so the car is always in the background, and occasionally he takes the R8 (R10?) out for a drive where the car is shot to its best advantage, including a downward view into the lit-up engine bay.
I haven't seen the car, haven't seen a commercial, so this was my first "exposure" to the R8. It made me want to go out immediately and drive the NSX.:biggrin:
Great movie, by the way.

 

[cojones]

Took my chick out to see Iron Man Friday night.
Audi was clearly a major financial backer of the movie.

Audi cars were prominently featured...

Stark drove a R8, his assistant had an S5 coupe, and a Q7 (SUV) and A6 (sedan) were also featured... other rides included a new Roller (also Stark's driven by Jon F), and numerous garage toys - Saleen S7, Cobra, etc

There are several good stories about how they pitched and won the deal...

Audi went to great lengths to put itself in front of the filmmakers.

Other carmakers auditioned their fleets, but Audi was so set on landing the placement that it flew in two R8s from Germany for Favreau and his production designer to consider.

"The car fit very well with the aesthetic the production designer was putting together," Feige said. The R8 hooked filmmakers in part because elements of the car's design closely resemble Iron Man's superhero garb.

Automaker was attracted to the property because of the Stark character, a weapons manufacturer who opts to use his Stark Industries' technology to fight evil. Out of the office, he's a playboy accustomed to the finer things in life.

"With his ingenuity and passion for technology, Tony Stark personifies Audi's values," said Dirk Roder, Audi international film marketing, entertainment and gaming. "He's the kind of guy every girl wants to date and every guy wants to be."The sleek $108,000 car, which was launched this year, features an engine housing in the rear of the car that glows at night, mimicking the glowing chestplate Stark must wear to stay alive.

Design of the car's headlights also resemble the eye slits of Iron Man's helmet and light up in similar fashion.

"The R8 was the perfect car for Tony Stark," Favreau said. "It's wonderfully engineered. It's fast, it's safe and it's flashy."

They also were featured prominently at the premiere event/party - several R8, Q7, S8, etc... - including the biggest parade drive of R8s in the US. See http://www.audiworld.com/news/08/iron-man-debut/

 

[lrsudog]

From what I understand from what Favreau said, Audi spent its money footing the bills on co-promotion opportunities with Iron Man and the various Audis, including producing some of the Commercials and in store promo pieces. LG did the same for the mobile phones and computer monitors.

That, and the cars Audi donated to the production, including the several R8s and the Q7 that were destroyed during filming.

I thought the saddest part was that aluminum bodied Cobra that was destroyed when Stark crash landed on it.

 

[cojones]

I thought the saddest part was that aluminum bodied Cobra that was destroyed when Stark crash landed on it.

Bet it was a "replica" kit car... as opposed to a genuine Cobra, which is a "real" kit car

 

[lrsudog]

Bet it was a "replica" kit car... as opposed to a genuine Cobra, which is a "real" kit car

It was a kit car, but an aluminum kit car. No fibreglass. They wanted it to "squish" like a real Cobra would.

No engine and tranny in it either, but Favreau said it cost $60-80K IIRC. Finished up as you saw it in the movie of course.