The 5th installment of the Fast and Furious franchise premiers this week. I have yet to watch it, but Universal Pictures (France) have released scenes from a crucial action sequence in the movie, where "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson, together with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker robbed a vault from a police station. Below is the video, dubbed in French.
In case of you are wondering, the SUV driven by Dwayne Johnson is a Gurkha F5, a SUV built based on the mechanicals from Ford F550, also known as the F-series Super Duty (SD). The Gurkha F5 is actually a civilian version of the Gurkha LAPV tactical military vehicle made by Canadian defense contractor Armet Armored Vehicles. Think of the Gurkha F5 to the Gurkha LAPV as the Hummer is to a Humvee (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle).
Below are images of the Gurkha LAPV.
While these are the civilian F5 versions, with different optional equipments installed.
And yes, it was a product placement deal. In fact, the F5's launch date was intentionally set on January 2011, to coincide with the global release date of Fast and Furious 5.
The F-series Super Duty, seen here in chassis cab form was the basis for the Gurkha F5 and LAPV.
The other two vehicles in the chase scene are Dodge Chargers. No introduction necessary for that.
In case you are wondering about the choice of name, Gurkha is a reference for the people of Nepal, whose men are known for their bravery. They are most famous for their services to the colonial British army, who contracted the services of Gurkha men. Former Chief of staff of the Indian Army, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw once said, "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha." Remnants of Gurkha history can still be seen in the security forces contingents in many former British colonies.
How does it stack up against some of the greatest car chase scenes in recent history?
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