"The Ranch Hand" - e39m5 chase car

The "Ranch Hand" is a purpose-built 2002 BMW e39M5, modified with speed rail, a 3-axis dampening Flowcine Black Arm and Ronin 2 and Alexa Mini setup that can effectively capture car-to-car footage at speeds over 130MPH.

All filming conducted by Professional Driver's on Closed Course. Do Not Attempt.

The (Behind-the-Scenes) Story:

For the last decade or so I’ve been tinkering with shock and suction mounts, triangulation kits, gimbals- all strapped to whatever car was around.This eventually led to the Black Arm and after getting it all setup on a Toyota FJ Cruiser, its trial by fire was at Willow Springs. Although everything worked, we quickly realized an SUV was a substantially dangerous chase car on a track and that something faster was required.

Options for this are infinite. As long as the vehicle can have tow-hooks and a roof rack, a very stable setup can be created. From the beginning I knew that it had to be a naturally aspirated, 6spd, e39 M5. Alex of Glen Shelly in Colorado had the answer to my problem with a whopping 205K miles on the clock. Knowing it would need to be repaired anyway, this was perfect.

Freshly fetched from the snow, we immediately retrofitted it with speed rail and dispatched it to our next shoot - a Mclaren 720S at Tejon Ranch. Flying along the road we pirouetted in and out of the trees we even able hit 120mph in very close proximity. The stability and speed paired image quality of the Alexa Mini were fantastic.

Most of the summer, I spent time chasing mechanical problems while I also added the front mount -, painted the speed rail and wheels black, installed monitor mounts and kept pushing it to see what she could do.

By the fall, a very exciting job had come to light - a brand launch for a 3D Printed hyper car: the Czinger 21C It was a 1 of 1 NDA prototype with 1250hp and a theoretical top speed of 268mph.

From Alameda Naval Station to Willow Springs to Laguna Seca and Bixby Bridge, we pushed the ranchhand to new limits, attempting to capture the 21C with as much precision and speed s possible. Although we used a Russian Arm for our Hollywood shoot, the BMW was perfect to keep up through the corners and flat out at over 130mph down the runway.

This chase car project wasn’t a master plan, or even designed on paper - It was just the culmination of trial and error and getting carried away with it all.

It was built not as a rental, but as a statement and a way to achieve speeds beyond traditionally found in the Russian arm/Crane Car platform. It's a tool in the toolbox and a way for us to offer something as a company that other's might not. Thanks to everyone who helped develop and operate it!

Narrated by Jeremy Heslup

*Due to insurance and permit restrictions, the "Ranchhand" and relevant equipment is only available for film productions produced through VALKYR.

Featuring:
Corvette ZR1 @ Willow Springs
488GTB & Aventador S @ Streets of Willow
Mclaren 720S @ Tejon Ranch
912's @ Lucerne Valley
Czinger 21C @ Alameda, Laguna Seca, Bixby & Willow Springs

Black Arm Development
:
Nima Karamati
Kyle Rose

M5:
Alex McCulloch (Glen Shelly Auto)
Gianni Cabiglio
David Schmalz
Swiss Motors

PRECISION DRIVERS:
Alex McCulloch (ZR1)
Gianni Cabiglio (720S/488GTB/AVENTADOR/GT4)

CZINGER BTS & STILLS
:
GF Williams (BTS/Stills)

CZINGER DEBUT
:
Rob Russell (DP)
Thomas Hubbel (AC)
David Schmalz (AUDIO & MIX)
Travis Dowell (AD)
Donnie McGuire (AD)
Parker Jarvie (COMPANY 3)

ALAMEDA/WILLOW AERIALS
:
Aaron M Kahm (AMK FILMS)
Grant Gulessarian

BIXBY/LAGUNA AERIALS:
Matthew Lavin (AEROGRAPHY)

CZINGER 21C CAMPAIGN:
Jens Sverdrup
Hannah Burgess
Bonnie Gallanter

Directed By Jeremy Heslup |   / jeremyheslup  


Created By © Valkyr Productions LLC | http://valkyrfilms.com |   / valkyrfilms