Top Car

January 2016|TOPCAR.CO.ZA 19

Mini pick-up

Suzuki Mighty Deck concept (2015)

Japan’s ‘kei’ ormicrocars subscribeto strict rules on

enginesize andfootprint, but beyondthat, anything

goes. Hence the new Mighty Deck, a tiny lifestyle pick-

up. Sounds weird, but Suzuki has previousform with a

productionmicroute called the Mighty Boy. Quite.

Mini people carrier

Suzuki Wagon R (1993-present)

A kei-carbest-seller now onitsfifth generation.The

original 1993 Wagon Rwas amongthe first to usethe

‘tall boy’ body design for extra interior space. The

bigger, non-kei Wagon R+(pictured)led adouble life

asthe Opel Agila.

Mini performance

Suzuki Cappuccino(1991-1997)

Weighing 725kg andpowered bya 47kW657cc

three-pot turbo, this diminutive roadsterhits 100kph

in 8.0sec– which probably feels fastenoughin

something the size of a running shoe.

Mini motoring

Suzulight (1955-1969)

Suzulight is the nameSuzuki chose whenit branched

out from motorcycles to cars in 1955, creating awhole

range to takeadvantage of the new Keijidosha(‘light

car’) regulations. Suzuki has been aleading kei-car

producerever since.

WeknowSuzuki for Swift andVitara, but

backin Japanit’s a kei-carpioneer

Connect 4

SUZUKI KEI CARS

L

E MANSISa terrible movie. The

storyl ine is thin and there’s no

dial ogue for the first 38 minutes.

Whenit was made in 1970 it had the

biggest budget of any Steve McQueen film

to date, but it still managed to goover-

budget and its chaotic production cost him

close friends and creative collaborators. The

critic s hated it and it was a box-office flop.

Yet it now has a cult follo wing, beca use it

remains arguably the most ev ocative,

accurate repres entation of one of the most

exciting, glamorous eras in motorsport.

That was really all McQueen wanted to do:

he didn ’t want much of a script or storyl ine.

‘I don’t think there is any racing driver who

could tell you why he races ,’ he said. ‘But I

think that he could probably show you.’

The sad story ofLe Manshas beentold

before, but a new documentary tells it

afresh with remarkable ne w material. In

garages and long-forgotten archives the

producers found hours of behind-the-s cenes

footage:Le Manswas prev iously thought to

have beena ‘closed set’. And hidden under a

stage in a studio in LA they uncovered the

original rushes: the famed ‘million feet of

film’ reported to have beenshot, but which

was thought to have beendestroyed. Lost

Le Mans: the

film of the film

Newdocumentarylaysbarethe truth

behind McQueen’s flawedraceodyssey

GETTYIMA

GES

footage of Porsch e 917s and Ferrari

512s thundering down Mulsanne

deserves to be seen on the big

screen, so the documentary is

being given a cinema release.

But although the material is

better than the badTV footage the

producers of Senna had to work

with, the story isn’t as compelling or

important, and the storytelling not as

polished.Steve McQueen: The Man and Le

Manscould do with another edit, not least

to the title. The narrative is pleasingly free-

form and the recordings of interviews with

McQueen – some also newly discovered

• allow him to tell his own story. The
  contributo rs are impres sive, from Swedish
  actress Louise Edlind, who beca me an MP
  and hasn’t spoken about the film for
  decades, to Br itish racing legends Derek
  Bell and David Piper, who drove in the race
  scenes. The film reveals a few new facts
  which will be of interest to McQueen or
  motorsport obsessives, and it’s of wider
  interest as a document of how chaotic
  Hollywood could be: theLe Manscrew shot
  for months without a script, which explains
  a lot. But the film feels repetiti ve in places
  and there are some cheesy documentary
  tropes, such as the interviewees all being
  filmed in front of the same weathered
  tarpaulin, and being asked to give long,
  meaningful stares into the camera.
  It’s an okay documentary ab out a flawed
  movie. But likeLe Mans, you should go see
  it anyway.
  BEN OLIVER