Episode 1 of “2 Fast 2 Broken” is now available on the Hard Up Garage YouTube channel, following British mechanic and creator Sam Hard’s mission to acquire and restore a screen-used Chevrolet Camaro from the 2003 film, officials announced in a press release. According to Hard, the recovered Camaro served as a hero vehicle driven by Paul Walker before its stunt duties in the yacht sequence and appearances in the closing scenes.
The four-part series takes viewers from the car’s discovery after 23 years in storage to the workshop. Stripping it down exposes that the famous blue panels have considerably more history than structural integrity, noted the release.
Hard had to persuade its custodian that he would give the battered survivor the restoration it deserved. Persistence eventually secured the deal.
“I never thought a backstreet mechanic like me could buy and restore the actual Camaro from ‘2 Fast 2 Furious.’ But with enough blood, sweat and the right friends, even the wildest dream can end up in your workshop,” said Hard.
Those friends include Famous Dave, Mr Wiggles and Tavarish, who opened his Florida workshop for a 15-day rebuild, supported by automotive aftermarket manufacturers and specialist suppliers.
The film’s Camaros were built to portray Yenkos, rather than being original Yenko cars. Hard wants to give this survivor the engineering to match its screen identity, with Yenko specification and accreditation forming part of the plan.
Road to the SEMA Show Unveiling
The finished result remains under wraps, but viewers can follow the rebuild through weekly episodes ahead of the Camaro’s scheduled unveiling at the Aces Fuel Injection booth at SEMA on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 11:30 a.m. Las Vegas time.
Hard will also share a full interview with Ted Moser of Picture Car Warehouse, who worked on the film, exploring the story behind the movie cars.
Every episode will premiere on DRIVEN seven days before its YouTube release. Episode 2 premiered on Friday, Oct. 16.
Aftermarket Partners Behind the Camaro Rebuild
Tavarish, Classic Industries, Ringbrothers, Aces Fuel Injection, WCH Racing Engines, Revolt Paint, Vintage Air, Glass Skills, DRZA, American Autowire, Pypes Exhaust, Cold Case Radiators, Speedtech, QA1, IDIDIT Steering Columns, Yuasa, Comma, EBC, Petrolheadonism, OutRun and SpeedDawg.