With its revved-up six-minute opening sequence, the 2017 action-crime thriller Baby Driver wastes no time taking its audience on an adrenaline-charged joyride. The scene is a masterfully choreographed work of high-octane cinematic artistry that begins with a crime and ends with a hotfooted escape into a fade-out. Everything in between is a relentless spectacle following a cops and robbers pursuit through the busy streets of downtown Atlanta that redraws the blueprint for the modern movie car chase.
At the scene’s center is a getaway driver named “Baby” and a sprightly red Subaru that becomes his showstopping accomplice.
Chasing a Red Ghost
Director Edgar Wright knew exactly what kind of car he wanted for Baby Driver’s frenzied prologue. Introducing not only its main character, the scene also needed to set the tone for the film’s kinetic rhythm. The car needed to be quick, capable, and anonymous, having no problem blending into traffic when being tailed by Atlanta law enforcement on the ground and from the sky. Out were the exotic car options. Chosen for this hot pursuit was the 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI sedan…sort of.
Modifying a Movie Star
Beneath the hood, the base model 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX packed a turbocharged 2.5-liter flat-four SUBARU BOXER® engine that generated 230 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque, mated with a five-speed manual transmission. For the five Subaru Impreza WRX base models acquired for the Baby Driver production, extensive performance upgrades were required on each. Allpro Subaru in Alpharetta, GA, was tapped for this elaborate undertaking, including modifications to each car to resemble the STI — Subaru Technica International — configuration, complete with hood scoop, rear spoiler, STI badging, and other STI-spec components. All five were upgraded with matching hot red exteriors and black leather-upholstered interiors.
More extensive modifications were required for each production car based on its specific on-camera usage, including a high-output engine upgrade that increased performance in some models to 320 horsepower. Other Allpro Subaru enhancements included the installation of forged CP-Carrillo pistons, an EXEDY Stage 1 clutch, an OS Giken front differential, and a Cusco limited-slip rear differential. Select production cars were equipped with a CNC hydraulic hand brake for executing high-speed “180-in-out” slingshot drifts.
Since the factory-built 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX featured a standard symmetrical all-wheel drive (AWD) drivetrain, one of the production cars was reconfigured into rear-wheel drive (RWD) to allow for complete J-turn and corner drift stunt maneuvers. Another production Impreza WRX was refitted with an automatic transmission to allow for a roof-mounted seated driving rig that allowed veteran stunt coordinator Jeremy Fry to control the car’s movements from above. Side-mounted cameras simultaneously captured the performances of each actor inside.
Cut to the Chase
The opening scene of Baby Driver is orchestrated in real time and scored by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s propulsive 1994 track, “Bellbottoms.” The song was chosen specifically by Wright, who pre-timed the entire chase sequence around the song’s five-minute, 18-second length. Every drift and burnout by the Subaru Impreza WRX is synchronized down to the millisecond with a particular song beat, transforming the scene’s precision-choreographed high-speed pursuit by Atlanta police vehicles into something almost balletic.
Actor Ansel Elgort, who portrays “Baby,” underwent extensive performance driver training before and during production, working closely with Jeremy Fry to master some of the film’s full-throttled maneuvers. While Fry handled the most extreme driving stunts throughout filming, Elgort learned to execute J-turns, controlled slides, and high-speed evasive driving to further ground his on-screen performance.
Fun Fact!
Baby Driver isn’t the first Edgar Wright-directed film to feature a Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The 2003 model serves as the primary police vehicle for the fictional Sandford police department in 2007’s Hot Fuzz, the second film in Wright’s “Three Flavours Cornetto” trilogy.
Where Are They Now?
Each of the five modified 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX Baby Driver production cars has reportedly been acquired by private collectors throughout the last decade. The RWD-modified drifter model famously sold on eBay in 2017 for just over $69,000, while one of the AWD stunt-configured models was sold by Mecum Auctions in 2018. Another Impreza WRX production car is currently on display at the Celebrity Car Museum in Branson, MO.
A Full-Throttled Legacy
Nearly a decade after its release, Baby Driver remains a benchmark in action-thriller filmmaking. The creative decision to adhere to practical stunt driving standards with the 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX over relying on computer-generated imagery is a testament to the filmmakers’ respect not only for audiences, but to the stunt team that made it all happen. Its pulse-pounding realism is what makes this high-geared scene — and that red-hot Subaru sedan — drive on all cylinders.