[Mr_Draco]

Originally Posted by motorhead

I didn"t see any threads about Mandela's death. Did I miss it? I searched his name, but it came up cold. I figured that he must not have been a car guy.
All the threads about that guy from that movie made me wonder.

It is mostly a media thing. Mandela was only mentioned briefly on the news for 1 day vs the actor who died 2 weeks ago and is not only still on the news but is getting whole segments.

[motorhead]

Originally Posted by Envy

A thread about a car guy that died well before his time seems like an appropriate topic of conversation on a car enthusiast website...especially considering the circumstances surrounding his death.

On the other hand...a thread about the passing of a foreign political leader who was very old and by natural cause seems a bit out of place here.

Look below. I guess he fits in more than you think.

Originally Posted by 90503

Here ya go for starters...

Nelson Mandela was 'a real fanatic' for cars

Drive On


Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY 7:53 p.m. EST December 5, 2013

Former South African President Nelson Mandela, who died Thursday, at a photo shoot in advance of his 90th birthday celebration(Photo: Chris Jackson Getty Images)
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• South Africa
• Nelson Mandela

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As the world mourns the passing of Nelson Mandela, his human side as well as his accomplishments are being celebrated. And when it comes to his joys in life, one of them turns out to be an appreciation for cars.
Especially in his early days as a lawyer, before joining the African National Congress in the struggle against the apartheid government of South Africa, Mandela had an eye for great cars. It's all made very clear the in the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which just came to theaters, directed by Justin Chadwick.
"Mandela loved these cars. He was a real fanatic as a young man," says Chadwick. "If you knew Mandela as a young man you knew he had a love of fine clothes, tailoring and these great vehicles."
The British-born Chadwick, whose own father is a car enthusiast, said he paid special attention to getting as many unique period cars into the film, which spans the greater part of the century for the now 95-year-old Mandela.
"I was obsessed about having the best cars available. And we kept unearthing these great cars. We had over 500 vintage cars in the movie, which has to be some kind of Guinness record for a film. They are in the background and the foreground throughout," says Chadwick.
Of particular importance was getting the ancient Chevy that Mandela proudly drove as a young man. The filmmakers found a like model and Chadwick spent lots of time in the back seat shooting scenes with Idris Elba, who plays Mandela, driving down South Africa's winding roads.
The best thing about it was that the 1940s car was in the kind of shape which would have made a young Mandela proud. "The thing about the climate in South Africa is that it keeps these cars in pristine condition," says Chadwick

Thanks for the post. This is very interesting. I would have never thought that about him.

[motorhead]

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

It is mostly a media thing. Mandela was only mentioned briefly on the news for 1 day vs the actor who died 2 weeks ago and is not only still on the news but is getting whole segments.

This is what I don't get about what goes on these days. I didn't even know who Paul Walker was until someone said he was in that ricer movie. I knew his face from the movie, but I didn't know his name. I feel bad for his family and friends that they lost him. He's sounds like he was a pretty good guy.

[Steve Dallas]

I didn't know who Paul Walker was either.

The Fast & Furious movies pretty much sucked....which probably explains why I didn't know who he was.