Optima Commercial
 

I was going to write up our day at Willow Spring but Optima Jim did a better job than I could on the Optima Power Source web site.

"When OPTIMA decided to film a new commercial, there was a short list of cars we knew we wanted to call on to represent our brand. While the TV folks who are in charge of creating the commercial spots were drawn to cars primarily based on what would look good on camera, we knew Mark Stielow’s 1969 Camaro would not only fit the bill from an appearance standpoint, but it would also be able to hold up to the rigors of a day’s worth of shooting on track.

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We unloaded the Red Devil Camaro before the sun came over the horizon. Mark fired up the 750-horsepower, supercharged LS motor and it quickly settled down into a comfortable idle. Mark then wandered off for a quick bite to eat, while his car sat comfortably idling in the parking lot- not what you would expect of a car capable of laying down 800+ ft.-lbs. of torque. There was no “blap blap blap” exhaust sound, no concern on Mark’s part about the car’s ability to sit idling, just a monster of an engine, quite lurking underneath the wrapping of a ’69 Camaro body.
The crew first asked Mark to head out on the road course at Willow Spring, a notoriously fast track, with many of the curves offering banking that allows a driver to carry more speed through the twisties. Mark took a couple of laps to get the car warmed up and get comfortable with his surroundings, before pulling down pit road, checking tire pressure and waiting for instruction.
Initially, Mark was asked to make some passes on the front stretch as audio of the car was captured. Then he was asked to do some burnouts. While the camera crew was hoping for lots of tire squeal, the Supercar II Goodyears simply vaporized into a smoky cloud, as Stielow power-braked down pit road. This process (and virtually every other scene they shot) was duplicated multiple times. All the while, the Red Devil Camaro just kept rolling.
Finally, the production crew pulled out on the track in a Porsche Cayenne, heavily modified for film use. Between the vehicle itself, the cameras and all the rigging equipment, if a bus-sized satellite dropped out of the sky, crushing the vehicle, some insurance company would likely be writing a check north of $1,000,000. Interestinly enough, the Cayenne features six OPTIMA BlueTop batteries, mounted in the camera boom. Three of the batteries operated the rig, while the other three operate the $250,000 camera, that swivels all the way around the vehicle.

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The fun really started when the Cayenne hit the track. Flat black paint helps minimize the reflections on the 2010 VW Salsa Red paint found on Stielow’s Camaro and while the Cayenne could never hope to hang with Stielow on the track, it did exceptionally well at speed, considering it was carrying five passengers and more than a thousand pounds worth of equipment.
The two vehicles literally spent several hours on the track, filming everything from high-speed flybys to drifting shots in the corners, with the camera crew encouraging Stielow to come within inches of the six-figure camera rig with his six-figure car.
The temperature at Willow Springs passed the 90-degree mark well before noon time, but the Red Devil Camaro worked through the lunch hour, pausing only to fill up with another tank of gas. Having been on location for dozens of magazine photo shoots, where the standard rule of thumb was that the more radical the ride, the less-reliable it is, it is safe to say no other car would’ve been able to sustain the amount of abuse Stielow and the camera crew threw at it throughout the day.
While Stielow’s Camaro is the reigning OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational champion, the rigors of a day of commercial filming far surpass any of the stresses put on the car in Pahrump last year. Even with the engine temperature hovering around 240 degrees, Stielow and the crew pressed on and the Red Devil Camaro never wavered in the heat. In fact, it wasn’t until the camera crew had decided they had everything they needed, that they noticed the right rear tire was losing air. When the Camaro came to a stop in the pit area, exposed threads were clearly visible on the runflats, which lived up to their name.



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Still, the Camaro’s day was not done. As with many TV commercials, the hero ends the day by driving off into the sunset. The Red Devil Camaro rested for a few hours, before being called into duty again. This time, the duty was relatively-light, but with the right rear tire already hissing air, there was concern that the tire would come off the rim as Stielow turned the corner and drove off into the sunset.

Several takes later, the tire did keep it’s grasp on the rim, but Mark was convinced a few more takes and the rim would’ve been history. It was an incredible day for an incredible car and we’re very thankful Mark Stielow was willing to absolutely abuse his car for OPTIMA Batteries’ benefit.
The list of invitees for the 2011 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational is shaping up to be the most-talented in the history of the event and there are serious doubts as to whether or not Stielow will be able to repeat as champion. Whether he does or not, after what we witnessed at Willow Springs, there is little doubt in our mind that the Red Devil Camaro is one of the all-time Ultimate Street Cars."

It was a crazy day with a lot of drama and the film crew asking for "one more take" right up to the point that the RH tire when away. Glad we pulled it off and we didn't hurt the car much. Swing by the Optima booth at SEMA and check out the footage.

See you guys at SEMA. I have a month with no Red Devil... I guess I'll work on my next project.

Mark :lateral:

Good work Mark.

That's funny and ironic they keep asking for "one more take"..... because I kept replaying that power-brake video you showed us over and over again...:_paranoid :D ...

Thanks for the update!

John

Way cool Mark!:thumbsup: But that rear qtr paint shot makes me cringe! lol
racecar stuff I guess hah.

Paul

Paul

Sorry...... But I told you and your dad that I was going to drive it hard. :D

I think after SEMA it may need to have some areas re-painted. I don't thing Mother Showtime is going to tune that road rash up. At least there is no body work needed. I was so close to the camara I could not see it in front of the car as I was sliding past it with the tires blazing. I think this film footage is going to be awsome.

I'm impressed how well the black on the bottom and wheel wells are holding up and the rest of the car.

I hope to get it all tuned up prior to the car show in Chicago. Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals http://www.mcacn.com/. Nov. 19 & 20. We will have Red Devil, Jack Ass and the Mule there togther. We will have some of the "B roll" of the Optima shoot at that show.

Mark

Just the Mule, not Jackass...

Well there are some more reasons to attend that show .... in addition to being local for me!! Why no Jackass Charley?

That Optima video shoot sounded and looked very cool Mark.

The burnout video reminded me of the tire smoldering launch you did as we started out on the Heidt's Event Cruise back in July!!

Mark well deserved ! :cheers:

wow....that is amazing!

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lateral:

Did you get a laptime? Wonder how it compares to a stock C5 Z06 @ 1:30

Easy prey for many a car on this board!!

Because it costs enough just to ship one car across country and the Mule is already gonna make Red Devil look bad. I don't need to pile on by bringing Jackass..:D

I've seen very few cars on this board do better than 1:40.

I guess the C5's I have run across have wimps behind the wheel. :unibrow:

Matt - if you are referring to my C5 -- - you are correct! WIMP!!! ;)

I didn't run any timed laps. I sorted out the line in a couple laps then we started filming. It is a fast place I was hitting about 145 - 150 down the front straight.

Mark

Ahh bummer, Willow is a great yardstick. Most other tracks have multiple configs, or have changed layouts over the years - Willow Springs (big track anyway) has one config, and it's been the same since the 50's.

Maybe Gaetano Cosentino has run there, paging Track Junky.:_paranoid

I don't think you know just how fast 1:30 is on the big track.

I think Buttonwillow is as far south as he gets from Norcal.


Stielow -- 145-150 on the straight is wicked fast! :thumbsup:

Agreed on all accounts. Wow that is fast.

I have a hard time believing a bone stock C5 Z06 will do Big Willow in 1:30 flat...

1:30.6 in a bone stock C5 Z06, though Andy Pilgrim was driving.

And there lies the x-factor, put the same driver in a dialed in PT car and lets see were the cards fall!!!!!!!!!!!

Stock tires?

:unibrow:

Do I spy someone at 0:49 ? :wow: Details, please!

We'd love to hear your thoughts on Red Devil v ZL1.



http://youtu.be/HzEwp4GoSZo?hd=1

Cheers!
Steven

"Stielow try 5th session" at 2:28 ;)

That is cool. Wow what an upgrade.

Isn't that the man himself in the trailer at 0.48 seconds

Yep I drove a bunch of tank full’s out of those cars. Just another day at work. We send them out for a stint that is one tank full of fuel at a time. So you bolt in to go flat out for about 40 - 45 minutes at a crack. The track in the video is the development track at the Milford Proving Ground where I work and where Hot Rod Power Tour ended this year.

The note on the white board part way through the video was a note to me to try a new engine calibration.

The ZL-1 Camaro is AWESOME! We beat the hell out of both the manual and the Auto at the MRC for the test. Basically we just kept putting fuel, tires and brakes on them and kept rolling. They are very easy to drive fast. Lots or power, grip and brakes.

I did tell the Camaro team it could use another 200 HP… :lol:

But if you want the fastest production track Camaro ever built see your local Chevy dealers.

This is a video of the ZL-1 at the Nurburgring!



This is the same Camaro Development team at the Nurburgring with Aaron Link driving. Aaron works at GM as a ride and handling engineer.

Stielow

Just anoher day at work HUH :thumbsup: Nice job :yes:
Marks boss "Today we want you to drive the piss out of one of the badest Camaros ever build" Mark "ok" :unibrow:

It has a great sound.

I have talked alot of **** about the new ZL1, ringer or not, that car is bad ass.:thumbsup:

Wow, just read the last couple pages. Exciting Stuff!!

"A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work" certainly doesn't apply here!!

:lol: :thumbsup:

Talk about pucker factor...Cresting hills at 135mph or at 7:37 into the run he is going thru a slight turn at 169mph...

Big time!! Believe it or not, Gran Turismo 5 has this track nailed to a tee. Nurburgring was the only track I raced on. Its been a long while since my wife kicked me off the game for playing too many hours straight but watching and knowing the track is pretty cool. The high speed bumps before corners, all the bumps for that matter, the banked sweepers....all that stuff you feel when playing Gran Turismo.

Man I miss that game!!:(

You can come to my house, I have a racing wheel with a clutch. ;)

To bad your out in Minnesota. I used to race on line with my buddies for 8-10 hours straight with surround sound on the 52" plasma and the electric bill went through the roof so she cut me off.:lol:

So just wondering at 172mph is this the FASTEST productions Camaro ever:wow: :wow: :wow: Just sayen:thumbsup: Man do I want one of these now.