Covid-19 continues to relentlessly ravage the world with little sign of mercy. The situation is entirely unprecedented. People are dying and economies are crumbling while governments around the globe are stumbling in the dark as they try implementing various strategies to overcome this chaos. There appears to be little hope left. But then a hero steps out from the shadows – and he’s equipped with driving gloves and a classic car…
I am sure that the vast majority of enthusiasts who venture onto ViaRETRO will also be acutely familiar with Simon Kidston and his Geneva-based firm, Kidston SA. They deal with some of the world’s most collectable and truly astonishing classic vehicles. As an aside, in recent years they’ve also spoilt us with several short films which all feature excellent classic cars, spine-tingling soundtracks and not least a healthy dose of humour. Well, amidst this pandemic which we find ourselves in, the team at Kidston SA have done it again.
Obviously, we all love the legendary 1976 short film C’était une Rendez-vous by Claude Lelouch, where our hero races brutally through the streets of Paris to meet the beautiful Miss Sweden. Should you want to revisit it, we’ve featured it here on ViaRETRO before, so you only have to click this link. Well, Kidston and his team have built on this epic journey through Paris to create their very own C’était une Urgence. In the process, Paris has been swapped for Rome in this nerve-wrecking, five-minute sprint to save humanity. Of course, our hero has discarded his date with Miss Sweden and is instead delivering essential medical supplies for all those who are suffering in Italy. What a champion!
On a more serious note, it’s all been done for charity as Kidston is gathering donations for the Italian Red Cross. So first turn the volume to max and enjoy the short film. Then, please don’t forget to follow this link and give a little to those who are in need: https://www.gofundme.com/f/kidston-for-croce-rossa-italiana
Video: Kidston Productions
And what with all the rumours I hear you ask… Indeed, since launching this new take on the high-speed run through a European Capital only earlier this month, Kidston’s short film has already been subject to as many and as wild rumours as was the 1976 original.
- Which car did they use?
- Who drove it?
- What was the average speed?
- Did they speed up the footage?
- Was Kidston jailed just after they revealed their film to the public?
- Who is the nurse at the end of the film?
- Are cobbled stones in Rome more bumpy than they are in Paris?
- Are there more pigeons sat on the roads of Paris than in Rome?
- I’m sure you can come up with even more silly questions…
It will no doubt be decades before all of these mysteries are finally revealed – if ever? But in the spirit of good and honest journalism, we here at ViaRETRO travelled to the underworld of the classic car scene, we set up secret meetings with names which can’t possibly be published, we risked it all – just for our loyal readers. Was it Kidston’s own Miura which is being driven at speed through Rome or merely a ’69 Ford Transit dubbed with the soundtrack of a Giulia on double Dell’Ortos? Did Kidston only narrowly dodge ending up behind bars due to the majority of the Italian police force being hit by the virus? Some of these questions will remain a mystery, but we at ViaRETRO still feel we walked away with a scoop as we now have confirmed intel that cobbled stones in Rome are indeed bumpier at high speed then those in Paris. All of this, we do for you…
Stay safe!