An environmental account of Henry Ford’s Amazon experience decades after its failure. The story addressed by the film begins in 1927, when the Ford Motor Company attempted to establish rubber plantations on the Tapajós River, a primary tributary of the Amazon. This film addresses the recent transition from failed rubber to successful soybean cultivation for export, and its implication for land usage.
Aston Martin is a name that has personified high quality, hand-built cars since early in the 20th century. Cars which have proudly carried the British Racing Green to a World Sports Car Championship and victories in major races around the world. Take a look back at one of Aston Martins most iconic models.
Former General Motors high-flyer John DeLorean had a plan to build a stylish European sports car, at a price that would make it attractive to the American market. The site he chose for his state-of-the-art factory was on the outskirts of Belfast, a city best-known for sectarian violence and high levels of unemployment. The unexpected marriage of high-tech glamour with the gritty reality of 1970s Northern Ireland captured the public's imagination but this early optimism would end in failure. Although the cars looked great, the windows leaked and the engines seized; as his financial problems mounted the maverick DeLorean faced charges of drugs trafficking. Adrian Dunbar narrates the story.
A mix of Rock and Roll and Blues are the secret for successful rebellion. When I took my camera to the middle of France where the GM&S factory was threatened by a permanent shut down, I felt like something extraordinary was about to take place. And it did. The lyrics were written by workers who have had enough! The tune was composed by people not afraid to go against even the rules of revolt! The volume was loud enough to attract the media. Their working-class concert spread across France like wild fire. I sat out of sight, camera in hand, filming like catching fish in a barrel.
The remarkable story of how luxury car maker Jaguar made its first electric car. With exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to Jaguar's state-of-the-art engineering laboratories and top-secret design studios, Going Electric shows what it takes to make a sophisticated new car and provides an intriguing, inside view of one of the world's most iconic companies as it grapples with the future. It reveals a world where technical excellence meets exquisite craftsmanship – where testing is taken to the extremes and the car pushed to the limit. Going Electric was directed by award-winning filmmaker Ben Lawrie and narrated by Hollywood actor Mark Strong.
Station wagons were America's "workhorses on wheels." Today, they conjure images of outdated family photos, over-sized hairdos and unfashionable wooden siding. In 2011, Volvo - the leading premium wagon manufacturer - will discontinue the sale of its last wagon model in the United States. There are some, however, who still cling to these vehicles and what they stand for in American culture. Wagonmasters, a full-length documentary film, offers glimpses into the lives of such wagon enthusiasts, and tells the story of the station wagon as it represents a changing America over the last one hundred years.
Auto parts testing and engine-to-engine shootouts.
In the automotive world, John DeLorean rose from engineer to executive to icon. But under the hood of his self-created legend lies darkness and deceit.
Based on the 1971 novel by Arthur Hailey, Wheels is about the automobile industry and the day-to-day pressures involved in its operation. The plot lines follow many of the topical issues of the day, including race relations, corporate politics, and business ethics. The auto company of the novel is a little-disguised Ford Motor Company and some of the characters are recognizable to company insiders.
