VIDEO: That one time Michael Bay destroyed a REPU

Michael Bay has unnecessarily ruined a lot of things, and today we add a Mazda REPU to that list. This is a scene from The Rock, and while most people remember the wanton destruction of a Ferrari F355, the clear tragedy here is the much rarer Mazda Rotary Engine Pickup. The saddest part is that the US-only Rotary Engine Pick Up was merely background fodder. They could have used any car and it wouldn’t have changed the movie one bit. 

Avert your eyes.

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21 Responses to VIDEO: That one time Michael Bay destroyed a REPU

  1. Aaron says:

    The Karmann-Ghia too!

  2. Colin Brown says:

    I have a Super Rare REPU I never knew was that collectable until 1988. Its a 1970 which was built by a XKD kit in Christchurch N.Z. and ended up in the U.S. via my great uncle in 1985. That along with my 1970 Toyota HiLux and New 1990 Mazda B2200 I got for my 16th Bday…The 71 REPU has a 20b swap done in N.Z. by my Uncle before sending it to Dallas…where at 14 had a Body drop,early ACCUAIRE Bag System along with a full drivetrain pull at 50,000 kilometers andcthe 20b was rebuilt along with a Precision Turbo,B.W. T5 Trans and a 1988 Mazda rear end which was modded _to a 4 link for the bag set up as well as to hold the 1.35 bar… long story short,I still drive itAND wib shows here in Colorado.I have done body drop to my other 2 trucks as well including my non restoed 1970 Toyota which had a fresh ACCUAIRE 6 switch upgrade 4 times now..last being in 2010 with all new Body Drop frame cushions & 1992 20r engine and 5 speed from a roll over..My 91 Mazda B2200 has the whole Body drop,Stg4 ACCUAIRE setup,347CI Stroker GT40 crate motor with a Vortech S-Trim ,Magnum T56 & 99 Mustang GT 8.8 Narrowed rear with 4 link as all my truck with bags must be converted..I also have a couple of V8 NA 92 Miatas my pop & I bought new as a pair..And then my Daily Drivers are my 1992 Mustang LX Coupe 5 speeds that started life as 5.0V8,Crap T5 Trans & 2.73 rear which by 95 had a full GT40 Crate 331ci,Vortech S-Trim 16-19lb standalone setup,94mm MAF,Port matched,polished extrude honed upper/lower with aluminum Turbo Swirled heads and custom X grind cam…I have a 1971 Peanuthead Toyota Corolla TS27 Trueno my parents ordered new RHD into Texas Toyota in Dallas.My parents both drove V8 cars..my Dad drove a 1965 Dodge 426 Hemi 4 speed Coronet and my mum drove a 1966 428 4speed. Ford Fairlane..My mum was killed by a drunk driver 4th April 1991..She was T boned in her 91Cosworth Escort…My pop is still kickn ass and we both moved up here outside of Vail Colorado & driving all of our cars that were never torn up…Rather enjoyed..A BIG difference…We have been offered big $£€ for these cars. They are ALL ONE OWNER VEHICLES:…I am not EVER having kids and im happy dating my girlfriend…Marriage is simply a waiste …Im happy withbthe way things are..

  3. Nathan says:

    Michael Bay: Giving the middle finger to physics, inserting impossible explosions where there shouldn’t even be a fire, and just generally taking a dump on the concept of good taste. This just adds to his list of “crimes”. If Michael Bay was asked to make a scene in which two bodies of water came crashing together, he’d insert an explosion. How does he still have a job? People need to stop watching his diarrhea, especially when he uses it with complete disregard for rare objects. REPUs don’t grow on trees, Mike!

  4. Evan P says:

    My goodness, watching this scene just hit me that its the same sequence of events as Bad Boys when Will was running after Julie, through the hair salon and Martin saved him from imminent death from become a hood ordainment with the cab lol.

    Yeah Bay.. im starting to see a trend here..

  5. Legacy-san says:

    Bias against all Japanese cars is a real thing…if a collector compares a 1980s BMW or an Audi to the same year Skyline, Gloria, Laurel, Crown, Corona II, Luce or even a Debonair, they always drool over the Euro-trash, every time.

    • Mark Newton-John says:

      Ha ha ha ha. 80’s German cars are NOT special. In fact, they’re a liability. There’s a reason you don’t see them on the road, all the little bits have gone south, and they’ve likely been crushed.
      Window regulators, engine seals, climate controls… I had two Audis, and when they ran, they were great, but going through $15 cans of mineral oil (sound familiar Honda owners?) gets tedious.
      There’s a reason that BMW 750iL 12-cylinder is going for $5000…

  6. SHC says:

    Legacy-san. That perception is changing slowly but surely and is reflected in increased value and appreciation of early Japanese cars/trucks.

  7. Mark Newton-John says:

    I wouldn’t cry too much, those cars are probably junkyard cars, since they’re not trolling Craigslist for JNCs to blow up.

    • nlpnt says:

      A junkyard car in SoCal is a solid restorable in New England. A junkyard REPU in the northeast, if it wasn’t crushed 20 years ago, has its’ bottom 18 inches completely rusted away.

  8. Ant says:

    I recall reading that the 355 wasn’t actually real. Not sure whether that means he also destroyed an MR2 too, given the propensity for turning those into Ferrari replicas, or whether it was just a body on a donor frame…

    The REPU, sadly, seems real, though it’s just one of those things. While they’re more valuable and interesting today, 21 years ago when The Rock was released it was just a valueless Japanese truck. If it had meant anything to anyone at the time, it would have been sat in a driveway rather than being sold off presumably quite cheaply to a film production company.

    • Ben Hsu says:

      While it’s true Japanese classics weren’t as valuable back then, I can confirm that the REPU was already rare when The Rock came out! As for the MR2, if it was made into a replica, then I would say it was already destroyed and beyond rescue.

      • Randy says:

        The truck may be a “rat” by California standards, but here in the rust belt, that’d be a GREAT starting point for either resto or mod. Hell, if it’s “THAT” bad, but functional, a daily driver…

        Though you’re probably right about “at the time,” it was just an old truck.

        In what’s considered THE greatest movie chase, they didn’t hit ANYTHING, as I recall, though if you pay attention to the cars, you can see the ACTUAL chase was like, 3 minutes, but multiple cameras and good editing made it seem much bigger.

        Am I the only one who doesn’t mind a Ferrari getting trashed? I rather enjoy the “Supercars getting wrecked” vids on “the Tube.” Maybe it’s just because o the cockiness of the drivers…

  9. Rotsun says:

    like I needed anymore reason to hate michael bay movies lol

  10. r100guy says:

    If you stop at the video at :47 The REPU is seen parked on the street. The front end is already pretty messed up from a previous accident. Looks like it took a pretty hard hit to the right front with all the front plastics gone and the bumper/hood/fender mangled. Looks like it came from a junkyard.

    • r100guy says:

      On the other hand, if you stop the video at 1:20 the REPU is seen fully intact before the Ferrari hits it. The scene was filmed twice or the scenes are out of sequence.

  11. Gary says:

    I turned up to our local country fare (aka Ag Show here in Oz) and as part of the fireworks display they had a mini smash-up derby…Not one but two KE55 Coupe’s bit the dust that night! I tried in vain to explain to the guys they are classics – reply was they’re just old Corollas!!! and this was just two years ago!!!!!

  12. Taterhead says:

    At the 47 second mark as the Hummer goes by you can see that the front is already damaged. You have to be quick with the pause button.

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