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If there's one mystery in the Fast and Furious franchise, it's this

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<i>Image: Youtube</i>
<i>Image: Youtube</i>

Whether its driving cars out of aeroplanes or driving through glass buildings, the 'Fast and the Furious' movie franchise is filled with some of the most insane stunts one could possibly do in a car.

While the stunts are cool, there is one particular mystery surrounding one of the movies - the first one released in 2001 - where Letty Ortiz, played by actress Michelle Rodriguez gets out of her S14 Nissan Silvia wearing peculiar footwear not likened to 'street racers'.

A heavy foot

The footwear, which looks very much like Buffalo Boots, is immediately noticeable because it also has a very thick rubberised sole. However, thanks to many reader emails, they are in fact New Rock boots. However, it begs the question - how is it even possible to drive a car with a shoe like that.


Do you know of any other Fast and the Furious peculiarities the deserves a mention? Email us; we'd like to know.


Footwear is somewhat popular in the Fast franchise. The Converse All Star sneaker that Paul Walker's character wears, appears in several movies. This has seen petrolheads also choosing it as their foot preference in the underground world of local racers.

WATCH |'Ride or die' - How the Fast and the Furious transformed car culture

Letty's shoe definitely gives a new meaning to the phrase 'a heavy foot', a reference also made in the movie. Of course, its only a movie, so she only had to drive with that footwear for the specific scene.

Buffalo shoes

                                                                            Image: Flickr

Driving a car with such a thick sole can leave a bit of uncertainty as to how far the clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals are depressed. You now have to compensate for almost 5cm of shoe.

Footwear is vital

On the contrary, most professional racers use flat soles or racing boots as it makes it much easier to swap between pedals. Seeing as though Letty is a 'professional' street racer, those shoes are more of a hindrance than anything else.

Buffalos and New Rock boots used to be a thing in South Africa for a while when its rise could well be attributed to that scene. And, according to our readers, quite a few people still own and wear them. Back then, female petrolheads weren't as prominent as they are today and the whole 'bad girl' persona became a trend.

Thankfully though, Letty never wore those shoes again. Then there's the time she wore flip-flops in a drag wars race, but that's a story for another day.

Disclaimer: Wheels24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of contributors/columnists published on Wheels24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24 or Wheels24. 

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