Bana's Beast

He’s consoled himself instead with a stellar movie career and a 25-year passion for his first car – a Ford XB Falcon Coupe, known affectionately as ‘The Beast’.

“And even though life has taken me on a surreal and unexpected journey two things remain constant — my mates and my Beast,” Bana says in a documentary dedicated to his car.

Obsessed with cars and racing since his was a child, Eric takes us on a journey that spans a lifetime and culminates with The Beast’s untimely death in one of the world’s most dangerous races, The Targa, Tasmania.

“My car has been like a campfire to me and to my friends,” Bana says.

And the friends agree – with some reservations.

“I’ve never met anyone that has a car for so long that was such a heap of s**t,” one says.

Clarkson agrees with Bana that a true bond can be forged with a lump of metal.

“You can develop a relationship with a car,” he says. But then questions the sanity of Bana’s choice of steed with: “ So 600hp and leaf springs … are you mad?

The film will be released in March 2009, but for now we can watch the trailer at the link above.