Due assi per un turbo
Encyclopedia
Due assi per un turbo was an Italian
-Hungarian
TV series portrayed in 12 one hour episodes. It was produced by RAI
from 1984-1987 and broadcast by Rai Uno
in 1987. The series was created by Luciano Perugia, and was inspired by the Brazil
ian sitcom Carga Pesada (1979).
Stelvio Massi
directed most of the episodes, which were written by Tonino Valerii
; the score was composed by Detto Mariani.
, an Iveco 190-42 Turbostarnamed Gambero Rosso (Red Prawn in English
). Recurring characters are Orazio (Philippe Leroy
and Giò (Alba Mottura).
The series featured some notable guest stars like Adolfo Celi
, Giulio Scarpati and William Berger
.
, in Sterzing
and near Bolzano, but the series was one of the first produced for the Italian television to use many foreign locations, ranging from Moscow
, Tunisia
, Poland
and Spain
.
Some of the car chases were staged by the famous stunt driver
Rémy Julienne
.
The first and only season was made of two different short seasons: the first, episodes 1 to 3, was shot as a pilot
, and featured a different truck (an earlier model, the Iveco 190-38 Special), later changed to the titular TurboStar for the official production. The two short seasons were later joined and sold as one.
The name of the series was to be T.I.R.
, and was changed after the shooting of the first three episodes. (In Hungary, it remained so.)
FIAT
was heavily involved in the production, using the serial as a product placement
for the brands of the group (mostly Iveco, Fiat Auto and Alfa Romeo
). AGIP
made product placement in some episodes, too.
s of a vehicle. The turbo of the title is the Turbostar truck, at the time a very popular and common model made by the Italian manufacturer Iveco
. The 42 of the model name means the truck is equipped with a V8
engine capable of 420 HP.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
TV series portrayed in 12 one hour episodes. It was produced by RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
from 1984-1987 and broadcast by Rai Uno
Rai Uno
Rai 1 is the primary television station of RAI, the national public service broadcaster, and the most watched television channel in Italy. It was born as Rai Tv from 1954 to 1961, called Programma Nazionale from 1961 to 1979, after called Rete 1 from 1979 to 1982, then called Rai Uno from 1982 to...
in 1987. The series was created by Luciano Perugia, and was inspired by the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian sitcom Carga Pesada (1979).
Stelvio Massi
Stelvio Massi
Stelvio Massi was an Italian director known for his crime films, although he was not as well known as crime film specialists like Enzo G Castellari or Umberto Lenzi, but he made about thirteen films in the genre, and was considered a fairly decent director.He also worked with actors such as Eva...
directed most of the episodes, which were written by Tonino Valerii
Tonino Valerii
Tonino Valerii is an Italian film director, most known for his Spaghetti Westerns. Valerii started his film career as an assistant director on Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars, before moving on to direct by himself...
; the score was composed by Detto Mariani.
Plot
The plot revolves around two truckers, Franco (Renato D'Amore) and Vanni (Christian Fermon) and their rigTractor unit
A tractor unit, prime mover , road tractor, or traction unit is a heavy-duty commercial vehicle within the large goods vehicle category, usually with a large displacement diesel engine, and several axles. The tractor unit serves as a method of moving trailers...
, an Iveco 190-42 Turbostarnamed Gambero Rosso (Red Prawn in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
). Recurring characters are Orazio (Philippe Leroy
Philippe Leroy
Philippe Leroy may refer to:*Philippe Leroy *Philippe Leroy...
and Giò (Alba Mottura).
The series featured some notable guest stars like Adolfo Celi
Adolfo Celi
Adolfo Celi was an Italian film actor and director.-Life and career:Born in Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 movies, specializing in international villains. His most famous role was as Emilio Largo in the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball...
, Giulio Scarpati and William Berger
William Berger
William Berger was a European actor, mostly associated with Euro or spaghetti Westerns and travel documentaries.-Career:A former roommate of Keith Richards, his earliest work was in Broadway...
.
Production
Most of the scenes were shot in South TyrolSouth Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
, in Sterzing
Sterzing
Sterzing is a comune in South Tyrol in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy. It is the main village of the southern Wipptal, and the Eisack River flows through the medieval town.-Origin:...
and near Bolzano, but the series was one of the first produced for the Italian television to use many foreign locations, ranging from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Some of the car chases were staged by the famous stunt driver
Stunt Driver
Stunt Driver is a racing game released in 1990. It allowed the user to create a racetrack from components such as draw-bridges, banked curves, oil slicks, water hazards, and loops, then race on them alone, against computer-controlled opponents, or against another user via a modem or null-modem...
Rémy Julienne
Rémy Julienne
Rémy Julienne is a pioneering French driving stunt performer, stunt coordinator, assistant director and occasional actor. He is also a former rallycross champion and 1956 French motorcross champion.He is a veteran of over 1,400 films...
.
The first and only season was made of two different short seasons: the first, episodes 1 to 3, was shot as a pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
, and featured a different truck (an earlier model, the Iveco 190-38 Special), later changed to the titular TurboStar for the official production. The two short seasons were later joined and sold as one.
The name of the series was to be T.I.R.
TIR Treaty
The Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets was made at Geneva on 14 November 1975 to simplify and harmonise the administrative formalities of international road transport....
, and was changed after the shooting of the first three episodes. (In Hungary, it remained so.)
FIAT
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
was heavily involved in the production, using the serial as a product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
for the brands of the group (mostly Iveco, Fiat Auto and Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
). AGIP
Agip
Agip is an Italian automotive gasoline and diesel retailer established in 1926. It is a subsidiary of the multinational petroleum company Eni.In 2003, Eni S.p.A...
made product placement in some episodes, too.
Reception
The show was very well received, and a second season was in pre-production but was ultimately canceled. Some of the episodes are now occasionally transmitted in RAI TV channels or at late night.Title
The show title is based on a pun: in Italian language assi means both a couple of skilled and brave men (aces) and the axleAxle
An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to its surroundings, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle...
s of a vehicle. The turbo of the title is the Turbostar truck, at the time a very popular and common model made by the Italian manufacturer Iveco
Iveco
Iveco, an acronym for Industrial Vehicle Corporation, originally an alliance of European commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Fiat , Unic and Magirus. Iveco is now an Italian truck, bus, and diesel engine manufacturer, based in Turin...
. The 42 of the model name means the truck is equipped with a V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
engine capable of 420 HP.