‘Baby Driver’ Star Ansel Elgort Describes his Skill Test in Jaguar’s Electric I-PACE

Dr. Jerry Doby March 28, 2018

124 1 minute read

'Baby Driver' Star Ansel Elgort takes on the Jaguar smart cone challenge_with pro driver Davy Jones

All-new Jaguar I-PACE makes North American debut at the New York Auto Show

Hollywood actor Ansel Elgort put his driving skills to the test behind the wheel of the all-electric I-PACE to take-on the Jaguar Smart Cone Challenge.

Proving his driving skill was more than a camera trick, the Baby Driver star got a taste of the all-wheel-drive agility and instant torque of Jaguar’s first electric vehicle (EV).

Filmed at Seret Studios in Brooklyn, ahead of the I-PACE’s North American debut at the New York International Auto Show (30 March to 8 April), the industrial, dock-side location was the ideal place to demonstrate the speed and flexibility of the performance SUV.

For his role in Baby Driver, as a highly skilled heist getaway driver, Ansel was taught by some of the best stunt drivers in Hollywood and performed a number of stunts himself making him the perfect choice for the Jaguar Smart Cone challenge.

“In Baby Driver, I did approximately five of the stunts myself, mainly the ones where people weren’t in the car with me, so I learned a lot of tricks on set. This challenge was completely different, it looked simple at first, but once you’re out there, it’s hard to anticipate where to go next. I’ve driven a lot of fast cars on set but the speed of the I-PACE really took me by surprise, it took off as soon as I hit the pedal which made the whole challenge more interesting. I could have driven on there all day trying to beat my own times!” ~ Ansel Elgort (Full interview below)

The Smart Cone course, likened to the sports agility training game Batak, uses wireless technology to randomly illuminate pairs of cones to set out a different route each time. With millions of different potential options taking place in real time, the technology provides a unique test of driving skill, precision, and reactions.

Ansel follows in the footsteps of fellow actor Nicholas Hoult and Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean, who have previously taken on the twists and turns of the Smart Cone Challenge in the Jaguar XF AWD R-Sport and XF, respectively.