Watch: Tom Cruise drifts Fiat one-handed in new ‘Mission: Impossible’

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The upcoming seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise is titled Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One. It stars Hollywood veteran Tom Cruise, back as Ethan Hunt; alongside his co-star, Hailey Atwell, as Grace. Several trailers have given us an idea of what to expect from the action-packed series, and one will be of particular interest to car enthusiasts.

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The subject teaser features a car chase through Rome, complete with narrow streets, cobblestone pathways and unpredictable traffic. It all comes together for a pretty challenging scenario. As if that was not enough, Tom Cruise was handcuffed to his co-star and had to evade a load of bad guys and police, using only his right hand to steer a BMW 5 Series. The whole sequence should make for an exciting watch, as Cruise had to pull off a bunch of slick moves, including drifting through traffic-filled streets and around sharp corners, one-handed.

After a while, the movie stars decide they need a new car, and swap the 5 Series – now thoroughly beat up, with its doors ripped off – for a vintage Fiat 500. Behind the scenes, the Fiat was heavily modified, and featured an electric powertrain. However, the car’s short wheelbase, powerful motor, and agile handling combined well with the cobblestones for another challenging drive, as Ethan and Grace evade their pursuers.

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Christopher McQuarrie, the film’s director, believes he couldn’t have come up with a more challenging chase sequence even if he’d tried. You’d probably lean in that direction, too, if you watch the teaser. For Cruise, known for performing most of his stunts on set, it all came down to how to derive maximum engagement from the audience. “I just want to give them that thrill,” he said.

That’s why the entire sequence was filmed on location in Rome, with real cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning will hit theatres on July 12. Only a few more weeks, then, before we get to experience all the wild stunts Cruise has lined up for us this time.