Adrenaline Rush

“Everything you see was recorded with the camera.” In the age of artificial intelligence, when just about any dream world can be produced digitally, this fact is quite remarkable. Viewers who read that at the beginning of a “behind the scenes” video on Porsche’s new campaign film Speed of Light can be sure that this is not an AI-generated advertisement, but rather a top-notch cinematic work of art. 

The clip that Porsche published in March 2025 keeps its promise: with top-quality components. The vehicles are a Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package and a Macan Turbo. The location is one of the largest solar parks ever built, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The star is David Guetta, French DJ and producer as well as one of the most successful artists in the world. The show is a fascinating choreography of lasers that puts the film crew through their paces. But it took quite some time to bring all these factors to life in the desert of Dubai.

A location like no other

It was just a vague idea floating around at Porsche Middle East and Africa (PME) in early 2024, which was to produce a film with the Macan and Taycan – as sensational and spectacular as the vehicles themselves and with maximum performance. But the concept had yet to be fleshed out. That is until Manfred Bräunl, CEO of Porsche Middle East and Africa, drove through the desert in Saih Al-Dahal some 50 kilometers south of Dubai. “I suddenly saw this tower off in the distance. The tip was glowing,” reports Bräunl. “I live here, and still I had no idea what it was. Dubai is always good for a surprise.” 

What caught Bräunl’s attention was the solar tower of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park – and thus a filming location was found. “The perfect match for the two electric sports cars,” he says. The Dubai Electricity & Water Authority that had developed and now manages the solar park was immediately on board as a reliable partner. Even the Department of Economy and Tourism offered to support Porsche. All that was missing was a specific idea for implementation – until the first location scouting.

Construction of the solar park began in 2012 and, after several expansion stages, should be completed by 2030. It is already one of the largest solar parks in the world. Upon completion, it will have more than two million solar modules, a total capacity of 7,260 megawatts, and will supply some two million households with clean energy. It will produce electricity, heat, and hydrogen and will reduce CO₂ by eight million metric tons annually.

Around 70,000 mirrors installed on the ground continuously change their angle to follow the sun throughout the day and direct the sunlight at the 262-meter solar tower, thus heating the tip of the world’s largest solar tower to around 600 degrees Celsius. It’s a technological masterpiece, as the generated heat can be stored for up to 15 hours, thus ensuring the energy supply throughout the night.

During a desert tour, the tower is visible along the horizon, its glowing tip reminiscent of futuristic buildings from science fiction blockbusters. That makes it a location like no other. 

Precision and performance on set

Manfred Bräunl remembers his first visit to the park fondly: “As we stood surrounded by all the mirrors, we discovered a balcony around 200 meters up the tower. This led to the idea of a DJ set.” And this idea evolved into a concept and ultimately a vision.

David Guetta soon popped up in the conversation. The star DJ, who hails from France, has a close connection to Dubai and has already performed at the Burj Al Arab hotel, which stands 321 meters tall. With the support of the Department of Economy and Tourism, the project was able to get in touch with the DJ, who was thrilled about the idea and immediately agreed. For the soundtrack to his spectacular show on the balcony, the team selected the Future Rave remix of his hit Titanium. Also involved were Kit Lynch-Robinson, a director with international experience known for his series The Grand Tour among other things, and Miguel de Olaso – stage name MacGregor – a director of photography with Porsche experience who has been involved in Hollywood productions like Fall and Kandahar. Responsible for spectacular driving scenes in Rush, Mission Impossible, and Kingsman, DRIVING WIZARDS Tim Marshall-Rowe and Joe Hopkins served as stunt drivers. And the company laserfabrik, based in Germany, was commissioned for the visual effects, having already performed laser shows in Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, and Dubai. More than a hundred people were involved in production. “What we’re doing is challenging and only works because we’re all pulling together,” said director Lynch-Robinson during the behind-the-scenes filming. “It’s one of the most complicated jobs any of us have ever had.”

And that’s largely due to the lasers. “It was only when we were testing the technology during location scouting that we truly realized what’s possible,” recalls Bräunl. “You can create any shapes you want – walls, tunnels, circular elements. From that moment on, there was pretty much nothing we couldn’t do.” The shoot finally began in December 2024 – both at the solar park and the airfield used for fast-paced driving scenes. Including setup and takedown, it took about a week, every day from four in the afternoon to four in the morning. There were around 20 laser boxes used, which required Porsche’s typical maximum precision and performance.

Every move has to be spot-on

“These lasers can be dangerous,” explains PME Marketing Director Markus Peter. “You can’t look directly into them, otherwise you’ll go blind. We had to have safety briefings on a regular basis and operate at a top level.” The lasers were installed on the ground, on crane arms, and on the balcony of the glowing tower, transforming the solar park into a laser park.

“Everything had to be planned with precision – every movement, every driving scene, every drone flight. It was absolutely intense from start to finish,” says Peter. “But the results speak for themselves. If I didn’t know better, I’d never have believed myself that all of it is real.” The final choreography is so vivid, so dynamic, and so futuristic that the idea of digital editing or computer-generated images doesn’t seem all that far-fetched.

It’s dark at the solar park. Titanium plays as David Guetta climbs out of the Taycan Turbo GT and up the solar tower. The two electric sports cars accelerate and drive through a tunnel of lasers, so close together it looks like they might actually touch at any moment. The DRIVING WIZARDS’ every move is rehearsed, every motion spot-on. A drone goes into a full-speed nosedive down the tower, past David Guetta in the DJ booth, then maneuvers across the mirrored landscape. A spectacular laser show in the heart of the desert; the sound of electric engines accompanied by deep electronic beats. 

It’s a film that immediately draws you in and sets your pulse racing from the very start – during the planning stage, especially throughout implementation, and now for the viewers. 50 million people had viewed Speed of Light within the first month or so of its release.