Sound of Honda / Ayrton Senna 1989

Why it works

In qualifying for the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna set the fastest lap yet seen at Suzuka, and his McLaren Honda MP4/5 recorded it as telemetry. In 2013 Honda brought that lap back using nothing but the data: it analysed throttle position, engine speed and vehicle speed, recreated the engine's sound with the real car, then placed networked speakers and LED lights along the 5,807-metre circuit and replayed the lap as moving sound and light. The film was released online alongside a WebGL 3D version of the lap and an iPhone app, all promoting Internavi, Honda's navigation service built on driving data. It is studied as a benchmark for making data emotional, turning an invisible product into a ghost of a racing legend. At Cannes 2014 it won the Titanium Grand Prix among 15 prizes; it also took a D&AD Black Pencil and the Entertainment Grand Prize at Japan's Media Arts Festival.