In preparation for his role, Ryan Gosling restored the 1973 Chevy Malibu that his character uses in the film.
After Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn removed much of the Driver's dialogue, Bryan Cranston felt that his character, Shannon, should make up for the lack of talking in the film, and thus made Shannon a motormouth. Much of his dialogue is improvised.
The Driver and Irene actually say very little to each other, primarily because Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan felt that their scenes should be more focused on the mood and refused to say many of the scripted lines. Mulligan summarized making the film as "staring longingly at Ryan Gosling for hours each day."
The unusual way Ryan Gosling's Driver holds the steering wheel, with thumbs crooked over the outside rather than hooked inside in a more 'normal' grip, is actually the common way stunt drivers hold the wheel to avoid broken thumbs during vehicle impacts.