Thursday, January 2, 2014

Screeching Hell on Wheels..."Road Racers"

Movie time... How about the "Road Racers" vintage, 1959. Directed by the godfather of "B" movies, Arthur Swerdloff. Wait a minute before you tune me out, it's worth tracking down just to check out the cool old cars, American '50s V-8 specials.

The action jumbles numerous race tracks into the film. Tracks like Laguna Seca, Riverside and Willow Springs were used during the filming. The finale is set at Riverside with Ak Miller and Bobby Unser disguised as the actors during the 1958 L.A. Times Grand Prix. Some of the cars featured are Ol'Yeller, El Caballo II and an SS Devin plus lots of other sports machines.

So, if you can suffer through the bad acting and painful script, centered around a team-owning father and his estranged race-driver son, for whom he blames the death of a fellow driver, look out for the Scarabs at Riverside, including Lance Reventlow's dramatic spin out. I'll give it two valves up for a vintage film.

All the shots below are taken from the movie, "Road Racers."
The start at the 1958 L.A. Times Grand Prix

An Arnolt Bristol, notice the front plate.

Laguna Seca, turning onto the front straight.

Corvette leads the way.

A Jowett Jupiter meets a bad end at Riverside.

The El Caballo II on the left and a Devin on the right.
Notice the Silver Mercedes-Benz 300SLR in turn 7 at Riverside.

Lance in the Scarab MkI

A Lister Chevrolet leaving the Pit area at Laguna.
 Notice the pits were on the outside of the track.

A DB Sports Coupe pushing a Bug-eye Sprite through turn 7 at Riverside.

Notice the Hot Pits on the outside of the Riverside track in 1958.
Check out the trailer for the film here.

To share a comment, this is the spot.

3 comments:

  1. Keith Nelson emailed: This looks like one of the movies I saw at the old ACE Drive In in Lemon Grove back in the early 60s, 3-4 "B" movies for $1.25 a car load of your best buddy's or your best girl BUT not both.

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  2. Glenn Patterson emailed: Is that not one of th 16 or so Porsche America Roadsters in the forground of the last photo ? ! ? ! ?

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