Road Runners (1952)

★★★★★ · Street racing comes full-circle. · Reijer Verwer · 2003-11-30

Interesting stuff for petrolheads and social scientists alike! This short film shows how 1950's 'outlaw hot-rodders' were regulated into civil society. Ironically, the exact same measures are now being taken in Europe with regards to the 'illegal street-races'. By the way, this film has an all-american happy end.

★★★★ · 2 Fast 2 Flakey · Spuzz · 2004-05-22

Way too proposterously innocous film about Drag racing. Through the often patronizing narration, we learn of a lad who learns other ways to get his kicks through speeding, by joining the drag racing club! This has almost the exact same plot as another (better) film on the site, A Cool Hot Rod. It's sort of interesting how he's got a girlfriend at the beginning of this film, yet when the final race comes along, the girl is nowhere to be seen. Well then! Cheaply made (love the "car in motion" shots), badly narrated ("These boys today will be men tommorow!" uh huh) this is as if Coronet made a…

★★★★ · The old days of hot rodding brought to life · pdubu · 2006-12-17

Not that I'm from that era, but the film demonstrates the reasons and beginnings of hot rodding venues such as drag strips and land speed venues. I was surprised to see film of speed trials at El Mirage. Way cool for a gearhead that missed out on the beginning of the sport. There are a few minor life lessons as well: realizing two heads are better than one, comraderie will take you farther than lone wolfing it, and why spend money on a girlfriend when you can work on your car (just joking).

★★★★ · A fun look back · Victor Von Psychotron · 2013-05-06

I wasn't a teenager at this time period, but it's still a neat look back into early 50's hot rod culture and racing clubs. It's worth it for the footage of the custom coups alone.