Hot Rods : The Early Years

The Cool Hot Rod (1953) – 26 min
A typical early 1950’s film about the “hot rod problem” that was sweeping the nation. This
was an educational film shown to high school students in an attempt to get them to stop
driving wildly on public streets. The lead character is inspired to become more serious about
hot rodding OFF the streets after visits a dragstrip and the Indy 500. (b&w)

Road Runners (1953) – 13 min
Another typical early 1950’s propaganda film about the dangers of hot rodding! This time, a
wealthy kid, driving a nice modern convertible, follows an old ‘jalopy’ into a dragstrip, where he
subsequently gets trounced by the old hot rod. His friends (and a number of car clubs, all with
great names) seem awfully impressed with the roadster, so our hero decides to buy his own jalopy
and teach them a lesson. He hits a speed shop, hops up the little roadster, learns a few things
along the way, and finally heads to El Mirage dry lake for some fun. Classic 1950’s commentary
inspires young hot rodders to build cars for the racetrack, not the street. (b&w)

The Hot Rod Story (1964) – 66 min
The roots of Hot Rod Magazine (and hot rodding) are examined in this rare 1964 film. We see some great
color footage of old hot rods, 50’s drag racing, dry lake runs, some Mickey Thompson Challenger 1
footage, clips of the 1963 NHRA Winternationals, boat racing, and even some NASA footage!
A tremendous color film, with excellent footage of some very rare race cars seen along the way. (color)