Art & Inspiration Your earliest movie inspiration?

On Any Sunday. Came out when I was 10. No time flat we bought a 1960 Yamaha Step-Thru 60 pile from under a deck and got it to run. Flashing head gasket, back tire roped to the wheel. That, Cox Dune Buggy and Dragster (cut the dragster down to an altered), Briggs on a board (from my grandfather's reel mower), a three a Honda 50 basket case cluster (made one runner) made me a motor head. Dirt bikes were cool around my neighborhood. A bunch of odd jobs and I bought a new one in '74 (XL100). When I started driving I had a sports car boner first ('69 MGB GT). Then it was off road ('72 Bronco, still have it). I 4 linked the Bronco, long before it was a thing. In the early '80's, if you were thinking 4 link, it was street rod magazines. That's where I picked up the affliction. I have been squirreling away parts for many years since. Now that I am done working on other people's stuff, I may get a chance to act on it. Mike

 

"Johnny Dark". It came out in about 1952. Tony Curtis drives an early fiberglass sports car. Saw it on the Saturday matinee at the Capitol theatre when I was a kid.

 

California Kid

 

Oh I loved that taxi cartoon short lol. Didn't so much as inspired me so much as let me know I didn't have to follow the same nerd path my dad took. Lol. I mean. I like stuff like dungeons and dragons and comic books but that's more of a side interest. Dad nearly got hired by marvel comics when I was a newborn.....he had to choose between diapers and a low paying entry level comic book inking job. He chose diapers much to my appreciation lol. But yeah before seeing that short I thought I had to be just like Dad lol

 

"Boston Blackie". Early 50s serial with Kent Taylor. PI, who drove several different custom cars. Background shows highway construction in LA. Lee Van Cleef (The Good,, Bad, and the Ugly) had bit part in one episode. Then movie "Hot Rod" same period.

 

I knew someone would beat me to it with one Cab's Family, what about Suzie the little blue coupe.

Hot Rod Girl, Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow. Mad Fabricators Vol. 1

 

the lively set doug mcclure james daren t bucket and channeled roadster did it for mealso a lot of other cool rides

 

I grew up in my Dads shop but I really came into my own on it in the early fiftiew and the one that did it for me was all those mid sixties beach movies. It really left me with the California vibe. Up until that time my West Coast rodding was limited to Rod & Custom, (by then a "full size"), and back issues of little pages that were everywhere in the shop. Didn't hurt that Annette was a big part of the scene.

 

I can't see that car without humming "California dreamin'" lol

 

Saw Thunder Road in the back seat of my parents car at the Starlite drive in Stamford Ct.
Also 77 Sunset Strip was exciting for my young hot rod mind.

 

60's beach movies was another for me. Gotta love big drag.

 

American Graffiti.
Gone in Sixty Seconds
Corvette Summer

 

Hot Rods to Hell

 

American Graffiti
Bullitt
Gone in 60 seconds
Dirty Mary Crazy Larry

 

The Lively Set for me too. I just had to find a set of those Cal Custom scoops like on the A roadster for the tri power in my Olds.

 

no movie influenced me towards cars, I'd say Mattel was an influence when HOT WHEELS came out.
movies almost turned me into a chopper guy. saw Easy Rider when it came out at age 9, after that I was all about choppers. I still have a bunch of chopper drawings I did, put extended forks on my bike. when I was 12 I wanted a subscription to "Street Chopper" magazine and my Mom got me a subscription to Street Rodder.
the rest is history.

 

I was not "influenced"? by any movie either. I will have to say that I enjoyed "The Great Race" (Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood, Keenan Wynn) as I saw it just after I had read an account of the real New York to Paris race with the Thomas Flyer and George Schuster.

 

Anyone decide to become a cop after watching " Car 54 Where Are You "