Negative ghost rider! The 'show' car was a 400 auto and the pair of speed shot / driving cars were 455 4spd cars! sheesh! they jumped a whole bunch of 350/th350, 400/th350 cars in there too. If the shot front the 'back seat' of the 55 when he takes off and rows it through all 4 gears at around 6K doesn't give you a boner then you don't get car movies! Look at the speedo and you know he is well over a buck and still planted on the floor! the car was banged together and not even tuned when they gave it to the movie studio. They ran it once and it did a 10.37 in the 1/4 at 13X something. They just handed it to the studio and said have fun.
I have just done the finishing touches on my two lane version of the car, only because mine was too rough to do anything else with and I alwaysed loved that car. That movie corrupted me at a young age. I think I loved the tranny whine the most.lol. I got the dvd and watch it over and that car is rougher than mine is.lol. But is bad ass just the same. Always wondered how fast it was. I;m mid elevens with a no compression 454 and some speed goodies. People ask if in I got James Taylor in the trunk.lol. I'm surprised he's not tone deaf by now but still plays good music. Corny movie but great carsand sometimes thats all it takes.yruhot......Doug
The reason they don't talk to much is the car is so loud on the inside. Thats where the movie gets kinda real. Thats what I was thinking the other day. I've had loud cars where you give up trying to have a conversation. So that part they got right. Best fucking movie in the world.
Gentleman's Quarterly magazine had the original dialogue back in that year it was produced, all printed out...you missed the part where they admit, they never sent the real pink slip. That's why they aren't worried about the race. GQ loved the movie, said it captured the ziegeist of the time. which it did. they didn't know where they were going, were in danger of being hippies in a small town--think the violence of Easy Rider. like the others said, don't overthink it, it wasn't meant to do anything but make a profit off two superstars of the day. pity about laurie bird, tho.
First watched it in about '82 liked it, it stuck with me. I don't think there is a lot to understand - it is what it is. David
Okay. For what it's worth: In '71, I was driving a '58 Anglia street/stripper, with straight axle, SBC, etc. I moved up to Portland to hang with my brother ("Rocky" on the HAMB). He had a '57 Pontiac street racer, done semi-gasser -style, with a hot 389/4-speed combo. At that time, there was still bumper-to-bumper cruising/racing every night. When it rained, we'd wander into the Paramount Theater to see what was playing. That's where we saw Two Lane Blacktop and were blown away, along with the rest of the full house, as soon as the first image hit the screen (with appropriate audio). Whenever Warren Oates' character opened the door on the GTO, the buzzer sounded, cracking up the theater crowd (not realizing this ridiculous Detroit bow to the Feds was only the tip of the approaching iceberg). When Taylor worked the 55 through the gears, the crowd cheered him on. For us performance oriented street punks, the timing was absolutely perfect for this film. If you weren't there, maybe it's impossible to comprehend, but this is a credible period piece - so rare for Hollywood - such a fitting document for we who were living the life depicted onscreen. PS: Richard Ruth was already a hero before the film. So glad he got a cameo in it! Scotty
a few months before 2 lane came out, i believe it was esquire magazine that printed the script in its entirety and called it "the greatest movie ever made." i sure felt like i'd been had!
You want plot? Watch "The California Kid". What's that, the three window is too nice? It doesn't have beer cans for velocity stacks or welded wrought iron spider webs? There's "Hot Rod", with Pernell Roberts, Robert Culp, Grant Goodeve and Gregg Henry as our anti-hero. Stupid story but some bitchin' cars. Dig up "Dead Man's Curve". Interesting, true story but we know kustom 'vette's are only kool to Las Angelino's and the soundtrack is kind of lightweight. And then we have "Eddie and the Cruiser's". A plot, but a far fetched one. A '57 Bel-Air but a ragtop with skirts, never a good thing. Dynamite soundtrack. You want a thinking man's movie? Watch "Heart Like A Wheel".
I saw the movie and it totally warpped my mind. I always love the tri-five gassers andsuch. Bought the DVD from a fellow at the swap meet. Yes the movie lacked a lot of story as such but there was so much street racing history in that movie. I'm still at 60 yrs old loving that movie. you can actually shut the sound off while watching and enjoy the 55 and the rest of the cars. I just built my version of the TLB car as in my avatar and on my link on this site. It's really nothing special but lots of people like it and tell me it reminds them of the movie. Anyway if we have to explain the movie to you and the impact I don't think you'll ever get it,no offense.yruhot Doug
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