Show 'Em the Road 1954 Mobilgas Film
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ม.ค. 2010
- Courtesy Prelinger Archives
Southern California teenagers join the Mobilgas "Safety and Economy" competition, driving from the Los Angeles area to the Inland Empire, the desert, to Las Vegas, Nevada and Hoover Dam, then back home again. Producers and Directors: Sid Davis and Arthur L. Swerdloff. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Lolved this movie. When I was in High School I worked in a full service gas station. I checked oil levels, air pressure, filled gas, cleaned windows and was nice and polite. Got to see all kinds of new late model cars and talk to owners about them. Loved the job, then went to college.
My uncle worked for Shell Petroleum Co. 🇺🇸back in the 1960's thru 1980's he had the privilege of being in several Shell Commercials starring the "Shell Answer Man"...👍
That's so awesome!
I missed all this I was born that year in '54 those beautiful cars The Americana.
I enjoyed this very much. The 1954 Studebaker Champion that won this competition (with the help of a good driver) would have been equipped with a flat head six, 232 cu in V8 or a 259 cu in V8. All of those engines were capable of getting 28 to 29 mpg and the car would have weighed in at around 3100 pounds. It was likely equipped with the Borg Warner 3-speed manual with overdrive. They were excellent running cars and the styling had the competition beat hands down.
Thank you very much for posting this video. I was born a couple of months after this was made and it was very gratifying to know how people were on those years. I loved what I see as is a reflection of my parents values and aims in life. I am fortunate to look back then to see the world than shaped what I am. Blessings.
That 54 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe looks like an exotic car of the future next to the lumps from the big three. All the cars are cool but those Studes were something special.
Really enjoyed this... thanks!
In the late '60s, early '70s we had the BP Economy Run in Canada and you used your own car. In 1970 I drove my '63 Rambler American to 3rd place in the North American car class. We also measured in ton-mikes-per-gallon.
David
Hoover dam ( real name Boulder dam) Name changed officially to.Hoover dam during its commemoration .
It was neat seeing how cajone pass used too look and the Barstow bridge is still there too, I drove us 93 in 2009 before it bypassed the dam and remember those curves on the road going too it, took almost two hours to get through and now takes a few mins with the bypass
Thanks for posting this neat film. Especially loved the Studebakers, of course. 😀
For some reason I really liked this video as well. And I cannot help but think that something like this would really help even now here in South Texas.
Funny at 20:25: "...and no unfortunate events at Vegas". You know the saying, "What happens in Vegas..." began right here in 1954!
Here too, the boys from the Las Vegas car clubs had come down to play host and to hear all about the youth run.
Aw, it's over? I really wanted to hear that stoic music 10 or 15 dozen more times!
yeah, it would have been better without the cheesy music.
Most of the Studebakers back then had overdrive, and was a great gas saver, a lot of those cars did not have overdrive, automatics would use more gas than a standard transmission would as well......
***** In 1951 Studebaker won the Mobilgas Economy run with their new 232.6 ci. V-8.
Plot twist: The boys snuck into the Sliver Slipper to see Sally Rand. 👀
We should have something like that today.
Enjoyed this very much! Thanks for posting!
The narrator talks about these 'teenage boys' like they were an exotic species that he himself was never. Bizarre. The Stude was gorgeous.
It is just a narrative trope of this era, a sort of tongue-in-cheek way to speak even if it sounds serious. Watching these old documentaries I have heard presenters talk about women like they had never seen them before and they were mythical beasts, talking about American working men like they had never had to work themselves before and the whole concept of labour had been foreign to them, and apparently this also applies to young people too.
Loved this video, how my parent's young world,mind you the east coast Canada, but same years. God bless.
All old cars weren't gas-guzzling dinosaurs, despite what you think you know. Before the horsepower wars of the '60s, and the emissions regs of the '70s, cars could be pretty thrifty. Most of the ones you see here had single-throat carbs with flathead sixes or small V-8s, and no accessories. The Fords and Studebaker Hawks were economy cars.
The Mobilgas economy runs were well-documented. Certainly possible to get real-world 25mpg by driving properly with a well-tuned car of that era, no B.S. :)
Also Rambler
My 1963 Chevy Nova 6cyl manual transmission got 25 mpg!
Bill Thompson below's right. It's all about final gearing in overdrive, fully inflated tires,
driving with a light foot, pulling as little manifold pressure as possible. I got 22.5 mpg
in a fully restored '40 Packard 120 with overdrive and the slightly taller 4.09 rear axle
instead of the usual 4.36 w/ OD. Bias ply tires 32 psi cold, open road, highway running. 282-ci L-head inline 8. 3,700-lb. curb weight. Razor tuned, everything stock
beyond 2.95 vs. 3.14:1 final drive in OD.
Miles and miles of chrome. ZERO plasic engine parts....The narrator sounds like he is enjoying a cocktail and a full flavor cigarette. You could service a car without a ton of diagnostic equipment. Unspoiled scenery.It was a good time to live.
My car get's 5 miles to the gallon no matter how I drive it. And I sure wouldn't park it in Lynwood or Compton anymore. I have to say them Studes really stand out from the crowd. Light years ahead in styling.
5:30 'First Annual'- I wonder how many years this event took place.
I can’t imagine a harder race. Doubt very many professional drivers today even from world rally drivers could ever do this. And those police how well they handled this unimaginable hard policing. I’m awe struck. To go on that damn road seems almost impossible. I heard that it was normally closed being judged impassable other than mules. The skill of the drivers doing that u-turn on that ice slick gravel lot. How they managed to not slide out and fly the 28,000 feet to the bottom of the damn. That party at the dessert in was really a wild affair. One boy drank 3 glasses of milk. I’m sure the police didn’t like that but the kids a daredevil.
And one should pause for a moment and think about the cars of the time. They are not ventilated and smooth-driving cars we have today. It must have been much harder to go through the race
13:11 - so immersive! Felt like i was watching this film reel sitting at my desk!
I was waiting anxiously for Jim Hummer to come in.
Fabricated as the whole film is, having come from that area and time feels like being one of the last citizens of ancient Rome compared to today. Oh, let me send a 👍 back to '54 for the narrator not saying "Nevahhhdahh."
@@miketonon7946 with all the glowing words for the dam, god is about the only one he didn't use.
@@miketonon7946 take it for what you will, better and worse it's not just a different world but another world.
Lol we don’t have any problems today.
I bet the drivers in this video still talk about this today, if they're still alive. I wonder if any of them or their families saw this video since it's been uploaded.
I remember when the National Hiway Speed Limit was 55 mph..."Stay Alive Do 55"..
Likely measured as ton-miles per gallon.....actual Mpg times weight in tons (3000 lbs as 1.5 tons, etc.) 20 MPG by 1.5 is 30 ton-miles per gallon. This was used in these economy races.
I LIKE this! I was TWO when it was made??
Robbi496 Me,too! born xx-xx-1952
Many of those cities mentioned like Bell, Compton, Lynwood, Arcadia were small suburbs and bedroom communities. Some of those are now dangerous, dilapidated ghettos. Some of those places like Huntington Park were still tolerable in the early 70s.
What an excellent historical film! First, I think it was great that police departments of these small municipalities got together to sponsor this event. Also, I got a kick out of the fact that all this took place before I-15 was built. Look at those narrow roads! Also, the kids participating in this race are from cities that have changed greatly. Lynwood, South Gate, Bell, Compton, etc are predominantly Latino, immigrant communities now.
smithraymond09029 - There was at least one Latino competitor, Frank Jimenez.
price includes tax at 8 cents per gallon...... I believe the sign says @ 4:51
so gas was 22 cents a gallon in 1954 +8 cents= roughly 30 cents a gallon total with tax.
Early 70s I paid 25.9 in Riverside about 1973.
I want the '54 Buick convertible
imagine if someone had explained the future cannonball run and the 2904!!
Instant corruption
"Where can I get some dam bait?"
And here comes the Catholic priest. Pants down and a love for boys.
Opens 1955 royal nevada,Riviera and The dunes opens 1958 Stardust open desert spa 1954
How'd they get that lettering paint off. Mostly back then that kind of paint was lead based.
Probably tempra paints.. water based and washes off easily..
Six Cylinder cars were good on gas if you learnt how to use the pedal, the cold morning mist is good for economy, these cars were real cars..
Wow the 15 was called the 91 back then.
17:13 yeesh! Flag up, pants down
Nothing says racing like safety and economy?
If your in a Toyota car club!
55s Next In hotel The dunes And Riviera? :)
They explain the ton-mileage calculation between 4:00 and 4:30.
For a 4000 pound (2 ton) vehicle, the 'ton-mpg' is double the actual mpg. I do not know how heavy cars were in 1954, but they were all steel with little regard to saving weight. If the winning car (55 ton-mpg) weighed 4000 pounds it had to get 27.5 actual mpg for the trip. The drivers only had to average 35 miles per hour for the entire trip.
In ad copy, manufacturers bragged about "Road hugging weight"
Sid Davis, Sammy's little brother.
Nice .. jop
Jopanese
They could have got them hats that fit. HAHA
Frank ...."Hee-men-ez" 23:23. haha.
Kabloona Kelly - That's how Jimenez is pronounced.
t least you could afford to drive cross country back in 54 as gas was properly priced back then.
I can do that in todays time. I've done it. I spent 20 bucks a day... Not bad at all.
@THM SGR Glad to see someone telling it like it is. There's one other aspect, though: people in America had more money then (generally.)
Did you do this math in your head including inflation?
The difference really is, today we are TAXED on everything. Oh, plus the government seems to be alright with allowing our supposed enemies produce everything we need. Having offshore bank accounts helps them too, hate to see them paying their share of taxes.
Who won ! make of car ?
if a 3100lb Studebaker go 55 ton mpg that's 35.48 mpg. not bad.
No emissions equipment. I wonder what effect the most efficient emission equipment (for economy and fuel efficiency) on one of these stock setups would get? I don't like smog, honestly.
How did top 3 winners get over 48 miles to the gal
48 miles per gallon per ton. The cars were closer to 2 tons than 1 ton. If they were 2 tons (which they aren’t, they’re less) then that would be 24 mpg, very achievable when really trying back then.
@@freedomairconditioner6152 todays standards a juice gobbling momstrocity
Kids from 1954
The End Of The "Innocent Society" came in my opinion in 1964 when the USA entered Vietnam...The Beginning Of The End...
YOU might want to do a little research.......and learn how things were done years ago. Also, I don't need a job with the EPA.....
can t hear the man talking for the crappy music...you do not need the music..
I doubt anyone responsible for the music is alive. You are trying to talk to dead people
Most these boys died in Vietnam for LBJ.........so sad.
Well, shit happens.
Doubtful. These where high school seniors and juniors in 1954. Meaning they would have been in thier early 30's by the time Vietnam was in full swing.
I wonder how many of these boys are alive here in 2018? They would be a minimum of 80 years old. If they were as young as 16 in 1954, they would have been born no later than 1938.
This is mid 50s not mid 60s
bare chested with a love for boys lol
Perv cops in California.
It wasn't a cop. It was the old race car driver. I chuckled too when I saw that.
Never understood these. A race via hypemiling. Even back then it wouldn’t be too hard to beat the factory mpgs. Easy to win. Use a car that gets the best rated fuel economy and drive like a state trooper is on your butt.
I bet the winner did a burnout and drove like the wind home after this.
With 8 cent per gallon gas everyone’s a winner!
100% white
Except 1 Mexican
World's slowest race
I see, African American teenagers and other minorities teenagers where no given the same consideration back then.
It’s breathtaking to consider that we’ve made so much racial progress. We are truly an equal opportunity country.
1954 with cars getting better than 45 MILES PER GALLON ,
WTF ? over?
rentatrip1: ton-miles per gallon, a way to handicap these races to make them fair.
John Doe of the Good Guys Car Club has a Chevrolet. It weighs 3200 pounds and gets 30 mpg. (According to Chevy's own literature, a 1954 Bel Air weighs 3250 lbs.)
Sam Smith of the Scenic West Car Club has a Volkswagen Bug. It weighs 1600 pounds and gets 45 mpg.
In raw numbers Sam beats John every day. Problem is, John has twice as much steel to haul around. So let's prorate this thing by weight.
Divide 3200 pounds by 2000 to get 1.6 tons. Divide 1600 pounds by 2000 to get 0.8 tons.
Multiply 30 mpg by 1.6 to get 48 ton-miles per gallon. Multiply 45 mpg by 0.8 to get 36 ton-miles per gallon...which is why all these guys were driving cars that weighed 3200 lbs.
Studebaker wins again!