This short film shows 52nd Gold Cup Regatta, an unlimited hydroplane race that took place in Seattle, Washington, in front of 500,000 spectators in 1956. Some of the boats featured include the Wahoo and Maverick, as well as local contestant Miss Thriftway driven by Bill Muncey, Miss U.S. 1 driven by Norm Evans, and U-25 Miss Spokane. The American Power Boat Association APBA Gold Cup (originally known simply as the Gold Cup, a speedboat race) is an American hydroplane boat race. It is still run as part of the H1 Unlimited season.

Miss Thriftway (:23) was an unlimited hydroplane in the 1950s and 1960s. Ted Bowhay was the Seattle owner of the Miss Thriftway in the early 1960s. He was also known for having owned & raced the limited Hydroplane “Redskin.” With Bill Muncey driving, the boat won the 1956 and 1957 American Power Boat Association Gold Cup. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame and hydroplane historian Dan Cowie described Bill Muncey as “without question, the greatest hydroplane racer in history.” He was nicknamed “Mr. Unlimited” and won 62 races, which was the most races in the history of the sport until Dave Villwock broke his record in 2011

Miss U.S. 1 shown at (:36) achieved a straightaway speed of 200.42 miles per hour on April 17, 1962, with Roy Duby at the controls, setting a world record for a piston-powered, propeller-driven craft that still stands today.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com