This short 1960s public service film from Coca-Cola discusses safe driving and vehicle maintenance by going back and forth between footage of competitive racecar events and footage of average motorists (dubbed leisure drivers and leisure cars by the narrator). The film features footage of several racing events, including a Formula One race at Watkins Glen International, a stock car race at Bridgehampton Race Circuit, and a Hot Rod race. The film opens with footage of various professional racing events. A car pulls up at a gas station and attendants wipe the windshield and check the engine’s oil (01:38). At a track, men check cars’ engines. A man puts on a seatbelt in a sedan (02:38), then the film shows racecar drivers putting on their seatbelts. Officials inspect tires (03:55). A Formula One racecar takes off at a track. The film cuts back and forth between a pleasure car driving (likely a Buick GS 400) and a racecar on a track. An official reviews rules for teams at the Bridgehampton Race Circuit near Sag Harbor, NY (05:07). A driver climbs into his Group 7 sports car and buckles the seatbelt. Other drivers prepare to get in their cars. The race begins and the cars race around the track. Back on a highway, the pleasure car signals to change lanes (07:23). On the race track, cars race through the course; a red car spins out and a race official waves a warning flag to signal the danger on the track to approaching drivers. A car leaves the pit stop (08:35). Spectators sit in the stands and watch the race. An official waves cars back onto the track from the pit stop (08:55). Footage shows a driver inside a pleasure car driving down a highway from the POV of the driver (10:10). The film then shows the Grand Prix circuit. A mechanic services a car’s tires in a shop (10:50). At a Grand Prix race, cars rev their engines and then take off (11:35). A car spins out but quickly maneuvers back on the track and into the race (13:00). Australian driver Jack Brabham pulls into the pit stop (13:42); he sits while his tires are changed. A car passes across the finish line as the checkered flag is waved (15:00). The film then takes viewers to a stock car race, where the cars race around the track (15:25). Footage from inside a car shows the race from the POV of the driver. A car pulls off the track for a pit stop (16:30). The Dodge has its tire changed. Another driver—Cale Yarborough—pulls in for a pit stop and appears to be served a can of Coca-Cola. The film shows several cars skidding and spinning off the track. People pour cement over oil slicks on the race track (18:17). The cars race around the track (19:24), then the film cuts back to the pleasure car as it drives through the streets of a city (20:10). At a Hot Rod racing event, teams inspect their cars (21:12), and the film shows a variety of different cars. Officials measure the wheel base of one car. Officials check engines, seat belts, and suits and helmets. Drivers don fire suits, helmets, and gloves, then they climb into their cars and prepare to race (23:30). The races begin and cars take off from the push cars. Two other cars take off and race up to speeds of 200 mph (25:17), then deploy parachutes to slow them down for stopping. Footage shows racing from several different perspectives: from the driver and from the front of the car looking back at the driver. The film concludes with footage of mechanic teams servicing stock cars, and Formula One cars racing.

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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, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com