# Entertainment at its finest. A life or death Rat-Rod race **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [September 22, 2019, 2:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/entertainment-at-its-finest-a-life-or-death-rat-rod-race/149270 "2019-09-22T14:10:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 2:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/entertainment-at-its-finest-a-life-or-death-rat-rod-race/149270/1 "2019-09-22T14:10:29Z")
Maybe I didn’t really miss much working long hours in years past. I don’t know what channel my television is on but the movie “Death Race” is apparently a marathon of racing movies and every time I pass the television the mayhem is over the top and when the car is racing there seems to be no end to the gears available and they are all reached by pulling the floor lever rearward. Could the car have a constant mesh gear box and shift like a motorcycle? Maybe I’m the only person in the world tuned in to that network or maybe there are hundreds of televisions tuned in with no one paying any attention. But there must have been an audience some years ago that followed that series of movies. Imagine that. People actually paid for admission. And I can only imagine that someone somewhere built a replica of the race car with a Gattling gun mounted on the dash… I’m searching for a Knight Rider re-run to remind me just how great television once was. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/entertainment-at-its-finest-a-life-or-death-rat-rod-race/149270/2 "2019-09-22T14:23:55Z")
> [@Rod\_Knox](#): > > Could the car have a constant mesh gear box and shift like a motorcycle It could… however it could just be Hollywood magic. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/entertainment-at-its-finest-a-life-or-death-rat-rod-race/149270/3 "2019-09-22T14:36:47Z")
Are you implying that it’s PHONY @Mustangman? Surely not. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/entertainment-at-its-finest-a-life-or-death-rat-rod-race/149270/4 "2019-09-22T14:41:20Z")
> [@Rod\_Knox](#): > > I’m searching for a Knight Rider re-run to remind me just how great television once was. Sarcasm ? At least I hope so. ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/entertainment-at-its-finest-a-life-or-death-rat-rod-race/149270/5 "2019-09-22T14:41:34Z")
Maybe watching Thunder Road would be more entertaining? ---
**Author:** ![sgtrock21](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/sgtrock21/32/246_2.png) [@sgtrock21](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sgtrock21)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/entertainment-at-its-finest-a-life-or-death-rat-rod-race/149270/6 "2019-09-22T15:26:23Z")
It would be for me. Great car movie. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/entertainment-at-its-finest-a-life-or-death-rat-rod-race/149270/7 "2019-09-22T15:40:17Z")
Robert Mitchum drove that wallowy Ford well until he crashed. We forget the poor “roadability” and sloppy steering of 50s cars. Serious drivers I knew then ordered their cars with optional heavy duty suspension and the largest ties that would fit. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/entertainment-at-its-finest-a-life-or-death-rat-rod-race/149270/8 "2019-09-22T16:34:42Z")
Thunder Road was a great movie @asemaster. How many Oscars did it win? I forget. I recall the Australian “Thunderdome” movie with Mel Gibson that seems to be a similar effort. My kids must have rented it long ago and I usually tried to keep up with what they were bringing home. Teenage boys obviously were entertained back then. The most entertaining movie I’ve seen in recent years was “Nebraska.” I’m just not a fan of crash-burn special effects. I am as out of step with my taste in movie culture as most other trends. ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/entertainment-at-its-finest-a-life-or-death-rat-rod-race/149270/9 "2019-09-22T17:13:19Z")
> [@Rod\_Knox](#): > > How many Oscars did it win? How do I know? I was born in 1969! 😋 My mother recalls taking me for walks when I was still young enough to be in a stroller and having me point at cars and saying “Pontiac” or “Ford”. Even at that young age I was into cars. I don’t think it’s going to make it to the next generation though. My son spends all his free time on baseball and saxophone and my daughter is a budding artist. That’s OK, cars these days aren’t as fun as they used to be.