| The first attempt to roll the car was on July 26th. Production notes for the film state that a broken tie rod prevented the crew from rolling the car. On two other occasions the axel broke. On the last day for scheduled shooting, August 4, 1972, the car stunt again failed, this time a tragedy was narrowly averted. Two cameras were at ground level filming the car. As it neared the cameras it was suppose to veer off the road. But it didn't. Instead, it headed right toward the cameras. When recalling the incident Richard Dreyfuss said, "We all thought those guys were dead, no kidding. The car missed one camera by inches, and the cameraman panned right with it," Dreyfuss recalled. "We were all shitting our pants by that time." To save time on filming, they tipped over a 55 Chevy that was a junker from a wrecking yard, set it on fire and Lucas shot the ending of the film without the piece where the car spins and rolls. |
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| The Graffiti '55 (car # 1) as it appeared in a 1976 issue of Hot Rodder magazine. The car got pretty beat up from cameramen & equipment hanging on to it as it was towed through downtown Petaluma. It has since been restored and modified. |
| FALFA'S '55 CHEVY |
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| After Blacktop filming was finished, the #2 car was purchased by a studio employee, so it was not there when the studio prepared to film American Graffiti. Henry Travers, the transportation supervisor on Graffiti, picked up the #1 and #3 cars to prep for the movie. He equipped the #1 car with a 780 Holley on a Vette manifold and a scoop was molded for the hood. The mag wheels were replaced with chrome wheels, and a stock bench seat was placed inside with a tarp stretched over the rear. To top it off, a bumper was bolted back on the front. Both the #1 and #3 cars then received a cheap black enamel paint job. |
| The stunt car from Blacktop (car # 3) was put to good use in the crash scene at the end of Graffiti. The 55 stunt car was already outfitted with left-right steering brakes for trick maneuvers.� It was also equipped with a NASCAR roll cage inside so that a stunt person could survive rollovers. |
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| The # 2 car used in Two Lane Blacktop outfitted with camera bracketts for filming interior cab scenes. |
| Here we've saved the best for last. This car is the real deal, baby! The following was written with the help of Walt Bailey. People who have followed the history of the black 55 Chevy in Graffiti know the car was first featured in the film, Two Lane Blacktop, but not everyone knows there was more than one 55 used in the two movies. When producer, Gary Kurtz was getting ready to film Blacktop he contracted with well-known hot rod fabricator Richard Ruth to build three 55 Chevys for use in the film. Ruth built two identical cars, one for exterior shots and one for filming inside the car while the actors were driving down the road. Both cars were fitted with hand-built custom headers, straight axle front suspensions, and fiberglass doors deck lid and frontends. Ruth also added Muncie M-22 four speesd with Hurst shifters, Oldsmobile rearends and Airheart disc brakes. The car that was used for exterior shooting scenes (car # 1) was equipped with a 427 motor while the other (car #2) which was outfitted with camera brackets for shooting car interior scenes was equipped with 454 engine. A third stunt car (car # 3), was also fitted with a 454 engine but left with a stock suspension and body components. The stunt car was intended for a crash scene in the original Blacktop script. Although the car never crashed in Blacktop, it was used in two scenes where the car runs off the pavement. |
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| The 427 engine post-dates the Graffiti 1962 storyline so the hood was kept shut for the film. |
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