An incomplete edition of the Tyne Tees Television programme First Edition following a group of ‘hot-rod’ car enthusiasts from Middlesbrough. The film shows them driving around the Cleveland area and working on their cars in a garage. They are seen taking part in a drag race and attending a rally in Chorley in Lancashire as part of Street Machine UK Tour ‘87. The film opens on a modified yellow Ford Anglia or Popular (Reg: YFB 293) driving through the countryside and across a moor. View of...

An incomplete edition of the Tyne Tees Television programme First Edition following a group of ‘hot-rod’ car enthusiasts from Middlesbrough. The film shows them driving around the Cleveland area and working on their cars in a garage. They are seen taking part in a drag race and attending a rally in Chorley in Lancashire as part of Street Machine UK Tour ‘87. The film opens on a modified yellow Ford Anglia or Popular (Reg: YFB 293) driving through the countryside and across a moor. View of the driver at the wheel of the car. The driver says that the car has a 5.7 litre engine and is as fast as anything on the road. The film cuts to Billingham and shows the car driving through an industrial complex and past a large smoke stack.  A second car, a red American Ford (Reg: 2IKYY), drives behind and both cars travel around the complex and come through a roundabout. The driver of the second car is wearing a t-shirt that reads: ‘take me to Speedway Motors’. The film cuts to a garage where the two drivers look over the engine of the Ford Anglia. A woman stands behind them. The car was bought for £7000 two years ago and since then £5000 has been spend on it. A third man comes over from a bright orange coloured open top car and looks over the engine with the other two. Interview with a bearded man inside the garage who says that these cars are used all year round, but work to maintain or enhance them takes place during the winter. These cars are built for acceleration not speed and everyone gets a great deal of enjoyment and excitement from it. The film cuts to another garage where a man works on the engine of a ‘Clearwaste’ lorry. He says that he likes working on big engines and the sounds they make; the power. Inside a workshop a man identified as Tom, a blacksmith marks out a piece of metal before bending it in a machine. Inside a garage he and another man work with an arc welder to cut a piece of metal that forms part of a chassis of an American pick-up truck. As Tom and another man continue working on the metal there are views of a rusty chassis. Interview with Tom who says that these cars are different from fast cars such as a Porsche; it has a different sensation. Interview with a young man who says these cars are stronger built that a normal street car. These cars take a lot of care and attention as it is your own engineering keeping it in one piece. Interview with the bearded man again who says that during the summer the cars are used nearly every weekend. Sometimes they are driven every day and they generate public interest. A convoy of hot rod cars drives slowly through a village [possibly Norton]. Interest in hot rod in the United Kingdom started with ‘Dragfest’ in the 1960s. People are now starting to build English cars rather than just working on American. It’s very personal having a vehicle just the way you want it. A number of hot rod cars are parked on the village green next to a pond. A small crowd of people look over them. The film cuts to the cars driving along a country road. These cars are built to be used not just seen as many events take place in the south. These cars need to be out on the road, to be driven. The film cuts to a drag-strip where a number of hot-rod cars are taking part in a drag race. A woman in a yellow top stands in the middle of the road as two cars rev there engines ready to race. View from one of the cars as they race along the track. Interview with two men standing beside their vehicle. One of them says that as long as you start well, in the line, you will have an edge over the other [competitor]. The second man says that the exhaust does help a little to make it go faster, but it’s more about the noise. It adds to the fun. A dark hot rod van with the words: ‘Risky Business’ printed along the side races down the track. A number of men work on an engine of a vehicle. Underneath the passenger seat is a bottle of Nitrous Oxide. One of the racers says that you don’t need to use it [Nitrous Oxide] all the time, only when you need to for a short time. The film cuts to a convoy of six hot rod cars driving past Saltburn pier and down onto the beach. On the beach a group of people stand around a small fire chatting surrounded by their cars. The convoy of cars drives along a road, possibly out of Saltburn. General views of a large number of various hot rod and American cars parked in a car park. Crowds of people wander around looking at many of the vehicles. A male announcer wearing a ‘Street Machine UK Tour ‘87’ t-shirt speaks into a microphone to welcome everyone to the third annual lazy Saturday Street Machine magazine north meeting in Chorley. Overhead view shows a large crowd wandering through the car park looking at the different cars. Some of the people are wearing 1950’s American clothing. A woman in a red top holds a large TV camera. A young couple walk up to and look at a vehicle. There is a close up of a shiny chrome engine. Interview with Graham Sanderson sitting inside his black Ford Model ‘B’ car. He says that it would be nice to win something today, but he is not here to win but to show his car. A hand polishes a chrome car lamp. A photographer takes a photograph of Graham Sanderson sitting on the fender of his car. General views of various types of American and hot rod cars. Another man is seen taking a photograph. The hot rod scene has been going since the late 1940s and early 1950’s. There are many different types of ‘rods’ including street rod, restoration rod and hot rod which relates to performance cars. Another overhead view of the crowds walking around the site. A number of car owns are seen polishing their vehicles. Three people sit in the sun relaxing. The film cut to a woman turning around. She is wearing a Garfield t-shirt that reads: ‘Be a Winner!’ Interview with a judge at the event who says that today he is looking for six cars. He is looking for a good selection of vehicles of good quality and overall concept. The judge looks over a vehicle and makes notes in a small pad. A 1949 Cadillac Coupe slowly drives towards the camera surrounded by a large crowd of people. The crowd begin to clap as the driver steps out of the car and accepts a small trophy from the judge. Graham Sanderson in his Ford Model ‘B’ drives towards camera, gets out and accepts a trophy. He climbs back into the car, reverses and drives out of shot. Interview with Graham Sanderson who says he is prepared to sell the car if he is offered the right money. Interview with the judge who says he had not seen his [Graham] car before and conceptually it was ‘right on’ with beautiful restoration work. The film cuts back to Graham Sanderson who says he has invested £20,000 plus on the car. However it actually isn’t worth more than £10-15,000. The film ends with the convoy of six hot rods drives along a country road and across a moor.