There’s something about the loose nature of a 1970s-era flick that warms my heart, and the opening scenes of Speedtrap quickly drew a smile of satisfaction from me. The private investigator was a popular lead character for films of this era, and in Speedtrap, we find the flared jean-wearing, mutton-chopped ex-detective Pete Novick (Joe Don Baker) front and centre. His Starsky & Hutch-vibe is further cemented by the chiselled white stripes plastered down the sides of his suitably jacked red Charger, and it’s in this trusty steed that we find him blasting his way into the local cop shop and making himself right at home.

First published in the August 2024 issue of Street Machine

It seems a crack local high-end car thief and electronics genius dubbed ‘The Road Runner’ is causing significant financial woes for a bunch of local insurance companies, which team up to hire Novick to investigate the thefts.

A chance encounter with his ex-squeeze, computer-whiz police officer Niffty Nolan (a very young Tyne Daly of 1980s TV staple Cagney & Lacey), sorts Novick with some interesting intel on The Road Runner, causing police captain Hogan (Morgan Woodward) to reluctantly bring Novick in to assist the cops’ investigation.

With help from his business partner, Billy (Richard Jaeckel), and Billy’s psychic-medium sister, ‘New Blossom’ (Lana Wood), it isn’t long before Novick and his stink-bugging Charger are embroiled in a swag of chases with The Road Runner – creating a decent tally of stacked black-and-white patrol cars in the process – and Novick soon learns there seems to be more to this case than meets the eye.

It turns out good ol’ Captain Hogan is heavily on the take to local mobster Spillano (Robert Loggia), and when The Road Runner swipes Spillano’s Lincoln Continental with a million dollars’ worth of smack in the boot, the heat is seriously on Hogan to use his influence and recover both the Lincoln and the drugs intact.

A wild chase finale reveals The Road Runner to be someone working well and truly in the loop, his vehicle heists masking a deeply personal vendetta.

VERDICT: 3/5

With a paper-thin plot, Speedtrap is mainly an excuse to string together a bunch of cool car chase scenes – and therein lies the flick’s appeal. Joe Don Baker does a pretty good job as the hip Novick, while a random boom mic dangling into shot now and then provides some unintended chuckles and reminds you that we’re firmly in low-budget territory here.

VEHICLES:

• 1971 Dodge Charger
• 1967 Jensen Interceptor Mk1
• 1973 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
• 1973 Datsun 240Z
• 1970 Lincoln Continental
• 1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
• 1974 Plymouth Satellite
• 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280S
• 1936 Ford V8 De Luxe

STARS:

• Joe Don Baker
• Tyne Daly
• Morgan Woodward
• Richard Jaeckel
• Robert Loggia
• Lana Wood

DIRECTOR:
Earl Bellamy

ACTION:
From Jensen Interceptors to Datto 240Zs, a wide range of 60s and 70s road icons are jumped, drifted, blown up and beaten, all to the tune of a funky 70s soundtrack.

PLOT:
A hard-strutting private investigator is tasked with capturing a high-end car thief who’s wreaking havoc across Phoenix.

AVAILABLE:
YouTube, DVD

COOL FLICK FACT:
The film was released in Japan as Gone in 60 Seconds 2, but a car theft-oriented storyline is Speedtrap’s only similarity to the original Gone in 60 Seconds.