AND THEN CAME RUDGE... -,
I am often asked "what's the best car?" My answer varies greatly, but over the past two decades in the automotive industry, I have come to the conclusion that European cars are superior. This does not mean I do not appreciate some Asian or American cars, but they do not compare with European car thrills techniques. American and Asian cars lose something that I think is more of a quality than a European car. this time we will discuss aboutAND THEN CAME RUDGE...Lets me talk it
A friend sent this to me today; an episode of the classic 1969 motorcycle TV show 'Then Came Bronson', in which James Bronson (Michael Parks) meets Alex (Keenan Wynn) in Sturgis. Alex has a 1937 Rudge Ulster hidden away in a friend's garage, and Bronson's presence reveals his secret, causing a bit of strife with his wife. The episode has great riding scenes towards the end, with the men off-roading their respective machines (Rudge Ulster and Harley-Davidson Sportster) in the green grass of the Black Hills, including a flying leap over a creek. Bronson learns a bit about the viability of vintage motorcycles in the process - undoubtedly you'll think the Ulster a far more suitable off-road machine than a '69 Sportster! Keenan Wynn was well known for his motorcycle enthusiasm, but the stunts look to be performed by Carey Loftin , who had quite a career.
Carey Loftin is an AMA Hall of Fame inductee, and a legendary stuntman who taught himself trick riding skills as a very young man. At 19 he was hired in Skip Fordyce's traveling stunt-riding show after performing a back flip from the saddle, landing behind the bike and controlling it with the seat, before hopping back on and coming to a halt. Loftin earned his living via trick riding and mechanicking during the Depression, and after WW2 started work in Hollywood as a stuntman and character actor, with hundreds of film and TV credits over a 50-year career, riding motorcycles and driving cars, including hairy scenes in 'Bullitt', 'The French Connection', and 'Vanishing Point.' Loftin died in 1997 at the ripe age of 83 - who says stunt riding leads to an early grave?
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Carey 'Loftin' the front wheel of his 1947 Velocette MSS in the hills of SoCal. |
Carey Loftin is an AMA Hall of Fame inductee, and a legendary stuntman who taught himself trick riding skills as a very young man. At 19 he was hired in Skip Fordyce's traveling stunt-riding show after performing a back flip from the saddle, landing behind the bike and controlling it with the seat, before hopping back on and coming to a halt. Loftin earned his living via trick riding and mechanicking during the Depression, and after WW2 started work in Hollywood as a stuntman and character actor, with hundreds of film and TV credits over a 50-year career, riding motorcycles and driving cars, including hairy scenes in 'Bullitt', 'The French Connection', and 'Vanishing Point.' Loftin died in 1997 at the ripe age of 83 - who says stunt riding leads to an early grave?
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Carey Loftin and actor Rory Calhoun aboard his Triumph Thunderbird and Steib sidecar |
AND THEN CAME RUDGE...
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Oleh
joe samuel