Check it Out! The Rootes Archive's Rally Footages

We're taking a brief break from the monthly British Pathé series to put the spotlight on another great archive to be found on Youtube: The Rootes Archive. Unlike the British Pathé series of newsreels, The Rootes Archive focus solely on newsreels and short films/documentaries about automobiles, notably car rallies. 

The Rootes Archive is a trust founded in 2002 in England that preserves original drawings, microfilms, and promotional material from the Rootes Group which included the Hillman, Humber, Sunbeam and Singer among the automobiles that they manufactured. They are a relatively recent addition to Youtube, having joined in October 2025, but they already have a strong following and a very nice selection of classic rally-themed videos to watch, a few of which we have shared below. Check it out! 

The Rootes Archive on Youtube. 

European Holiday by Sunbeam Rapier (20:33) - This is a very entertaining short travelogue about a couple who take a Sunbeam Rapier overseas on their short holiday in Europe. This was filmed during the week of Prince Ranier and Grace Kelly's royal wedding in Monaco and during the Mille Miglia in Italy, so there is some lovely footage of the cities decorated for both events. The Sunbeam Rapier is quite impressive, too! If they were sold today, I'd be heading to a dealer to get one. 

The Monte Carlo Rally of 1956 (27:01) - Another exciting short film, this time about the Monte Carlo Rally of 1956 where a number of Sunbeams took part in the race. The roads are grueling, especially in the snow, so again this proves what a great car the Sunbeam was. 

Destination Capetown (22:23) - Did I say Monte Carlo was grueling? Wait till you see this crazy man from 1952 and his trek in a Humber Super Snipe nearly 6,000 miles to Capetown, Africa. Today, we have 4x4, navigation equipment, cellphones and repair stations nearby, but this man trekked it alone - and he did it twice before! 

The Fast Lady ( 1962 )

The poster art for The Fast Lady implies that it is another one of Leslie Phillips' libidinous comedies that were popular in the 1960s and which, according to your taste, you would either look forward to with great glee, or scoff in distaste. In reality, the star of the film is not Leslie Phillips, and as far as its rating goes, it is really quite tame....so both of these audiences would have been in for a surprise. The studio was in for a surprise too - the film turned out to be the smash hit of 1962. Looking at The Fast Lady today, it's not astonishing to see why the film became such a favorite with the public, for it combines laughter with romance in a high-octane mixture that's sure to rev up anyone's engine. 

The real stars of the The Fast Lady were the lady herself - the 1927 Bentley 3/4½ - and Stanley Baxter, one of the UK's greatest comics. Baxter plays Murdoch Troon, an unattached Scotsman who despises motorcars and loves to bicycle to work. He's a girl-shy young man who finds his neighbor Freddie Fox's ( Leslie Phillips ) obsession with women abhorring. Murdoch's views of women and cars changes fast when he sets his headlamp on a prominent businessman's beautiful blonde daughter, Claire ( Julie Christie ). In an attempt to impress her, Murdoch acquires the racer and undertakes a series of driving lessons. In spite of his clumsiness, winning Claire's affections comes easily enough, but winning the approval of her father ( James Robertson Justice ) becomes another matter entirely. The final decision on whether he is permitted to court her or not rests on how well he can handle the Fast Lady. 

What makes The Fast Lady such an entertaining film is its crisp comic timing and fast speed - we meet Murdoch and see what a predicament he puts himself into right from the start. His Scottish temper and over-confidence get him into one rut after another, especially after he buys the Fast Lady. The rest of the film focuses on Murdoch attempting to acquire the knack of handling the old gal, and if anyone gets impatient during these scenes, it is Murdoch Troon himself. The whole "driving system" makes him want to chuck the car and return to his bicycle....."If only I hadn't invested so much money in the motorcar!" he thinks to himself. 

Stanley Baxter, with his flaming red hair, is a true delight. He was born in Glasgow and made a career on radio and television of imitating ( and exaggerating ) what most people come to associate about the Scots. He is best known for his series of sketches, Parliamo Glasgow, which aired on BBC throughout the 1960s and 1970s. 

In The Fast Lady, Baxter portrays the young Scotsman as a noble, but rather foolish, figure; heavy on the brogue, and proud to wear the kilt when the occasion calls for it. When he is not on the road with the Bentley, or courting Claire, he spends his time counting his pennies, and watching bagpipers on the tele.

Leslie Phillips plays his usual character - the grinning cad - while Julie Christie was making one of her first screen appearances as Murdoch's gal. She catapulted to fame shortly after the release of Billy Liar in 1963. James Robertson Justice is marvelous too as the burly bear who'd rather destroy Murdoch then see him as his son-in-law. He would reprise a similar protective-father role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang five years later. 

In supporting parts are Allan Cuthbertson as the stern driving inspector, and Kathleen Harrison as Murdoch's sympathetic landlady. Comedian Frankie Thomas also puts in a cameo appearance. 

Two years later most of the cast reunited for another comedy - Father Came Too! - which followed the story of a young married couple who purchase a run-down cottage in the country. 

For me, The Fast Lady ranks, with Genevieve, as one of the best comedies about the Brit's obsession with vintage automobiles, but ach! it is not available on DVD in the US at the moment. Network Distributing has released this film in PAL format in the UK, along with Father Came Too!, and a number of great British comedy classics, so if you have a region-free player, then bully for you. Be sure to check out their website for upcoming releases of other titles.

In the meantime, check out The Fast Lady on Youtube here.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ( 1968 ) - The Story of the Motorcar

The Classic Movie Blog Association is currently hosting the Planes, Trains and Automobiles blogathon from Oct. 19-24th and we decided to take a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most iconic movie cars ever built - Chitty. 

In 1967, Albert "Cubby" Broccoli assembled a stellar cast and crew to film Ian Fleming's children's story "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in a grand musical version that would rival any film Walt Disney Studios could make. The book was originally a three-volume series written by Fleming in 1964 for his son Caspar and told the story of an eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts, who rebuilds an old racing car for his children. As the family drives the car around town they begin to find that it is a magical car, capable of flying and floating. 

Roald Dahl was hired by Broccoli to write the screenplay to the film and he weaved elements of Fleming's book into a marvelous fantasy story centering around Potts, the motor-car, and Baron Bomburst, a mad German who wants to steal the car for his own collection. 

Count Zborowski's Chitty 1 in 1921

Chitty is undoubtably the star-attraction in the film, even though it boasted a splendid cast including Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Frobe, James Robertson Justice, Benny Hill, Robert Helpmann, Anna Quayle and Adrian Hall and Heather Ripley as Potts two children. Fleming took his inspiration from a series of aero-engined racing cars built by Count Louis Zborowski in the early 1920s which was nicknamed Chitty Bang Bang . The name of the car was coined by the sound the airplane engine makes as it starts and runs. Zborowsi built four different Chittys in his lifetime but the Chitty 1 was his most famous model. Built with a 23-liter 6-cylinder Maybach aero-engine it nearly reached 120mph on one occasion. Eventually the car was purchased by Arthur Conan Doyle's sons. 

In the film, Jeremy and Jemima discover that their favorite "playcar" at Mr. Coggin's junk yard is going to be sent to the fiery furnace as scrap metal, and so they rush home to plead with their father to purchase the car instead. Mr. Potts is a poor inventor, but after Lord Scrumptious buys his invention of whistling treats for dogs, he gleefully returns home with Chitty in tow. And then for two days he hides himself in the garage rebuilding the motor car using scrap material found around the house. What results is a magnificent testament to what an eccentric inventor can create with a little bit of ingenuity and a heap of skill. 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's production designer Ken Adams ( Goldfinger, Dr. Strangelove ) worked with British cartoonist Frederick Rowland Emmett to create a new look for Chitty, a marvelous design that combined elements of a ship with a flying machine. 

Seven different Chittys were built for the film including one fully functional road-going model with UK registration GEN 11. Alan Mann Racing in Hertfordshire built this car and fitted it with a Ford 3000 V6 engine. Dick Van Dyke claimed that the motor car "was a little difficult to maneuver, with the turning radius of a battleship". Nevertheless it turned hundreds of heads in whichever village it traveled through. 

Pierre Picton with his GEN 11

After the movie was completed, Pierre Picton, Dick Van Dyke's stand-in driver for the film, purchased two Chittys, auctioning one in the 1970s and keeping another, which he drove to numerous charity races up until 2011, when he decided to have that one also auctioned. At one point, Michael Jackson desired to purchase the car, but Picton refused, wishing to have Chitty remain in Britain. Director Sir Peter Jackson purchased the car for $805,000 and currently plans to use it for charity drives. 

The remaining Chittys were constructed as props for the various scenes requiring transformations. One Chitty was built with wings, another with the hovercraft attachment; there is a smaller road-going version and an engine-less model for trailer use, as well as the "junk" model which the children initially discovered. 

Most of these were later equipped with engines and used to promote the film worldwide. Two of these Chittys are in Florida today. One resides at the Denzer Car Museum in North Miami, another is owned by a private collector. The National Motor Museum in Beauleiu, UK also houses one of these models. 

In addition, many fans of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang built their own versions of the beloved motor car, many of them being exact replicas. So there are plenty of Chittys across the world!

To conclude our look at this fine four-fendered friend, here are a few specifications to give you a start so that too could construct your own Chitty: 

Length : 17' 7" 
Height : 6' 3" 
Width : 5' 9" 
Maximum Speed : 100 mph
Features : 

• Ejector seat with parachute
• Built-in Chittyfied GPS
• Hovercraft capabilities
• Flies for hours without supervision

Be sure to head on over to the Classic Movie Blog Association's website to read more reviews of your favorite films featuring planes, trains and automobiles. Thanks for stopping by!