Admittedly I am not much of a movie critic and rarely catch the deep significant under meanings of movies. So I mainly stick to two kinds of a movies, funny movies, or movies with cars in them. So that brings me to Boys of Bonneville which is a documentary of sorts about Ab Jenkins who was the original land speed record champion and his quest to go faster. The movie features narration by Patrick Dempsey and has interviews with several well known car people and features Ab’s children and friends who would carry on his legacy. It is chalked full of historical video and photos.
Ab started in the 1920s with Pierce Arrows doing 24 hour endurance racing at Bonneville, we was the first to ever do it. His life story itself is amazing but what is even more amazing is he persuaded land speed heavy weights to come to the Salt Flats where there was not even a road to get to them and try land speed records.
The movie hits pretty hard on this era and the trials and tribulations of land speed record chasing back in that era. The historic footage alone makes the movie a must watch. The narration is excellent using pieces of Ab’s journal to give the viewer an idea of just what it took to drive a car 24 hours straight to set these records.
The second half of the video focuses on Ab’s most famous car, and perhaps the most famous land speed racer of all the Mormon Meteor III. After Ab’s death the car which Ab had given the state of Utah was not well taken care of despite being shown at the capitol. The family, particularly Ab’s son Marv decided to take the car back and have it restored. The last twenty minutes or so is about that process and it is quite emotional and very interesting.
All in all Boys of Bonneville is a much watch for any car guy. The history, the old footage, and the sights and sounds are well worth your time.