Some time ago, I purchased and viewed the DVD of "The World's Fastest Indian." In my area, this theatrical film had an extremely short run so this was the first time I'd seen it although I was already familiar with its subject matter. The film, based on a true story, stars Anthony Hopkins in the role of Bert Munro, the New Zealander who set a World's Land Speed record at Bonneville, UT in 1967 on his Indian motorcycle. Since Munro was born in 1899, he was 68 years old when he made his record-setting ride. His official speed was 183.58 MPH (295.44 km/h). To qualify, he made a one-way run of 190.07 MPH with an unofficial maximum speed of over 200 MPH. This record, for motorcycles under 1000cc displacement, still stands to this day.
Since this is a rather amazing true story and Munro was apparently a genuine character, this film is great fun to watch. It is also a tribute to the man's dedication, ability and courage that he could accomplish so much, mostly on his own and with little money or outside support, to achieve his life-long goal.
A resident of Invercargill, New Zealand, the film details something of his life there and his subsequent journey, in 1963, on a freighter from there to the Los Angeles port of Long Beach. His bike, complete with streamline shell, made the trip in a crate below deck and he paid for his passage by serving as ship's cook. Once ashore in the US, he bought a used car, supposedly used the dealer's workshop to make a trailer for his bike, and made his way to Bonneville encountering a number of humorous and near disasterous experiences enroute. On arrival at the Salt Flats, he finds that due to his failure to register on time, he will not be permitted to run. However, after a series of rather incredible events, he is ultimately allowed on the course. Of course, I have no way of knowing which of these events were manufactured by the film maker for dramatic and comedic effect and those that actually took place, but it all adds to the enjoyment of the movie, nevertheless.
The one glaring error in the film, probably employed because of the necessity to collapse the time period during which the film supposedly takes place, is to leave the impression that Munro set his record during that first 1963 attempt. Thus, he is credited with a one-way run time of 201.851 MPH and is shown laying down the machine at close to 200 MPH because of uncontrollable instability. These events actually occured during the 1967 record setting run. The movie ends after Munro's return to his home but we are told that subsequent to that first attempt, he returned to Bonneville nine more times. This suggests to me that he must have had some kind of financial support subsequent to his first record attempt. He died in 1978.
Anthony Hopkins was excellent in the role and stated in the extra material included on the DVD that he had a great deal of fun making the film. I highly recommend this film to all our Forum members.
What is the World's Fastest Indian?
The real Bert Munro was an incredibly accomplished, mostly self-taught back yard mechanic and engineer. The fastest Indian in question was a 1920 Indian Scout bought new that year by Munro. Indian was the 'other' American motorcycle company (now defunct) with its main office and factory located in Springfield, MA. Munro's machine started out as a 37 CID (600cc), 42 degree V-twin, side valve (or flathead) engine. Side valve engines have their valves located in the block or cylinders, as the case may be, with the intake manifold connected to the block. Needless to say, their breathing ability is far inferior to OHV designs. The bike was also fitted with a 3-speed hand change gearbox and foot-operated clutch. The primary drive was by helical gear, rather than a chain, in an oil-tight cast alloy case. A double down-tube cradle frame was used, rigid at the rear. The leaf spring forks provided nearly 2" of movement at the front.
Munro began modifying his bike in 1926 using basic workshop equipment and his own advanced metal working skills. He converted the engine to an OHV design by building his own cylinder heads, modifying the valve gear and converting from a 2-cam to a 4-cam design. He made his own barrels, flywheels, pistons, cams, cam followers and lubrication system. He hand-carved his con rods from a Caterpillar tractor axle hardened and tempered to 143 tons tensile strength. In the movie, Munro is seen casting his own pistons from used Chevy pistons and then hand working them to proper shape and finish. He would sand cast pistons in old tins and even in the sand at a nearby local beach. A 17-plate clutch was built and installed along with a triple chain drive to the rear wheel. He also built the close-fitting streamline shell that enabled the bike to achieve such high speeds by reducing aerodynamic drag to a minimum. By 1962, the displacement had been increased to 51 CID (850cc). In 1967, the year he set a class record of 183.586 MPH, the engine reached its final size of 58 CID (950cc). His one-way run of 190.07 MPH was the fastest ever officially recorded speed on an Indian.
His team at Bonneville consisted mostly of Indian motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the US who came voluntarily to provide help and encouragement. After Munro's death, his bike which had been in his hands for 57 years, became the property of an enthusiast in the South Island. As a consequence, three replicas were built to be used in the film. One, without an engine, was used in the scenes where the bike is being towed in the trailer since only the exterior of the bike is visible in those shots.
Munro had a family and may have sorely neglected them to concentrate on his drive for speed although nothing is said of this in the movie. But at least in terms of his mechanical skills and competitive spirit, he can be counted as one of the great figures in motorsports history.
Happy Motoring!
Since this is a rather amazing true story and Munro was apparently a genuine character, this film is great fun to watch. It is also a tribute to the man's dedication, ability and courage that he could accomplish so much, mostly on his own and with little money or outside support, to achieve his life-long goal.
A resident of Invercargill, New Zealand, the film details something of his life there and his subsequent journey, in 1963, on a freighter from there to the Los Angeles port of Long Beach. His bike, complete with streamline shell, made the trip in a crate below deck and he paid for his passage by serving as ship's cook. Once ashore in the US, he bought a used car, supposedly used the dealer's workshop to make a trailer for his bike, and made his way to Bonneville encountering a number of humorous and near disasterous experiences enroute. On arrival at the Salt Flats, he finds that due to his failure to register on time, he will not be permitted to run. However, after a series of rather incredible events, he is ultimately allowed on the course. Of course, I have no way of knowing which of these events were manufactured by the film maker for dramatic and comedic effect and those that actually took place, but it all adds to the enjoyment of the movie, nevertheless.
The one glaring error in the film, probably employed because of the necessity to collapse the time period during which the film supposedly takes place, is to leave the impression that Munro set his record during that first 1963 attempt. Thus, he is credited with a one-way run time of 201.851 MPH and is shown laying down the machine at close to 200 MPH because of uncontrollable instability. These events actually occured during the 1967 record setting run. The movie ends after Munro's return to his home but we are told that subsequent to that first attempt, he returned to Bonneville nine more times. This suggests to me that he must have had some kind of financial support subsequent to his first record attempt. He died in 1978.
Anthony Hopkins was excellent in the role and stated in the extra material included on the DVD that he had a great deal of fun making the film. I highly recommend this film to all our Forum members.
What is the World's Fastest Indian?
The real Bert Munro was an incredibly accomplished, mostly self-taught back yard mechanic and engineer. The fastest Indian in question was a 1920 Indian Scout bought new that year by Munro. Indian was the 'other' American motorcycle company (now defunct) with its main office and factory located in Springfield, MA. Munro's machine started out as a 37 CID (600cc), 42 degree V-twin, side valve (or flathead) engine. Side valve engines have their valves located in the block or cylinders, as the case may be, with the intake manifold connected to the block. Needless to say, their breathing ability is far inferior to OHV designs. The bike was also fitted with a 3-speed hand change gearbox and foot-operated clutch. The primary drive was by helical gear, rather than a chain, in an oil-tight cast alloy case. A double down-tube cradle frame was used, rigid at the rear. The leaf spring forks provided nearly 2" of movement at the front.
Munro began modifying his bike in 1926 using basic workshop equipment and his own advanced metal working skills. He converted the engine to an OHV design by building his own cylinder heads, modifying the valve gear and converting from a 2-cam to a 4-cam design. He made his own barrels, flywheels, pistons, cams, cam followers and lubrication system. He hand-carved his con rods from a Caterpillar tractor axle hardened and tempered to 143 tons tensile strength. In the movie, Munro is seen casting his own pistons from used Chevy pistons and then hand working them to proper shape and finish. He would sand cast pistons in old tins and even in the sand at a nearby local beach. A 17-plate clutch was built and installed along with a triple chain drive to the rear wheel. He also built the close-fitting streamline shell that enabled the bike to achieve such high speeds by reducing aerodynamic drag to a minimum. By 1962, the displacement had been increased to 51 CID (850cc). In 1967, the year he set a class record of 183.586 MPH, the engine reached its final size of 58 CID (950cc). His one-way run of 190.07 MPH was the fastest ever officially recorded speed on an Indian.
His team at Bonneville consisted mostly of Indian motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the US who came voluntarily to provide help and encouragement. After Munro's death, his bike which had been in his hands for 57 years, became the property of an enthusiast in the South Island. As a consequence, three replicas were built to be used in the film. One, without an engine, was used in the scenes where the bike is being towed in the trailer since only the exterior of the bike is visible in those shots.
Munro had a family and may have sorely neglected them to concentrate on his drive for speed although nothing is said of this in the movie. But at least in terms of his mechanical skills and competitive spirit, he can be counted as one of the great figures in motorsports history.
Happy Motoring!
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