Hairpin Circus (1972)

In the 1970’s a car film craze took over the US movie industry. This did not, however, remain solely American phenomena. Just prior to the first oil crisis that eventually catalyzed the Japanese automotive industry to its final international breakthrough, Japan’s Toho Company released Hairpin Circus, the Nipponese answer to The Vanishing Point (1971). Rather than American machines, Hairpin Circus places Japan’s Toyota 2000GT, and its challenger in the movie, Mazda Savanna RX-3, in the spotlights.

Hairpin Circus is a story of a former race driver Misao (Kiyoshi Misaki), who left the motor sports world after a traumatizing race accident. Love for cars remains, though, and he now makes a living as a driving instructor. The local youth tease him daily, trying to challenge him into their irresponsible street races. How long can the old wolf refuse the temptation to show the new adrenaline addict generation…