I found a documentary made by BBC’s show Top Gear, in which three men drive a very fine collection of cars from San Francisco to Utah (to get to a drag race). The entire film is rather long and cut up into three 9 minute videos which are all very entertaining. I recommend you watch them if you get the chance! However, portions from the first two definitely stood out to me in regards to how American culture views the road. The first video basically starts off with them explaining their fun little cars and what not. At one point (3:00), one of the men discusses America’s (and his own) obsession with muscle cars. By the end of the first segment they are in Reno. There they have some fun gambling and playing with their cars in the “big city”. The second segment focuses more on their journey on the road. It begins with them driving through the middle of a desert trying to entertain themselves on the long drive. Throughout the rest of the segment they continue driving and play jokes on each other along the way. The peak of this segment (5:30) is probably when they are racing through the twisting mountain roads, clearly, filling a thrill. And yes, I do realize that these men are British, nevertheless, I still believe they embody America’s fascination with speed and cars very well.
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I would agree that both of these clips really capture the "American" vision on the road. The road trip along with almost anything in our American culture is about image. Taking to the road in these muscle/sports cars captivates traveling in style. By the hum of the engine, to the color of the cars, attention while being on the road is brought to them wherever they go. Along with the rides, the various stops epitomize the American road trip, as they gamble in Reno (a mini Las Vegas, AKA sin city). These popular tourist attractions are known to many Americans.
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