Mulholland Race Course

[TomoHawk]

Has anyone been down the Mulholland Race Course? I saw a movie called King of the Mountain and I am interested in seeing how the scenes in the film correlated to actual course. I believe that the movie probably didn't capture the view for sure, due to a relatively narrow field-of-view of the camera and the choppy filming technique, and it was mostly done at night.

There are some short videos on YouTube, but most of them are awful amateur videos, with a few documentaries.

You might call it the west-coast version of the "Tail of the Dragon."

[Stanley]

Went up (North to South) Mulholland couple of years ago in the Z. Traffic was light but had to let a slow BMW roadster get way ahead, and play catch-up, to have any fun with the curves. Too much traffic to go very fast.

Lots of twisty roads in the Hollywood hills but I drive slow when I have a job there, too much traffic. Kanan Dume Road, west of Malibu, is another nice one.

Heard there's a 280Z in the movie.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Stanley

[TomoHawk]

The main guy says, " I hear a Z" but he's talking about a Z28 Camaro.

[gogriz91]

I think the Angeles crest highway looks like it would be more fun than a crowded Mulholland.

[TomoHawk]

There was a Z car in the movies. It is seen near the end. Would anyone care to name the details (model, wheels, etc? It's obviously modded, because it sounds more a Ferrari than any standard Z.

Edited March 19, 2014 by TomoHawk

[TomoHawk]

There are lots of crooked roads anywhere you have hills. In the southeast there is the Blue Ridge Parkway, in N.C. or Tenn. there is "The Dragon," in Ohio we have Route 536/555. Penn. has a lot of hills & mountains, so does N.Y. or any other state near the Appalachian mountain range, and the east coast has more roads than anywhere else in the country, so you're really not far from the "twisties."

I just happened to wonder if anyone can confirm that the Hulholland "raceway" is like what is depicted in movies. From what little I've been able to find online, I'd say it's too bad that there hasn't been a comprehensive documentary (even one that's embellished with some fictional drama) about this historical road, one that's been there since 1924, and visited by people such as Gary Cooper, James Dean, and others.

Stanley-

If you can, the next time you go up that way during the day, would it be possible to get a video recording with spoken notes ("Grandstands," "Sweeper," "Carl's" etc?)

thxZ

[TomoHawk]

And one quick map with the help of Google Maps:

[Stanley]

Didn't know the curves had names - my commentary would be limited to criticism of other driver, I expect. And even if it wasn't crowded I wouldn't go really fast, since I don't know the road.

I play FSX, and love flying 10 feet above the ground, in the super-twisty Little Grand Canyon for example, never knowing which way it's going to turn next. In the real world it's heavier.

Didn't understand that when I was a teenager, until some kids chased a ball onto the road where I was doing a hundred in a crappy ford station wagon. Hit the brakes, did a 360, didn't hit anybody, but it cooled my wheels a little. There's safer places to street race than Mulholland Drive.

[TomoHawk]

Every race course I've heard of has names for certain corners or ares, like Pit lane and so forth.mulholland isn't a formal race course, so obviously it's going to have the names you'd expect for a grass-roots course.

Remember that it was originally just a scenic road overlooking Los Angeles, like a parkway, so it wasn't really meant to have the names or high speeds. I"ll bet you there are signs saying "Speed Limit 35" along the whole length, except for a few places.

Edited March 19, 2014 by TomoHawk

[Stanley]

Spoiler Alert: this is the ending. Drive safe - prevent forest fires!

[TomoHawk]

Ha ha.... You'd think that with off the 'offs' they have in the area, that there would be an access road to get all the junkers out.

[jmortensen]

Mulholland is alright. There are much better roads in that area. Stunt, Latigo, Decker, Tuna Cyn, Encinal, etc. I think Mulholland is easy to access from LA, so the street racer kids would run up that way and that's where it got its reputation.