Hot Rod (1979 film)

Production

The film was made by ABC Circle, a division of ABC. Armitage says they just had a title, Hot Rod. "And I went over there and talked to them, they said: “Yeah, go ahead.” It was a street racer movie, that’s what I came up with, and we shot that in 15 days—TV was not generous with their time. We shot that up in Northern California, in Calistoga, wine country, and at the Fremont drag way."

Armitage says the story is based on the life of a friend of his, Bob Edelson, who was a top mechanic and with whom Armitage used to race. Edelson died in a plane crash in 1979.

Armitage used a number of actors who were under contract to ABC at the time.