Speeding! Record Car

On the Saline Flats, the Supersonic Rocket Car, designed by Pops, is to be tested for the Baboom Motor Company. From the control tower, Pops watches Speed blast off into the desert terrain. But the tail breaks and the vehicle explodes. Later, in the Baboom Company's conference room, one of the board members, Dante Ferno, blames the car's failure on its driver.

At the test site, an inspector points out a broken screw and later concludes that the car was sabotaged. Nevertheless, the company vows to build another car and to replace Speed as driver. Then, as applicants line up for the test drive, two men named Tycootis and Blacket plan to do something about the second car.

Speed reapplies for the test job and is rehired. Tycootis orders Ferno to have Speed and Pops taken care of. The attack is unsuccessful. The second model of the Supersonic Car is build and Speed blasts off. Again, there is sabotage. The president reminds everyone that, since he's a qualified engineer, he will conduct this investigation himself. He discovers a questionable part and interrogates a man named Twert, who runs away. Speed tackles Twert. Blacket appears, but he won't confess.

The president, Speed, and Pops set out to build a new car. At the test site, Spritle overhears Ferno telling Tycootis that a bomb has been planted on the white line. Spritle and Chim Chim stow away in the Rocket Car to relay the information to Speed. Unable to stop in time, Speed accelerates instead, beating the explosion and setting a new speed record. Inspector Detector arrives to arrest Tycootis and Ferno.

Go Mifune, Daisuke Mifune, Aya Mifune, Kurio Mifune, Sanpei, Michi Shimura, Sabu, Masked Racer/Kenichi Mifune, Detective Rokugo.

US Character Names: Speed Racer, Trixie, Spritle, Chim Chim, Sparky, Racer X/Rex, Pops Racer, Moms Racer

The episode scripts were written in Hollywood, with animation produced in Japan. Other American producers followed the lead of this series in farming out animation.

Daisuke Mifune's (Pops Racer's) team is Mifune Motors in the original Japanese version, but is unnamed in the U.S. version.

Writer/voice actor Peter Fernandez had the job of toning down the original Japanese series for release in the United States. He changed scripts so that no villain was ever killed. Instead, shots were inserted of shocked villains with cartoon stars and planets circling their heads.

Many Speed Racer fans thought that this was an American series from the moment it first aired in the United States in 1967. The series was revived on MTV, leading to a remake by Fred Wolf Films of the 13-minute "The New Adventures of Speed Racer" (1993). This was, in fact, an American show.

A live-action feature film was proposed, but plans were not carried out.

"Speed Racer the Movie" was released in 1994. This 80-minute video compilation consisted of two series episodes, padded out by an episode of "Colonel Bleep" and classic 1960s animated TV commercials.

Speed Racer appeared in a Ghost-Face Killah music video and a Volkswagen commercial.

In 1997, Tatsunoko produced a "30th anniversary" remake series, running for 34 25-minute episodes, for TV Tokyo. Pops was renamed Daisuke Hibiki, while new characters included Mai Kazami and her brother Wataru Kazami. In the final season, the racing theme was eclipsed by time travel, with a new villain, Handler, introduced.