No Margin For Error Is An Awesome Film From The 1957 Pikes Peak Hill Climb


No Margin For Error Is An Awesome Film From The 1957 Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Since 1916 racer have been sprinting up Pikes Peak in one of the longest running and hardest core races in the world. The scene at Pikes Peak has evolved over the years and now the course is completely paved. Such was not the case for the vast majority of the last 100 years and this 1957 film, “No Margin For Error” is proof positive of that. Featuring the open wheel as well as the stock car classes, you get a great look both inside the prep for the event and the actual competition on what was a dusty road in ’57.

The open wheel class is the longest running one at Pikes Peak and that makes some sense considering when you think about race cars from the ‘teens they were virtually all open wheel. One of the things that made the open wheel class so significant was that from 1946-1970 Pikes Peak was part of the USAC IndyCar championship series. That drew the premier racing names in the country to the event and none of those names was a dominant as Unser for a 10-20 year period on Pikes Peak. Whether it was open wheeled cars or stock class stuff, those guys had something ingrained in them to be faster than everyone else. Whether it was fearlessness or something else, the Unser family had a hammer lock on the place.

When you are watching this video and seeing the open wheel cars whizzing up the hill, sliding sideways (and at times spinning out) compare them to the vehicles we have been showing you from the early 1900s racing at Ormond Beach. There’s not much difference! 50 years of racing evolution and you still had leaf springs, solid axles, and tall, skinny open wheels jutting out on the corners. These dudes were some kind of brave! The stock car stuff is pretty sweet. You will see Fords, Chevrolets, and even some Plymouths competing on the hill and getting all crossed up coming out of the corners and all.

Pikes Peak is faster, smoother, and far more advanced than it was in 1957 but it sure lacks the character and homey feel that this video shows. Such is the nature of evolution in racing. Too bad our damned time machine is broken again.

Press play to see “No Margin For Error” A 1957 Pikes Peak film –


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