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This 1935 Pennzoil Film Features Bonneville, Cool Planes, and Awesome Historical Vehicles


This 1935 Pennzoil Film Features Bonneville, Cool Planes, and Awesome Historical Vehicles

There’s awesome history at the Bonneville Salt Flats as we all know and that history effectively began back in 1914 when a Blitzen Benz flew over the salt at 141-mph and changed the world’s perception of speed forever. By the 1930s the place had really become popular with the fast set but it would be another decade or so before hot rodders were really organized and running their stuff in actual events. We mention all of this because the video you are going to watch was made in 1935 and features one of Bonneville’s great heroes, Ab Jenkins. This Utah boss was one of the great kings of American speed during this era and his roll in the video is to highlight the goodness of Pennzoil products in keeping the engine in his Pierce-Arrow happy.

Along with the Bonneville you are going to see some cool aviation history with Eddie Rickenbacker trying to set a cross country speed record in a DC-2 plane. We love this whole film because it really captures a mechanical moment in time where the world was obsessed with speed but it was not microprocessor speed, internet speed, or how quickly your phone can download a movie. This was the pure sensation of flying through the air with horsepower and wheels or horsepower and wings. That along with selling oil.

Today, Pennzoil is still all about horsepower but instead of Ab Jenkins and propellor planes it is top fuel dragsters and nitro funny cars. The brand is as big and strong as ever and its roots are shown in this neat old film clip.

Press play below to see this awesome 1935 Pennzoil ad featuring Bonneville action –


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