The World's Fastest Indian poster

The World’s FastestIndian, a film biography of Bert Monroe

One of the best biographical films in my memory is definitely The World’s Fastest Indian, a somewhat dramatized biography of the inventor and racer from New Zealand, Bert Munro, who accelerated his 1920 Indian Scout (also known as Burt Munro Special) to 205 miles per hour. This record, by the way, still holds. Taking into account the fact that officially this record was set in the class of motorcycles with engines up to 1000 cubic centimeters.

Fastest Motorcycle, Indian Scout, The World's Fastest Indian, Burt Munro Special
Burt Munro Special was the 627th Indian Scout that left the factory and at the beginning of the journey its maximum speed was only 55 miles or 89 kilometers per hour

There are a number of differences from reality in the film. For example, the film shows that the record was set at a speed of 201 miles per hour, but in fact Bert was officially credited only with a speed of 190 miles per hour, and at the same time he did not fall off the bike. But, at the same time, there was also another race in life, where Burt Munro Special was able to accelerate as much as 205 miles, but they were not counted, as Monroe fell without finishing the race. It can also be mentioned that Bert was forced to collect money long before the Week of Speed, as US customs did not release the motorcycle until all duties were paid in full…

The World's FastestIndian, parts manufacturing, making the piston
Bert Monroe was a man of very modest income, and therefore he made many details with his own hands

Nevertheless, despite all these little things, the film is wonderful and motivates perfectly. Especially those who dream all their lives about the salt plains of North America and the races that are held there. Plus, it shows well what the USA looks like in principle for a visiting tourist. Well, on the other hand, there are a lot of nice little things, like used pistons that belonged to Bert Monroe – for the film, a lot of the racer’s things were taken from the museum.

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Well, the main character of the film was portrayed by as many as four motorcycles. Two of them, which are slower, were extremely close to the original replicas of Indian Scouts, and those that depicted setting a record drove Ducati powertrains. Among other things, we can see Triumph’s New Zealand bikers, Monroe himself, in addition to the bike, also drives a Vauxhall Velox, and, of course, vintage cars that are everyday for that time are constantly flashing in the frame.

The film does not focus on the family of Bert Monroe, his ex-wife and four children, and is entirely devoted to the thirst for speed and insanely fast motorcycle. So, in general, we have a must-watch movie for every self-respecting lover of drag, auto and motorsport. So if you consider yourself one of those and still haven’t watched this movie, it’s time to correct this misunderstanding.

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The Fastest Indian, offerings to the God of Speed

A scavenger that feeds on forgotten art. A drug addict sitting on a vinyl needle. A hardcore cheater, of course, who doesn't enjoy video games. A Zealot who believes that God created humans only so that they could create a V-shaped engine.