The Cadillac Eldorado Interceptor Film Car.

Camera convertibles come of age.

The Cadillac Eldorado Interceptor Film Car all you wanted to know.

The origins of police chase videos is a long and winding one. No one really knows where it began but sadly many of the pioneers of this genre have long since been forgotten.

Ulysses Gamarauder Pipistrel Snr was a director of low budget “B” movies from the mid-west. He directed many of the now forgotten 1960’s drive in dross, that frequented such establishments. Pipistrel Snr Nicknamed “Uncle Custard” by the press, due to the slapstick way he filmed from an old ford model T, and built Heath Robinson devices to get particular shots, stuck with him his entire career. Keen to elevate his status he wanted to move onto other forms of film-making.

His son Ulysses Gamarauder Pipistrel Jnr, had been involved with some police documentaries during the late 60’s and the most exciting moments were the segments when on board cameras caught the stolen automobile pursuit in live motion.

This led to both partners funding “Uncle Custards Interceptor Chaos 1”, using all manner of camera equipment from super 8, to more standard footage. Teams rode on uprated Harley Davisons working in close proximity with the Los Angeles motorcycle police div.

Getting permission to film grand theft auto in progress took months of paperwork, and the filming sessions were fraught with tension. The main one being - lack of safety.

During the high speed pursuits in regards to getting the footage for the first movie, a list of injuries began to mount. 9 Crew members, 7 pedestrians, 3 police officers, 2 dogs and a passing unicycle midget from Ohio were all hospitalized.

Some Heath Robinson techniques were adapted so a crewman could sit and film on the hood of the Cadillac Eldorado Interceptor Film Car in relative comfort.

One of the more famous (pack of 4), Eldorados was bought from an American production company in 1976, which was earlier used in the 1974 movie Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.

This limousine interceptor.

“It’s like being strapped to a sled that seemed to have no steering. Fortunately we wore early motocross apparel and helmets which protected most camera people – who all fell off at least a dozen times a piece during production.” The Cadillac Eldorado Interceptor Film Car was an unyielding monster for those driving it.

Uncle Custards Interceptor Chaos 1 & 2 were filmed between 1977-78 and grossed $654,000 dollars. Both Pipistrel Jnr, and Snr were not to reach such dizzy heights again.

Pipistrel Snr retired to the Galapagos islands with his two Russian brides.

Pipistrel Jnr’s demise was somewhat sadder. In the summer of 1980 he was arrested at 2am in the morning while driving a stolen dodgem car erratically in the streets of lower Manhattan and smoking an illegal substance through a child’s novelty trumpet.

With police chase films so readily available today it’s easy to forget who the pioneers of police-chase movies are. These two groundbreaking movies have almost been forgotten today. So we have taken pleasure in resurrecting The Cadillac Eldorado Interceptor Film Car and the subsequent early movies here.

Of the adapted 4 Flim Car Eldorados, one was crashed during filming, another was sold onto a private buyer, and the remaining two, were re-sprayed (once the mounts were removed) and Re-Licensed to a Florida second hand car dealer.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot ending