When the oil leak develops, the first few close ups show a long cloud of oil behind the car, but the long shot shows little-to-no trailing smoke.
In the closing tag, when Tod and Buz are standing beside the car after Tod changed the spark plugs, Buz drops the hood but it doesn't close completely. A moment later when Tod gets into the car the hood is completely shut.
Jeff, crew chief, states that the Webster Special has 250 hp and an 8000 rpm redline with a 1000 pound car. The Maserati 250F was initially a 240 bhp 2490cc 6 cylinder engine with 7400 rpm redline but the last ones had a 315 bhp V12 for the factory effort.
Of course, the actual car shown is a Stanguellini Formula Junior with a 95 hp Fiat 1100 engine. However, this is in keeping with most movie-making in which Formula Fords were often used to act as Formula One cars due to the more forgiving nature when driven by actors and drastically less cost.
Of course, the actual car shown is a Stanguellini Formula Junior with a 95 hp Fiat 1100 engine. However, this is in keeping with most movie-making in which Formula Fords were often used to act as Formula One cars due to the more forgiving nature when driven by actors and drastically less cost.
As this episode was released in January 1961, implying a 1961 race, no Formula One race was run at Riverside in 1961, having moved to Watkins Glen for 1961.
However, it may have been just late showing for the actual November 1960 Formula One race at Riverside. Still, the Maserati 250F was no longer competitive and would not have been a primary contender in 1960 or 1961, and the actual Stanguellini Formula Junior was even less so.