Summaries by Bruce Grubb.
Minor corrections by Mike Markowski.

Pops Racer plans to rebuild the Mach Five's engine and someone trys to steal his plans. To protect the plans Pops places them on a windshield that winds up on the Mach Five and the thieves use cars that project spikes from the hubcaps to get it. Contains a list of what the steering wheel controls do.

Favorite quote: ``Stop or I'll stop you.''

The Masked Racer {Racer X} enters the Transcountry Race and Pops Racer is offered money to have Speed race with one of two competing racing teams and he refuses. The owner of the Alpha Team, Mr. Wylie, hires a young racer who intends to do what ever is required to win. Speed and Pops have an argument about Speed being in Transcountry Race with Speed being told what happened to his brother, Rex. To get the experience Pops says he needs Speed goes out and races on part of the course against Masked Racer. Part of the Alpha Team tries to take out Racer X with some logs and gets Speed. The Alpha Team then kidnaps Speed by mistake with Spritle and Chim Chim are in the trunk of their car which has the outer skin pealed off (it went from white to red) and the license plate rotates. Speed is rescued by Racer X who lets Speed win the Transcountry Race. This story is the first appearance of Racer X.

Favorite quote: ``We are in the center of a low Low pressure area.''

A group of crooks that are part of a spy network are after a Model T engine that has a special number etched on it which leads to some buried loot. The leader of the crooks misuses the homing bird (he smacks it across the ground) which leads Speed's family to him. They get caught trying to rescue Speed and then Racer X saves them. The loot {paper bills} crumbles to dust and Speed gives all of the reward money to the owner {Lightfingers Klepto II} of the Model T.

In the No Limit World Race Speed and Trixie contend with a car over 200 yards long. As the race proceeds Speed begins to suspect that the Mammoth Car is being used to smuggle $50 million in gold bars stolen from the National Bank. At a secret refueling station Speed and Trixie are nearly blown up in an old mine but are rescued by Racer X. Later Spritle and Chim Chim sneak aboard the Mammoth Car and dress up as a driver (Chim Chim on the top Spritle on the bottom). They then proceed to knock out everyone they meet with a wrench. After intimidated the driver not to stop at the finish line they are forced to knock him out. Speed arrives to save Spritle and Chim Chim just before the Mammoth Car plows into an oil tank causing both it and the car to explode and burn. The intense heat of the fire reveals that that the Mammoth Car is really the stolen gold.

Personal comment

It is clear that when the driver claims the Mammoth Car can go over 500 mph (800 km/h) on any type of road he is exaggerating because Speed catches up to the car twice and if Speed cannot match the speed of the GRX at 400 km/h (250 mph) then there is no way he could hope to catch up to something that really could go at twice that speed.

Features the Car Acrobatic Team. At one point, a terrible storm washes out the road; the drivers draw lots to see who gets to cross the chasm first. The drivers have to jump their cars across several washed out portions of the road. Each time, part of the road crumbles, making the jumps more hazardous. Speed ends up crashing and gets blinded. Later Racer X pretends that he could not use his legs and in tandem they drove the Mach Five.

A strange car labeled 'X-3' driven by a driver that says ``Malaise'' is killing people. Alerted by Inspector Detector Speed gives chase to the X-3. At a railroad crossing the driver is caught by the gate and is revealed to be a robot. Speed theorizes that the car is really remote controlled. Pops tells everyone that ``Malaise'' is the name of a special car driven by a driver killed many years ago in the Danger Pass Race. We find out that the driver had two children: a son and a daughter. We also find out that the son is using the X-3 to kill members of the Three Roses Gang who killed his father. Since the robot is gone and he is a cripple he forces his sister to pretend to drive the car in the Danger Pass race. He changes the body of the car so that the '3' on the hood can change to an 'X-3' and to hide it from the authorities. During the race the car kills all but one of the Three Roses drivers. Speed rescues the sister and disables the car by using the rotating number to rip out the wires under the hood which causes the car to crash. Distraught over the destruction of his car the original X-3 driver's son gets careless and flies his helicopter into the mountain. Speed is revealed to have somehow escaped the X-3 before it crashed.

Favorite scene: The son says that the new body will hide the car from the authorities even though except for the number it is identical to the old body.

On the way to Sandaland to race Speed meets Kim who later blames Speed when an one eyed man, Ali-Ben Schemer, blows up his car, the Black Tiger. It is revealed that Kim's father ordered Schemer to blow up the car so Kim would join his rebel forces. While Kim and Speed race with no brakes and scorpions (planted by Schemer), Schemer kills Kim's father and takes over the rebels. Kim and Speed are rescued by government troops who were lead to them by Spritle and Chim Chim and agree to work together to rescue Trixie from Schemer. Kim causes the powder room to blow up Schemer and end the rebellion.

Favorite quote: ``Are you rebels rebelling?''

To get the country of Kapetapek to open its boarders the world has agreed to a race with Kabala, a racer who is rumored to cause accidents. The leader of Kapetapek adds that the winner will get to marry his daughter. The race must be completed through a volcano in 5 hours. Adding to the problem a group of racers want to steal the treasure of Kapetapek. In defending the treasure Speed finds out that Racer X has imitated Kabala to repay Kabala for his kindness in teaching him mountain racing skills {the real Kabala was killed in a landslide}. The race ends in a tie with Speed and Racer X the only survivors out of a group of 96 racers. Kapetapek agrees to partly open its boarders.

A car stunt-driver named Twinkle tries to cross Niagara Falls on two rope cables and gets into trouble and Speed naturally drives out to save her. They both fall in and discover a hidden cave where some gangsters lead by a infamous art thief, Brotch, are searching for treasure. Speed and his friends follow Brotch to his hideout in Mount Rushmore, defeat him and rescue Twinkle's father.

[Available on home video through NOW, FHE.] A super engine called the GRX is dug up from the inventor's grave. The GRX is so fast that the drivers must be sprayed with V-gas for their reflexes to handle it, but become afraid of any velocity when the V-gas wears off or they drink some water. Speed tries to drive the GRX twice; the first time he cannot handle the speed and passes out at the wheel and only Chim Chim's actions prevent the car from crashing. The second time Speed is sprayed with the V-gas and handles the car until his father shows up to take Speed home. On the way home Speed drinks some water becoming afraid even of the illusion of velocity on a film, but recovers in time to beat the GRX which crashes killing the inventor's son who is at the wheel.

Trivia note: In episode one we briefly see the speedometer of the GRX. According to this scene the maximum speed of the GRX was 400 km/hr or about 250 miles/hr.

Personal comment

It is interesting to note how time has passed the "Fastest Car on Earth" by. At the time that episode was written (1965) speeds in the 150-160 mile (240-256 km)/hr were about average and yet today drivers at Indianapolis have been driving near GRX speeds (230 miles/hr) for most of the 1990s without any major problems. Also if one looks at the Indianapolis 500's site one finds Arie Luyenyk (who holds the records for race speed, one-lap, and four laps) has reached 237.498 mile/hr (380 km/hr) just 20 km/hr shy of the GRX's maximum speed on the speedometer.

It should be noted that Pops states that the GRX was buried 10 years ago which puts its creation in around 1955 at which time the the average winning speed at Indianapolis was in the 120-130 mile/hr (192-208 km/hr) range.

There is also an inconsistency in Speed Racer about these incredible speeds. Speed is enthralled with the 320 km/hr the GRX produces in "Fastest Car on Earth" and yet in "Supersonic Car" he goes over 750 mph (1200 km/hr) without experiencing the problems he had with the GRX. The only possible explanation is that Speed drives the Supersonic Car for much shorter times than the GRX.

Side note: Looking though Indianapolis 500's site, I found out that Arie Luyendyk holds the records for race speed, one-lap and four laps. His 237.498 mile/hr (380 km/hr) far out does the maximum speed (360 km/hr) on the GRX's speedometer.

Dr. Nightcall and his daughter trick Speed and use the Mach Five to steal a device called the Mizmo beam and build another Mach Five for their boss Cumulus. In addition to the Mizmo beam, the duplicate Mach Five can also turn into a airplane and contains an atom bomb. Speed chases Cumulus to his undersea base where he learns that Cumulus plans to destroy all the military bases in the world. Dr. Nightcall's daughter is killed trying to stop Cumulus. Cumulus himself is killed when Speed throws him from the duplicate Mach Five. Dr. Nightcall promises to devote his live and the base to undersea research in memory of his daughter.

In this episode Mach Five vs. Mach Five Spritle and Chim Chim make their own Mach Five with A: auto jacks and B: grip tires. Needless to say these features fail so badly that a police officer comments that he should arrest them for such a pathetic display.

Favorite quote: ``He's disreputable, dishonest, and not much good.''

A race for 8 to 13 year olds. Spritle complains about being allowed in the race, but Pops reminds him that he will not turn 8 until two days after the race. In escaping from a kidnap plot to put Prince Sugarin on the throne, Prince Jam and Spritle collide into each other and are mistaken for each other. During the race, the plotters try to take out 'Prince Jam'. Later there is a rush to find the real prince and finally Prince Jam is crowned. The race is rerun the next day and Spritle is allowed in because they crossed the International Date line flying to Saccharin making it one day later than they thought it was.

Favorite quote: ``It's a remote control device that operates remotely.''

Speed Racer meets a scientist named Digger O. Bone who asks him with his dying breath to take care of his daughter Calcia. Unfortunately for Speed, Calcia has hit her head and thinks she is Cleopatra. Under the evil influence of Splint Femur, Calcia has kidnapped Trixie threatening her with death. Speed must survive lions and guards while racing the clock to save Trixie.

Given the bad puns that seem to abound in Speed Racer it is obvious that Dr. Digger O. Bone and Splint Femur are both archeologists.

Speed is training for the Super Car Race on the Snack Track which is a new course that has seven curves. After a day of training Speed meets Rock Force who outmaneuvers some gangsters by driving his car on two wheels. While talking to Rock Force Speed notices that the car has a special automatic transmition. After the gangsters wreck his car Mr. Force comes to Pops Racer to have it fixed. Speed and Mr. Force get into a fight and Mr. Force reveals that he cannot use his right arm and wears a metal brace on it. Mr. Force tells how he accepted money to throw a race but won it anyhow. The gangsters then crippled his right arm to prevent him from racing and have now wrecked his car. While Pops fixes the car Speed challenges him to drive the Mach Five with its manual transmition to help 'wake up' his right arm. The next day Mr. Force wins the Snake Track race but the gangsters come forward and reveal that he cannot use his right arm. Mr. Force proceeds to punch out the gangsters and Speed grabs his arm. They then both realize that he punched out the men with his right arm; his arm has completely healed. The racing official then chastises the gangsters for lying to him. Speed then tells his friend Rock that he will beat him the next time they meet.

A bank robber escapes from prison and forces Speed to take him to where he hid the money. Other gangsters try to get the money. The convict dies, but asks that his eyes be given to his daughter, who is blind.

Ninjas kidnap ``the worlds diplomats'' from some peace conference, because they want to start a war.

Speed is in Mexico and must obtain a serum to save the life of a the mayor of a village that is in danger of falling into the hands of the man whom poisoned him.

After a plane crash, Speed is stranded on an island where the exiled General Smasher is creating giant monsters. Speed becomes essentially a ``jungle boy'' (complete with swinging on vines and clothes ripped to shreds) trying to stop General Smasher.

A criminal hijacks the Mach Five during the Monte Carlo Rally. Speed later identifies the man, who is a famous gambler, Mr. Fastbucks, but can't prove it. When he confronts Mr. Fastbucks, Speed is told his master plan: Mr. Fastbucks has bought up coal and train companies and by blowing up the world's gas supplies, he will become fabulously rich. Instead it is Mr. Fastbucks who gets blown up.

Favorite quote: ``... wanted by the police for murder, robbery, mayhem and cheating at dominoes.''

An assassin is foiled while trying to kill Princess Gracious of Ambrocia. They know that some racer flashed his mirror, blinding the assassin. It was actually Racer-X, but they assume it was Speed and try and take him out. After Speed saves President Montebank from being blown up the assassins show up and knock out Speed. One of them uses a Speed Racer face mask (al la Mission Impossible) to take Speed to a remote location and push him and the Mach Five over a cliff. Faking his own death Speed then goes and defeats the gang of assassins. {This may have been followed up in 'the Trick Race'}.

A man uses small cars which allow him to control real cars that he then melts down and uses to build a forest complete with robotic animals. He is destroying cars because his son was crippled by a hit and run driver, but it is reveled that his son can really walk and was kept in the wheelchair by his father.

Speed has entered the Pineapple Grand-Prix, where each driver has to carry a pineapple in his car. Someone has hidden a diamond in one of the pineapples, so criminals are stealing the fruits from the drivers.

Leaving a race Speed has just won Speed and Trixie are shot at by Omar's men. Arriving in Hawaii Spittle and Chim Chim get involved in an another attack by Omar's men. Speed figures out that he and Trixie were not the real targets the first time but they were given something in Hawaii that has made them targets. Speed examines the lay given to him by a girl and discovers some microfilm. Taking it to the library he finds out that the film are the plans for a new laser gun and is saved by the Kana (the girl) from more of Omar's men. Kana is captured by Omar's men and taken to an island on which they are building the laser gun. Spittle and Chim Chim are captured. They all escape when Omar tries to test the gun on them. They then have to escape a laser tank (which reminds me of the monsters in the movie _Island of Terror_) Speed Racer disables the tank with the homing robot. The tank and island then blow up ala James Bond. Trixie says that they still have time to make Speed's next race.

Speed enters the Mach Five in a demolition derby to convince a once-famous racer to be a real racer again.

Dr. McFife creates a car that can think for itself which he orders to terrorize the countryside of Burrup County al la Frankenstein's monster. After the car has withstood everything thrown at it Dr. McFife reveals that the car also has a bomb that will go off in the center of town. Adding to the problem the Car kidnaps a little girl. Using knowledge gained earlier Speed (with help from Chim Chim and Spritle) rescues the little girl and destroys the car.

A rich man named Baron von Vondervon is giving a race for 17 year old girls in memory of his daughter (Ivonna) who disappeared 5 years ago; the winner of the race will be treated as his daughter. A greedy man named Mr. Free Load elists the aid of a driver named Lolly. After trying to past himself as a woman during the race Mr. Free Load discovers [via a star topaz hair decoration] that one the other drivers is Ivonna and proply kidnaps her. After Speed saves Ivonna, Trixie and her finish the race with Trixie first and Ivonna second. The Baron recognizes Ivonna as his daughter but she does not want to leave her ``family'' at the orphanage. So the Baron gives half his fortune to Ivonna, the other half to the orphanage and invites the children of the orphanage to live on his estate.

(1 part)
Speed and his family are on the way to the Grand Prix (which is the key race for the World Racing Championship) and their plane is forced down on to an island by a storm. On the island they find out: that the both the plane's and Mach Five's radios have been smashed; every other passenger is in a hurry to get where they are going; there are no plants on the island, and that the island is a likely a forgotten top secret base used during a war. Since the island is uncharted Speed has no idea where to send the homing robot nor if the oxygen would last long enough to get help. Speed learns that one of the other passengers has brought advertizing balloons. Using hydrogen from the base Speed turns the Mach Five into a dirigible, then they draw lots to see which three people will go to get help. After the drawing, Trixie gives her lot to a girl whose mother is dieing, and the rich man buys a lot from one of the other winners. Spritle and Chim Chim stow away and force Speed to throw everything but food and water overboard. The rich man's suitcase is discovered to contain gold bars and later he steals one of the balloons and drifts off into the distance; eventually the rich man crashes into a mountain setting off the hydrogen. Speed arrives at the Grand Prix in time but instead takes the girl to her mother missing the race.

Favorite quote: [From the guy who owns the balloons] ``What is so important about hydrogen? It's just a gas.''

Continuity error: Pops says if Speed misses the Grand Prix that he will have wait three years before he can try to enter World Racing Championship and yet Speed says there will be another Grand Prix race in a week.

Logic error: Gold is so heavy a metal that a suitcase of it would weigh too much to lift never mind carry on to a plane or the Mach Five dirigible.

This is a sequel to the 'The Most Dangerous Race' and takes place one year after the events related in that episode. It involves a group of international spies tricking the Car Acrobatic Team and Speed Racer into having a race. The race is to lure out Racer X who the spies have figured out is Speed's older brother. In addition the spies have planted bombs in the cars of the Car Acrobatic Team to blow up Speed. In the end it is the spies who get blown up. Also Speed figures out that Racer X is his brother Rex and asks him. Racer X knocks out Speed, removes his mask, and vows to stop being a racer and become a full time secret agent.

Favorite quote: ``as you can see in this secret film filmed secretly...''

(Part 1) Mr. Goldminter is offering a large amount of gold and the hand of his daughter Lovelace to whoever wins his Around the World Race. Lovelace and her guardian Oscar enter the race to teach her father a lesson. The race uses several vehicles including hovercraft, biplanes, and subs. Team 4 cheats to win including having spikes from their hubs. Lovelace wreck her boat on the first water leg and Speed saves her from sharks. On the air leg team 4 uses both a blade and a long cable to knock several planes including Speed's out of the sky.

(Part 2) Speed and Sparky survive the crash and quickly catch up to the other racers. Speed saves Lovelace from an ice crevice in Antarctica. In Sahara, a wind storm buries the races in the sand. On the last leg of the race, Speed gives Lovelace some of his gas. After Speed runs out of gas, Racer X shows up and gives Speed a lecture about his duty to win as a professional racer vs. his desire to help his competitors, and leaves a gas can. Speed wins the race becoming world champion race and Lovelace reveals herself to her father.