In living color, here’s an introduction to the world of drag racing in 1964 from the Total Performance people at the Ford Motor Company.

This fine old film, in color no less and entitled 1320 Feet, was produced by the Ford Motor Company in 1964 to acquaint its customers and employees with the young and exciting world of drag racing. It was at that moment that the company was jumping into the quarter-mile sport with both feet as one element of the ambitious Total Performance program. Under orders from the boss himself, Henry Ford II, Ford was intending to make its presence known not just in drag racing, but in NASCAR, Indy cars, sports cars, and Formula 1. The campaign was a highly successful one, too, as in just a few short years, Ford scored major victories and championships in every series from Indianapolis to Le Mans. There hasn’t really been anything like it since from an American automaker.

With a running length of 20 minutes, the film takes us to the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, The U.S. Nationals at Indy, and the International Drag Racing Festival in England. (See more on the historic trans-Atlantic ’64 drags here.) The Bob Ford dealership’s drag team, based in Dearborn, Michigan barely a mile from Ford World Headquarters, is showcased here, including members Len Richter, Ken Salter, and Billy Cox. In ’64, of course, Ford’s weapon of choice on the drag strips was the 427-powered Fairlane Thunderbolt, and a number of the limited-production Super Stockers (100 were built) are pictured. Bob Ford backed a total of four Thunderbolts that year.

Also featured here are more famous drag racers of the era than we were able to count, including Jack Chrisman, Sox & Martin, Don Garlits, and Al Bergler. We also caught a glimpse of Connie Kalitta and Ohio George Montgomery, who weren’t yet stars of the Ford drag racing program, but they soon would be, See how many future giants of the sport you can spot in this trip to drag racing heaven circa 1964.