Originally Posted by trapper diesel

Hi I have drove many R6's in my time and as I recall the only time that they actually whistled was when the butterfly spindle was worn or the vacum pipe that runs from the inlet manifold where the butterfly is, down to the back of the diesel pump, was slack as they used to slack them off so that it drawed the diaphram back in the pump for more speed, and that would make it whistle faintly.

Originally Posted by trapper diesel

They stopped 5 of our lorries in the middle of the night at Reading and said that they had been watching them through the night and told all the drivers to lift their foot up, and as they let them go they said that they would catch their mate and give him a good telling off and one of the drivers said im not being funny officer but I hope your police car can go!!

Originally Posted by Biffer

"Hell Drivers" is one of my favourite British films, ever. Here's the results of many hours trawlling through the interblob, etc, in search of information. Can't verify any of it, so open to corrections, comments, etc. Hope this proves of interest:

LOCATIONS:

Much of the driving was done near Pinewood, around the villages of Iver, Iver Heath and Shredding Green. Look closely at the opening credits for views along the B470 through Iver. Roads used included Wood Lane, Hollybush Lane and Billet Lane, as well as Alderbourne Arches and Hawkswood Lane, near Fulmer. These 'back roads' would have been a lot quieter in those days, though much use was made of over-cranking to make the stunts look more dangerous (the film's major flaw - IMHO).

For the riskier quarry-driving scenes, the crew moved to Truleigh Hill and Beeding Hill, near Shoreham, Sussex. Look out, too, in the opening credits for views along the A27 in W.Sussex (note the sign pointing left to the hamlet of Warningcamp). Other locations are said to include the Colnbrook By-Pass to the west of Heathrow Airport, and a gravel pit near Gerrard's Cross (though some say one near Denham was used).

A major location was the transport yard belonging to the haulage company ('Hawletts'). In the film, this always struck me as somehow being in the middle of nowhere. The reason was because the 'yard' was built on the WWII airfield at Ford, W.Sussex, cobbled together from old MT sheds and various 'temporary' huts.

At the time of filming the airfield was still in use by the Fleet Air Arm, but much of the site today has been taken over by industrial units, though it might still be possible to locate the exact site of the 'yard'. In at least one scene, a large hanger/factory can be seen in the background which may act as a reference point for location hunters. A local chap (who rides his bike round the site every week for excercise) assures me that most of the large hangers/factory buildings are still there.

I've read a claim that the 'Pull In' cafe was a real location, though personally I doubt this. It's much more likely to have been a studio set, along with 'Ma' West's boarding house and other interiors. Still, if anyone knows for sure .... ???

THE VEHICLES:

The trucks used were Kew-built Dodge 123 tippers, powered by Perkins diesels and hauling a legal maximum of 6-cubic yards (remember those?). Although as many as ten wagons can be seen in one shot of the yard (there were ten named drivers), only seven are ever seen 'on the road'. These bore the registrations: 844 DMX; 845 DMX; 320 EMY; 321 EMY; 322 EMY; 323 EMY; and UMG 853.

The trucks were allegedly supplied by a firm called Janes Transport of Slough, though a check with Slough reference library could find no trace of a company of that name in contemporary trade directories. Neither could any mention of the film, nor Janes' involvement in it, be found in the local press of the time. This doesn't mean that the company didn't exist, and/or wasn't involved in the filming - it's just that I can't find any references to it.

Fleet numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19 and 22 are seen on the trucks, but these were swapped around in some scenes for ease of filming. The most noticeable example of this mix'n'match is in a scene at the quarry, where Red (Pat McGoohan) reverses his truck into Tom's (Stanley Baker's). Tom then moves his truck and reverses into Red's - but though different Fleet numbers are used, appropriate to each character's vehicle, the truck registration number is the same in both scenes. As a general rule, Truck #1 (845 DMX) was driven by McGoohan's character - identifiable by its broken offside headlight - while Truck #13 (321 EMY) was used by Baker's.

'Hawletts' also ran a battered looking pick-up truck - possibly an Austin - as their 'Service Unit' (ABH 700). Peggy Cummins, as 'Lucy', the company secretary, appears in several scenes driving a Willys Jeep (MLA 675), while William Hartnell as 'Cartley', the manager, is seen arriving at the yard in a Ford Poplar saloon (UPJ 308). The rear of a tow-truck can be seen in one shot of the yard, though I've no idea what make/model. Finally, very near the end of the film, what can only be described as some kind of vintage truck is seen parked outside the yard's main gate - what it is (was) is anyone's guess.

Since the theme of "Hell Drivers" is a rogue trucking firm, it has attracted interest from several vintage truck magazines and internet sites. Aside from purely technical aspects, there has been much debate as to which colour the trucks would have been painted. The consensus seems to be either scarlet or bottle-green bodywork, with black wings, and possibly gold sign-writing. Sadly, unless someone from the original cast or production crew can remember the details, or a colour photo of the trucks turns up, then this vital piece of filmic lore will have been lost to posterity.

PRODUCTION TRIVIA:

"Hell Drivers" was made in the winter/spring of 1957 at Pinewood Studios. Filming was threatened a number of times - not because of the driving, but due to fuel shortages (it was the time of the Suez oil crisis). Thankfully, enough was found to complete the movie, which was released in July of '57. It was reissued in 1961, with 24-mins cut from the original running time of 108-mins.

That's all I've been able to find, so far. As a bit of an 'anorak' when it comes to this film, I'd dearly love to hear any further details ... especially the colour of those trucks, ha!