I saw that movie when I was 18 and was very disappointed in the girl riding the motorcycle.
Barry Newman was the actor who played Kilwalski, the driver. He later had a TV program of the same title. Lasted about a year? The pistol grip shifter gathered a lot of attention. I think the car was a 440 six pack? Don't remember if it was a Dod-ge or a Ply mouth Banana cuda?
A few years ago he pulled up alongside me in Hastings and asked me about the license plate. I told him "my dog used to be a porno star". He "humphed" and kept staring at me but couldn't recognize me.