“The Gumball Rally” / 「激走！5000キロ」, Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1976, Michael Sarrazin / Raúl Juliá / Chuck Bail, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) C297

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster for The Gumball Rally / 「激走！5000キロ」, the 1976 American action-comedy road-race film directed by Chuck Bail.

This Japanese release poster is especially desirable because it is a spectacular car-culture design, packed with high-speed racing imagery, airborne vehicles, explosions, police pursuit, helicopters, motorcycles, and classic 1970s performance cars. It perfectly captures the film’s chaotic coast-to-coast outlaw race energy.

Film background
The Gumball Rally follows a group of eccentric drivers competing in an illegal cross-country race from New York to Los Angeles, with no rules except speed, nerve, and survival. The film stars Michael Sarrazin and Raúl Juliá, alongside an ensemble cast including Gary Busey, Susan Flannery, and others.

Released in 1976, the film became one of the key early screen treatments of the outlaw road-race genre. With its mix of comedy, speed, American highways, exotic cars, police chases, and competitive chaos, it helped define the cinematic language later associated with coast-to-coast racing films.

For automotive cinema collectors, The Gumball Rally is particularly loved because the cars are not merely background props — they are the true stars of the film.

Poster design
This Japanese B2 poster is an outstanding example of 1970s action-comedy poster design. The composition is built around a sweeping diagonal road perspective, making the vehicles appear to be hurtling directly toward the viewer.

The foreground is dominated by a bright red Shelby Cobra, shown in dramatic close perspective, with a purple Mercedes-Benz roadster and a blue sports car sweeping behind it. Across the upper section, the design explodes into pure vehicular chaos: a yellow muscle car flying through the air, a police motorcycle cutting through the pursuit, a helicopter overhead, police cars, a billboard collision, smoke, and a fiery explosion.

The Japanese title 「激走！5000キロ」 is printed in enormous red lettering across the centre, with the “5000” rendered in a bold speed-line style. The title translates roughly as “Furious Run! 5,000 Kilometres”, an ideal Japanese title for the film’s transcontinental race premise.

The upper-left Japanese tagline reads:

「ニューヨークからロスへ5000キロ！世界の名車をブッ飛ばすフリー・ウェイのスピード・レーサー！」
“5,000 kilometres from New York to Los Angeles! Freeway speed racers blasting the world’s famous cars!”

At lower left, the poster names Michael Sarrazin and Raúl Juliá, while the bottom strip presents a row of cast portraits, giving the poster a strong ensemble feel. The Warner Bros. release information appears along the lower edge.

Vehicle imagery
This poster is particularly strong because it showcases many of the film’s featured vehicles in one dense, energetic composition.

Visible cars include the Shelby Cobra in the foreground, the Ferrari Daytona Spyder, a Mercedes-Benz roadster, a Chevrolet Camaro, a Porsche 911 Targa, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, police vehicles, and a motorcycle. The overall design reads like a catalogue of 1970s automotive fantasy: European sports cars, American muscle, luxury convertibles, police pursuit vehicles, and absurd high-speed destruction.

The Japanese artwork heightens the spectacle, making the race appear even more explosive and comic-book-like than conventional Western campaign material. The result is one of the most visually entertaining Japanese car-movie posters of the period.

Condition
Excellent condition. Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.

The poster presents beautifully, with bright colour, crisp red title typography, strong vehicle imagery, and excellent overall display impact. Only light signs of age, storage, or handling are visible, consistent with careful preservation of an original 1970s Japanese theatrical poster.

This is an original 1976 Japanese theatrical B2 poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is approximately 50 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.