Harsher in Hindsight: Roscoe's efforts to stop the Gumball Rally were probably originally motivated by a desire for highway safety. (He is a police officer, after all.) The fact that he fails at this became Harsher in Hindsight when his actor, Normann Burton, died in a car accident.
Hilarious in Hindsight: The main antagonist of the film is a somewhat inept police officer named Roscoe. A few years later came The Dukes of Hazzard, whose antagonist is an even more inept sheriff named Roscoe.
Franco boasting that "And now my friend, the first-a rule of Italian driving: what's-a behind me is not important.”
Jane's flirting, Tempting Fate line before a race, "If you can catch me, you can have me!"
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: The Chevrolet team is eliminated in a contrived fashion well before the end and the drivers aren't fleshed out much. This is a shame, as their plan to take turns sleeping while constantly pouring gas into their fuel tank as they drive attracted a lot of interest. It could have been better if this had happened closer to the finish line and their strategy had brought them closer to victory.
Unintentional Period Piece: Made and set in The '70s, with a significant motivation for the race being a protest against new regulations like the mandatory catalytic converter (which reduces pollution but also restricts the exhaust, lowering performance) and the nationwide 55mph speed limit.