<P> In early September 1962 in Modesto, California, on the last evening of summer vacation, recent high school graduates and longtime friends, Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander, meet John Milner, the drag - racing king of the town, and Terry "The Toad" Fields in the parking lot of the local Mel's Drive - In diner . Curt and Steve are scheduled to travel the next morning to the Northeastern United States to start college . Despite receiving a $2,000 scholarship from the local Moose Lodge, Curt has second thoughts about leaving Modesto . Steve gives Toad his 1958 Chevrolet Impala to watch while he's away at college until he returns at Christmas . Steve's girlfriend, Laurie, who is also Curt's sister, arrives in her car . Steve suggests to Laurie, who is already glum about him going to college, that they see other people while he is away in order to "strengthen" their relationship . Though not openly upset, she is displeased with his proposal which affects their interactions the rest of the evening . </P> <P> Curt accompanies Steve, last year's high school student class president, and Laurie, the current head cheerleader, to the back - to - high - school sock hop . In one story line, Curt is desperate to find a beautiful blonde girl driving a white 1956 Ford Thunderbird that he sees en route to the dance: at a stoplight, she appears to say "I love you" before disappearing around the corner . After leaving the hop, Curt is coerced by a group of greasers ("The Pharaohs") to participate in an initiation rite that involves hooking a chain to a police car and ripping out its back axle . The Pharaohs tell Curt that "The Blonde" is a trophy wife or prostitute, but he refuses to believe either . Determined to get a message to the blonde girl, Curt drives to the local radio station to ask DJ Wolfman Jack, who is omnipresent on the car radios, to announce a message for the blonde girl . Inside the radio station, Curt encounters a bearded man who tells him that the voice of The Wolfman is pre-taped from afar . The man still accepts the message from Curt to see what he could do . As he is leaving the station, Curt sees the man talking into the microphone and hears the voice of The Wolfman, and realizes the man is the actual DJ himself . Sure enough, The Wolfman eventually reads the message on the radio for "The Blonde" to meet Curt or call him at a number which happens to be a telephone booth . Curt waits by the telephone booth and early the next morning, he is awakened by the phone ringing . It turns out to be "The Blonde" who says she knows him and maybe she would see him cruising the coming night . Curt replies probably not, intimating that he decided to go to college and will be leaving that morning . </P> <P> The Toad, in Steve's car, and John, in his yellow 1932 Ford Deuce Coupé hot rod, cruise the strip of Modesto . Toad, who is normally socially inept with girls, successfully picks up a flirtatious, and somewhat rebellious, girl named Debbie . John inadvertently picks up Carol, an annoying 12 - year - old who seems fond of him . Another drag racer, the handsome and arrogant Bob Falfa, is searching out John in order to challenge him to a race . </P> <P> Steve and Laurie have a series of arguments and make - ups through the evening . They finally split and, as the story lines intertwine, Bob Falfa picks up Laurie in his black 1955 Chevrolet One - Fifty Coupé . Bob finally finds John and goads him into racing . A parade of cars follows them to "Paradise Road" to watch the race . Laurie rides shotgun with Bob as Toad starts the race . As Bob begins taking a lead in the race, he loses control of the car when a front tire blows, and the car plunges into a ditch and rolls over . Steve and John leap out of their cars and rush to the wreck as a dazed Bob and Laurie stagger out of the car before it explodes . Distraught, Laurie grips Steve tightly and begs him not to leave her . He assures her that he will stay in Modesto . </P>

Who drove the deuce coupe in american graffiti