Judged apart from Flying Machines, the picture is lively and often hilarious, as the drivers hang on for dear life and the old cars honk, collide and careen. There is hardly a turn without a bang-up or a mix-up (…). Surprisingly, the finale along the Riviera’s Grand Corniche tapers off, but even if Jaunty Jalopies begins in high gear and ends in second, it is still good fun. — Howard Thompson, 1969.