Once Upon a Wheel

Once Upon a Wheel is a 1971 ABC television documentary on the history of auto racing. It was hosted by Paul Newman and was directed and produced by David Winters. The production house behind it was Winters/Rosen and the project was sponsored by Coca-Cola. It includes interviews with racers Al Unser, Jackie Oliver, Richard Petty, Stirling Moss, Mario Andretti, John Surtees, LeeRoy Yarbrough and others. It also includes celebrity cameos by Kirk Douglas, Stephen Boyd, Dean Martin, Dick Smothers, Pancho Gonzales and more.

The documentary is split into four sections: "The Men", "The Machine", "The Spectator" and "The Race". These sections deal with the motivation to race, the car itself, the viewers and wives of racers, and ends with conversations with competitors and past champions.

The project was produced by Winters/Rosen. Initially, Newman didn't want to do television, but after hearing Winters' pitch it became a passion project for him, and it marked Newman's first time starring in a television project. Though the film was aired on television in the United States, Newman suggested to Winters to add some footage and release it theatrically internationally.

Upon its release, the film generally received good reviews for its directing, pace, photography, music, and human interest stories.