(Trailer for “Clutch”)
West Seattle’s historic Admiral Theater (whose future plans were reported here earlier this week) hosts special events from time to time – like this: On June 29th, a movie titled “Clutch” will have its official public premiere at The Admiral – of special significance because its writer/director/star, Jay Rowlands, grew up in West Seattle and still lives here.

“Clutch” is billed as a “dramatic action film that tells the story of a struggling small-town racer who finds out there are no shortcuts to victory lane.” The filmmaker knows firsthand about the lack of shortcuts; he’s been working on the film for more than a decade. Along with a “100 percent Northwest cast and crew,” the film includes a lineup likely to rev classic-car lovers’ motors, as described in media materials:

Over 150 vehicles were selected for filming in CLUTCH. More than half were highly coveted muscle cars, including “car stars” a 1967 Camaro Z/28 SCCA road race car, a 1969 Camaro RS/ Z/28 and a 1972 Oldsmobille Cutlass, driven by Rowlands’ co-star. A 1969 Charger, a 1966 Ford GT40, Shelby Cobras, Mustangs and many others made appearances. The vehicles, ranging from a $750,000 1969 Penske Camaro road-race car to an $8,000 1968 Camaro stunt car, total more than $5.5 million.

Tickets for the premiere are already on sale on the movie’s official website – clutchthemovie.com. And next weekend, 9 am Saturday and Sunday (May 4-5), watch for Jay on the SPIKE (channel 57 on Comcast cable) network show PowerBlock TV next Friday and Saturday (May 4-5), talking about “Clutch.”