The California Kid is a 1974 American made-for-television action thriller film directed by Richard T. Heffron and starring Martin Sheen.

In 1958, two Navy sailors on leave (one portrayed by Sheen's younger brother, Joe Estevez) are speeding in a 1951 Ford Custom to get back to base on time.

Soon after, a stranger named Michael McCord (Martin Sheen) drives into town in a hot rodded black 1934 Ford three-window coupe, known as "The California Kid".

McCord finds the sailors' wrecked car at the impound yard and sees that its rear bumper was dented by pushbars, reinforcing his growing suspicion that the crash was not an accident.

As Buzz and the sheriff's deputy look on, Childress loses control at the same treacherous curve and plummets over the cliff, becoming a victim of his own obsession, while McCord slides to a stop on the shoulder.