In the final scene, where the car nearly drives off the end of San Francisco's still-unfinished Embarcadero Freeway, the car was driven by stunt driver
Guy Way. Way's wife was in the car with him; he had told her that he was just going to drive the car near the edge of the drop-off--which was about 100 feet--and then stop. What he didn't tell her was that he was actually supposed to accelerate to top speed then slam on the brakes in order to stop just inches from the precipice. Director
Don Siegel in an interview recalled that when the shot was complete, Way's wife was so traumatized by the stunt that she had to be dragged from the car, kicking and screaming hysterically. The couple survived but it is not clear if their marriage did. In addition to the stunt, Way was briefly seen at the beginning of the film playing the cab driver who crashes on the Embarcadero.