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In its short-lived heyday, the Chicago-headquartered Essanay Film Manufacturing Company would frequently base a major film on either a novel or short story published in a popular magazine. Just in case you were really wondering, The Motor Buccaneers was adapted from an Edgar Franklin novel of the same name published in the January 1914 issue of Argosy Magazine, which was a part of the Frank Munsey publishing empire. The plot involves an attorney (Francis X. Bushman) who is framed for the murder of a colleague. He uncovers the bad guys and in doing so, he clears his name and wins the love of his sweetheart. Contemporary reviewers liked the film, and in particular, they cited the exciting automobile chase scenes. Unfortunately, the film itself is not known to have survived and is considered lost.