Back in the 1950s, remote control cars like the examples we have now were pure science fiction. But that doesn’t mean kids didn’t have some great choices when it came to self-propelled vehicles.
The hottest ticket of them all was the popular Cox Thimble Drome Prop Rod. These one-cylinder rockets were meant to run in circles while tethered to a pole. They ran on a mixture of methanol, nitro methane, and castor oil, but you could buy the fuel already mixed from your local hobby store. Once the high-strung engine was running, a large propeller would spin behind the car, similar to a full-sized airboat.
The Cox model engine was originally designed to power scale airplanes. But there was no doubt that boys loved cars, so Cox developed their first tether car in 1947. At nearly $20, that little car was enormously expensive (especially for 1947 standards), but that didn’t stop the kids from buying them in droves.
Back in the 1940s and 50s, tether car racing was actually a pretty popular past time. And why wouldn’t it be? These cars are loud, they’re fast, and they smell like racing fuel. They would either be raced by time, or sometimes sort of straight-line raced while someone guided the car with the tether.
They were also fun for kids to play with by themselves or with a few friends around the neighborhood.
Another car featured in the images of this story is the Pagco Jet. Manufactured by Pagliuso Engineering in the late 1950s, the gas engine in this car directly turned the rear wheels.
There’s also a Cox Gurney Eagle in the pictures that I picked up at a garage sale years ago. The Gurney Eagle was one of the best-looking open wheel cars of all time. This one runs with a Cox engine that turns the rear wheels similar to the Pago Jet.
As with most auto hobbies, there is still a following for these cars today. Some of the very early cars’ prices will knock your socks off, but later cars car be just as much fun for considerably less money. There still seem to be plenty of parts and support out there for them, so they’re still a viable hobby with a great history.
You may notice that the cars featured in this story are, uh, well-used. My dad actually played with most of them when he was a kid, and it shows. Due to their condition, they aren’t worth huge money or anything, but the history of them being in my family since new is irreplaceable. In fact, I wouldn’t trade them for the equivalent cars in mint condition (like anyone would do that anyway). People collect for different reasons, but I believe that the sentimental, historical stuff is impossible to replace.
No comments:
Post a Comment