What is it called? Vintage Space Car

I bought this vintage battery operated kids space car looking thing & someone here always seems to know most everything so what is it called for real & any other info would be cool. Marked inside "Memphis Sheet Metal Works" I see it restored in red with silver metal flake interior. What do you know about it??

 

Don't know but that car is way cool.

 

Really cool ! Kinda like a "Bimbo Racer" but I've never seen anything like it .

 

That looks familiar. Seems like I saw a thread a few years back. Wasn't that used at Disneyland as a turnpike ride or something? Looks very 50ish.

 

(1) You've gotta put in proper, working gauges. Amps. Rpm. Mph. Volts. Whatever.
(2) chrome that front bumper.
(3) red, silver metal flake interior. silver flake scallops.

That's what I'd do. I've never seen one before, but I'd love something like that. For my daughter. yeah that's it. for my daughter. right.

 

Man that thing is awesome.. I've got a single cylinder 700cc quad engine waiting for a project like that.

Have fun with it, I like your color plan.

 

It must be a carnival ride, or from an amu*****t park. That type of steering wheel and bumper were used on those.

 

Yep....looks like one of those cars you would see on small Merry-go-rounds. The ones that always have old Quarter Midgets on them. Usually with flake paint jobs.

 

I dont think it was a carnival piece. It has a 6 volt starter motor with chain drive set up & battery in the back. Steering is not locked like almost all carnival ride pieces. I think it was like the Corvette & T-bird kids battery operated ride on cars of the 50's...just with a space theme. Would like to know about the manufacturer & name of the car.

 

looks cool. good look on bringing her back to life be sure to show us pictures id like to see her built.. would be cool little project.. if you do not have any kids like me i would make it a RC car.
chris.

 

Very cool! Time to wax it & make a mold.

 

We were ay Disneyland in 1966, I was 10. There was a Turnpike ride there where you drove the little cars around a circuit. The course was laid out like a freeway with overp*** and all. There were a few different "models" of cars available, and all were painted bright single colors with light colored interiors. There was a center curb that the cars would follow if the "driver" failed to turn at the correct time. Seems to me those were gas powered back then, and they had some heavy duty spring loaded front and rear bumpers, in case the "driver" failed to stop when needed.

I think my cousin and I drove those cars several times that day.
Since yours is a battery powered one, it may be a newer, or I suppose an older version of the ones I drove back in '66. I remember towards the mid afternoon, the fumes were getting pretty bad going under that overp***.

Thanks for the memories! Gene

 

are the tail lights 36-37 zephyr ? very nice

 

I think the taillights are $1.99 clearance lights!

 

yeah you may want to get a mold made for her.. she is cool.
for some reason i see her with a tinted bubble top for all the RC car goodies.

chris.

 

Photo of motor (in back) with forward/reverse solenoids & built in battery charger set up.

 

Roadkillontheweb will almost certainly know what this thing is, I'd PM him to make sure he sees this thread. He's the resident expert on stuff like this.

 

I want one.. I want one..! Man that thing is cool !

 

I collect, buy & sell this kind of stuff for a living & have never found one like this before. Unclescooby said he has seen them but i dont think he had the name. I will contact RKOTW.

 

Too Cool....

 

The ride is called Autopia. That is not an Autopia car. They have always been gasoline powered. The original series of cars were powered by Mustang motorcycle engines

 

looks like fun

 

There's a decal or label that looks like a car on the charger.

 

Come to think of it, yes, I do have space in my garage for one of those !

Jonnie King www.legends.thewwbc.net

 

I'd Hot Rod it... Put a 12 volt battery to that 6 volt motor in there and do some burnouts!

 

Man that's great! I can see my own daughters having a blast in that thing. Really cool find, I hope you restore it. Or hot rod it either way lol

 

This is amazing, i would love to get something like this just to hot rod. Very cool

 

I want the full sized version

 

Cool. Looks like one of those cars made in the 1950s from plans found in
a magazine......only smaller.

You might try callling Memphis Metal Works......here's a link to a current
business of same name. Maybe someone recalls something.

http://mtlwrks.com/Home.html