Burnin’ Key Cars: cars with the key to speed–FAST!

Man, you see that awesome stunt at the end?! I wonder how many times they had to do that to get on video? You know they say “fast” 6 times in 30 seconds?

My brother and I loved these things. Released in the early 80’s these were simple matchbook cars with a spring in them. It was really hard to put them on the key, but once you did, these things did really fly across the floor. They also flew through the air, which lead to plenty of painful bruises!

Did you have these things when you were a kid?

10 thoughts on “Artifacts of the Analog Age: Burnin’ Key Cars

  1. Benjamin says:

    I don’t think I ever had any Key Cars as a kid, but I did have a few cars called Penny Racers (I think that’s what they were called). They were small pull-back cars that you would put a Penny in the back of them to make them run all over the place.

    1. gabe says:

      Yep! Penny Racers were cool!

  2. Lamar the Revenger says:

    After about the 50th launch, they would start losing their speed.

  3. Savage says:

    I had a sweet red Corvettesque one. I’d like shooting it into the air.

    1. gabe says:

      Whoa! That’s awesome! I didn’t even know that existed!

  4. Manny says:

    I had one that was a cop car, but I would have killed for that KNIGHT RIDER version. I also had these little DUKES OF HAZZARD wind up cars that were housed in a little plastic box on a wrist watch band. Wind them up and launch them from your wrist!

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-1980-DUKES-HAZZARD-GENERAL-LEE-CHARGER-WIND-UP-/360351178826?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e69aa04a#ht_1011wt_1042

    1. gabe says:

      Holy crap! I totally forgot about that! I had that too! It had a little ramp right?! Wow!

  5. Manny says:

    Yeah it had a little telescoping ramp that came out of the watch. I had both the General Lee and Roscoe’s police cruiser. Man I wish I kept those. Along with my DUKES OF HAZZARD race track! Man that worked so well.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLFDqGYs94o

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