# Sticky  BobbyTalk Exclusive... Bob Beers, Aurora Historian...talking Exclusively Aurora



## mr_aurora

*Hi, I'm Bob Beers, self proclaimed Aurora Historian. I've heard others say it about me too, among other things but those are for a different forum. I have deliberated about hosting a blog or Twitter feed but I figured I'd try this first on a well established forum site. I hope to post an interesting story or tidbit from my knowledge and research of The Aurora Plastics Corporation/Aurora Products Corporation during their storied existence from 1960 to 1983. Those are the years of their involvement in the slot car market. Although there may be a crossover of information from time to time, please visit my website where you may find interesting stories and info on NY Slot Car Shows. www.AURORASLOTCARSBOBBEERS.com I will try to post something of interest on at least a weekly basis.*


----------



## fordcowboy

Aurora's Pit Kit Carrying Case


The #1449 Pit Kit Carrying Case for Thunderjets was made from 1963-1971. It had spaces for 8 cars and covered end bins for tires and 2 larger compartments for chassis, screwdrivers, etc. The Pit Kit came in Tan, Red, Black, and Lemon with an occasional swirl colored tan one undoubtedly made when Aurora was changing the plastic in their injection molding machines. The standard Pit Kit has a carry handle that you install in 2 slots in the top of the case. Some Pit Kits included a Model Motoring checkered flag adhesive sticker and many kids added their own racing and automotive stickers to their Pit Kits. About 5 years ago I was made aware of a prototype Pit Kit Case with the handle molded in the end and to be carried like a briefcase. I would imagine that your cars and parts would be damaged and jumbled so the idea was scrubbed. Pictured below is the oddball case never mass produced. In the picture on the box please note that the vibrator Police car and Station Wagon shown have cut wheel wells and 2 of the boys racing are Henry Harnish and Jeff Davis. Henry being the Ford/Aurora Grand Nationals Champion for 1962 and Jeff was a runner up.


----------



## fordcowboy

*Aurora Plastics and the Ford/Aurora Grand Nationals*

In 1962 when Aurora was in full swing with it's vibrator cars on the market, a hobby shop in New Jersey pitched a racing program for Aurora that would be nationwide. Aurora's President, Abe Shikes, was friends with a noted top brass guy at the Ford Motor Company, Lee Iacocca. Those two entered into an agreement whereby Aurora would promote Ford products in their slot car line and Ford would donate a real car in the nationwide hobby shop racing program that Aurora managed and promoted. The New Jersey hobby store owner, Richard Palmer, hammered out the details and rules of the promotion with Dick Schwartzchild, the marketing guru at Aurora. Thus began the Ford Aurora Grand Nationals championship racing program that ran successfully from 1962 thru 66.


1962 Henry Harnish New Jersey 1962 Ford Thunderbird coupe
1963 Ron Colerick South Dakota 1963 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster
1964 Tom Kilduff Pennsylvania 1964 Ford Mustang Hardtop (parents chose a station wagon instead)
1965 John Seeley South Dakota 1966 Ford Mustang 2+2 fastback
1966 Rick Hanna Illinois 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback


Trophies and prizes were awarded in all the hobby shops along the way to the nationally televised Grand National Championships. Stirling Moss and Craig Breedlove were among the Grand Marshals. Below are pictured two of the winning cars I currently own and some trophies won by kids along the way and at the end of the yearly contest.


----------



## fordcowboy

*Story #3 The evolution of the thunderjet Mako Shark*

The Mako first came out by Aurora as a thunderjet in 1966. It initially was offered in red, turquoise, yellow, white, tan, and olive. There is reported to be a painted black one that is very hard to acquire but that car's production is questionable and I have seen that one faked more than once. In 1968 Aurora introduced the speedline cars in order to compete with Hot Wheels in the push car market. Aurora plated their cars and put big plastic wheels on them. In order to do the Mako Shark, the mold was modified to accommodate the bigger wheels. Some time after that Aurora went back to making thunderjet Mako's in the same molds and only made them in newer colors. The colors are snow white, blue, green, orange, and brown. All of these colors have larger wheel well openings to accommodate the speedline wheels mentioned above. They are true thunderjets and not speedline or cigarbox cars. Note below the difference in the wheel wells on the smaller red and the larger green and brown. Front screw posts are standard thunderjet length as they should be.


The story of the brown and orange pre-production bodies is this. A hobby store in NY bought a large number of bodies from someone at Aurora. They sat on them as there was no market for them thru the 80's and 90's. The owner closed up and his son and another collector obtained them and rescued them from the Storm Sandy flood. They have been sold since then and are true Aurora unfinished bodies. There appears to be an abundant supply of them so the value has diminished as the quantity sold increases. What another does with them after they buy them is uncontrolled. I have seen several of these that were 'finished' and passed off as original. That is what you should be aware of. It is easy to tell upon careful inspection. Not so easy in a photo.


----------



## fordcowboy

*Story #4*

In 1974 Polaroid held a promotion whereby you would mail in proof of purchase from land camera film packs in order to get a special race set from Aurora. I would imagine that this promotion was held in camera shops which were as prevalent as hobby shops in 1974. The set is hard to come by today and the paperwork documenting the promotion is equally as hard to obtain. The photos below show the promotion and the paperwork associated with it in addition to Set #2383. The set had a Datsun Pick Up Truck and a Datsun 240Z with special front hood stickers shown in the photo. The cardboard grandstands are kind of exclusive to the set with their Polaroid advertisements on them. There is a 6" start track and I don't recall seeing that piece elsewhere. Note that the layout photo shows the plastic Judges Stand and Pylons yet the set came with cardboard cutouts of them


----------



## fordcowboy

And the last one


----------



## fordcowboy

Aurora was in business making slot cars from 1960 to 1983 and each year they put out a wonderful color catalog depicting what they planned on producing for the coming year. The only year there does not appear to be a color catalog is 1980. If you have one please let me know! Aurora introduced their catalog in late January at the Chicago Hobby Show and early February at the New York Toy Fair. Both of these were closed to the public and only for the trades. Aurora would wine and dine buyers from Sears, Montgomery Wards, JC Penney's and all the hobby store reps and distributors from around the country. The items in the catalog were displayed, (a lot of them hand finished and prototypes) and pitched to the buyers for future orders for that year to be manufactured and delivered in plenty of time for the holidays. Aurora's showroom was on the 3rd floor of the "Toy Building" at 200 Fifth Avenue in New York City. To this day, there are still glass oval windows where the AURORA logo was on that floor. The hobby trade catalogs were harder paper stock than the ones given to the hobby stores for the consumers. All the catalog covers can be seen in my book "The Complete Color Guide To Aurora Cars" on pages 157-160. So, my favorite catalog? The last one, 1983. It is full of mystery and intrigue. The M.A.S.H. Racing Set with it's specially designed Jeep and Van, The Fire Engine Play Set with it's fire engine and burning cardboard building. The color photo of 151 different AFX cars is outstanding as are the photos of the MASH and fire set vehicles. Last but not least are arguably the 2 most sought after and valuable cars ever produced by Aurora, the Super G-Plus #2804 Thunderbird and #2805 Dodge Magnum. Ask around, see what collectors actually have THOSE two cars. I sold a set 15 years ago for $5000.00. There were a dozen or so of those sets produced and given away at the hobby show, there were (6) Fire Engines made for the Hobby Shows, and I never saw a MASH vehicle but I came close once with a cardboard box labeled MASH from a former employee. I still have the box!


----------

