# The 8500 charger or The Perfect Storm



## mr_aurora (Oct 18, 2005)

First of all, I will use no names but some have asked about the $8500 Tjet Charger so New Years Eve is a perfect time for a tall tale. Around the year 1995 the date on my photo, A few slot car collectors were approached by a schwinn bike collector. Seems he had 2 blister carded tjet bodies to sell. He offered them up for bids prior to ebay, one was a lime Charger and one was a BLACK Charger.. They were both secured in their bubbles and neither one had any window glass. I offered the gent $1400 cash provided we opened them up and tested them for authenticity. If the black one was real, he got the cash, fake, no deal. He would not go for it. The cars were pedalled around for months and finally a collector from upstate NY bought them for around $3,000.00 I believe. He held them, never opening them for a few years. At a show in Ohio, I witnessed collector sweating profusely. He had been contimplating making a big purchase. He was partnered with a well known resin caster and he decided to spring for the Charger, had to have it. He paid 8500 for it and went in his room to open it up and test it for authenticity, all bets were off and no refunds allowed. Rumor has it, the car was fake and the owner has not been seen at a show since. Some things might be slightly off, it's been 10 years, but that's the way I remember it. pictured is the only Aurora Black Charger I know of, the cigarbox/Speedline one, and a photo I took of the Black 8500 Charger and it's lime partner. all 3 have no window glass.


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## mr_aurora (Oct 18, 2005)

*Here is the picture of the 8500 charger and mine*

Taken in 1995..... by me.:wave:


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

quite a story. wow. can't imagine what it's like to drop that kind of coin and then find out it's not real. any idea what the clue/giveaway was that it wasn't real?

--rick


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## Dragula (Jun 27, 2003)

I was there Bob,that guy was sweating like crazy,he had the car in his hand showing it to me and dropped it,thank God for carpeting.I never heard it was fake though,bad deal if it was.


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## mr_aurora (Oct 18, 2005)

*I heard it was fake some say it was real*

Who knows, like you say, a lot for a slot car. Who knows:drunk:


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## shocker36 (Jul 5, 2008)

For 8500 dollars you can get a project car and build a real one that hurts


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## 41-willys (Jan 7, 2000)

If the wife found out I was going to spend that kind of money she would be getting lawyers on the phone


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## tomhocars (Oct 19, 2005)

I won't mention his name because I don't talk to him anymore.He is pretty much vanishedHe had a fantastic collection of t-jets and vibes,but didn't have the black charger.He was like an addict.Dragjet was right when he said he was standing there sweating his brains out.He had bothered the owner of the car for about a year wanting to buy it.A price was worked out at a previous show for $7500 and he gave the owner a $500 non refundabl e deposit.This would give him time to get the rest of the money..This was then first show I went to without Bob.Bob was taking his 15 year old daughter and her girlfriend to the show and were going bto the Rock and Roll hall of fame.My mind would not have been able to drive 600 miles with his 15 year old passengers.So i went with the futur Charger owner.I didn't know he was going to get this.H told me in the room that he was buying the only black charger in existence..I didn't care.I wasn't a collector of vibes and t-jets anymore.I actually sold 900 cars to him.He was pacing like an expectant father and sweating like crazy.This was sealed on a card.He told me he had to know if it was real.I didn'l know much about t-jet chargers and dont remember if it was moulded or painted.I know it never had screws in it.So i dont know if was fake or real.I know he says it was real and he stoped sweating.No one was casting as good as this one was at this time,now it would have been bogus.Sorry i don't know.Bob and I have lots of road trip stories.This one was expensive for Mr. Charger. Tom Stumpf


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

Thanks for the story Bob. If you can afford an $8500 car that is one thing, but putting a deposit down, then scraping up the balance is crazy. I know once in a while I have buyer's remorse from auctions, but that happens at less than $100!
How rare are black Cigar Box Chargers?

Jim


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## 82whiskey (Sep 6, 2009)

Is it known how many of the originals were made?

I'm wondering why Aurora did colors in limited numbers. Collecting was not as big back then but did they do these intentionally knowing they would be sought after?


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## mr_aurora (Oct 18, 2005)

*black and track*

Can't see the black cars on the track so they were very limited....and not good sellers. By cigarbox and speedline time, they were toys and color didn't matter. The cigarbox/sp Charger is very rare, I only know of 3-4 of them.:drunk:


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## Dragula (Jun 27, 2003)

Bob,wasnt that the show that you had your car broken in to?


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## mr_aurora (Oct 18, 2005)

*yes it was....*

Chris, that was a bad weekend all around...... Hey, speaking of customs, do you have 2 of your o gauge cars you want to sell me for my collection of other artists work?


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

Interesting story. That's the most money for one slot car I've ever heard of. I find it amazing someone would spend $8500.00 for one slot car body. Oh well, it's a wonderful hobby we have.

Randy.


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## Dragula (Jun 27, 2003)

Willy's,70 SS Nova,57 Nomad coming,69 AMX coming


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## krazcustoms (Nov 20, 2003)

That's got me wondering...... Awhile back I posted about seeing some (about 4 or 5) black Charger bodies on a card at a Syracuse toy show in the early 90's. I don't remember if they had glass or not, but I know only one row was black and I think another row (maybe 1 or 2 left) had purple and they guy wanted $110 each for them. In the other post someone mentioned they were most likely fakes so I figured that must have been the case. So what I'm wondering is:

A) if the $8500 car was cut from that same sheet that I saw
B) what happened to the rest of the cars from that row on that sheet - or perhaps another sheet that had a row of black Chargers on it? Even if they were fake, where did the rest of them go?
C) if someone was doing THAT good of a job at that time with resins (most of the ones I saw around that time were either tan or waxy-looking colors), couldn't they do believeable glass as well?
D) If the Cigar Box/Speedline versions didn't have glass, couldn't that mean that the glass mold was damaged, but they still had a bunch of bodies/bumpers laying around and just packaged them like that to get rid of them?

Great story Bob and Tom. Thanks for sharing!


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## SCJ (Jul 15, 1999)

I was asked (by the buyer) to authenticate this car.......IMHO, the car was a fake!

-------------------------
www.SlotCarJohnnies.com


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## RMMseven (Oct 22, 2004)

This is a real car but it's a sorta related and I thought some might find it interesting. This is a $1 million loss on the Chevelle that sold on Speed TV about two years ago.

http://www.sportscarmarket.com/Profiles/2010/January/American/


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## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

I thought this would be a good place to post these since you're talking about drag cars.
How many of you have seen the Briggs Chevrolet on the right as an HO car?

--fordcowboy


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

wow, fordcowboy, you got me thinking... it's pretty cool that the Briggs Chevrolet Chevelle slot car in your pics is modeled after the 1:1 in the post above it. wonder if anyone has ever taken a Chevelle or similar fastback slot car body and sanded/textured the roof to simulate a top-up convertible a la Aurora GTO? i may start a thread on this over in the Modeling forum...

--rick


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