Dodgem Bumper Car

 Invented by a pair of brothers in Massachusetts, the earliest Dodgem vehicles were round with a small seat and a steering wheel at the end of a long column sticking up from the front of the vehicle. The ride quickly became a success, despite its problems. For example, steering was counter-intuitive, and riders often got knocked out of their seat and onto the floor.

This Dodgem was formerly a part of a bumper car set at the Lincoln Park amusement park in Dartmouth, MA before the park closed in 1987. While bumper cars have always been a popular attraction at amusement parks around the United States, ‘bumping’ was not always the point – hence the name ‘Dodgem.’ Originally, riders were supposed to drive the cars around the floor and dodge other riders, though inevitably, bumping became part of the action.

Dodgems were electrically powered by a charged grid in the ceiling which covered the arena, and the cars moved atop a smooth steel deck floor which served as the ground. Power to the car was delivered by the pantograph type pole with a conductor that was attached to the car and dragged across the overhead grid. This Dodgem on display remains in largely original condition, with a dated ‘amusement park repaint’ which were applied to the Dodgems to keep them looking fresh after endless bumps and crashes.

From the collection of the Coogan family, Swansea, MA