Tether Cars

 Tether car Racing  

Racing of miniature gas-powered cars first began in California around 1937. In the beginning, cars were hand-made at home and powered by gas airplane engines. Even with ashtray tires and relatively antiquated parts, these cars could reach speeds of up to 40 MPH in races held before the war. The earliest cars were modelled after midget racers of the time, and featured intricate details including windshields, steering wheels, gauges, and often drivers.

During World War II, most manufacturers went out of business as metals were shifted to war efforts. Companies began to re-emerge after the war, and as tether car popularity grew, so did the speed of these toys. Because of wartime innovations, many new, lightweight materials were being utilized such as fiberglass and different plastics. Cars also began to take on advanced streamline looks, and now were capable of reaching speeds up to 100 MPH! 

The yellow #5 tether car on display is a well-known Cox Thimble Drome Champion made by Leroy Cox. In 1946 Cox developed a metal push pull toy car for toddlers. It later developed into a tethered car, and engine manufacturers soon started making engine packages for the cars. The cars became very popular and at one time Cox was producing over 1500 cars per day.  

The Deluxe Mercury Midget was manufactured in 1939 by Dooling Brothers Precision Machine Products in Los Angeles. Commonly referred to as a “Dooling Rear Drive,” the tether car features a cast and sheet aluminum body with a 0.6 cubic inch engine manufactured by the Junior Motors Corporation in Philadelphia.