Thundershift 500, Need Cars

[fairbro]

I got this vintage item at an auction of mostly old Lionel trains, where they had a few race car sets. All the parts are in the box, including extra track, but no cars. I saw a pair of cars on Ebay, but someone sniped me at the last second. Since then they are rare to come by. I was wondering if maybe I could use cars from another set. Does anyone know if cars from any other slot car sets will work with Mattel's Hot Wheels Thundershift 500?

   

[Mark]

Unless this is a straightforward slot racing track, it's likely nothing else will work.  Aurora, Lionel, and others all brought out "slotless slot racing" sets back then, each had their own unique design which locked you into buying only their cars.  Even with conventional slot racing, the track without the cars generally isn't worth too much because the vast majority of people collecting the cars don't seem to actually run them... 

[fairbro]

Thanks Mark, kind of figured that was the case. 

From Elmira-Corning, lived on Hertel Avenue for a while, way back when. 

 

[lysleder]

I am pretty certain most any Hot Wheels or Matchbox will work on this track, as long as they are of a reasonable size and configuration. 

Please let us know how it goes.

[Mark]

How exactly does this one work? 

[fairbro]

I bet you're right. I overlooked the "No Batteries! No Electricity!" written on the back of the box.  Duh! Have to go to the storage unit and dig out some Hot Wheels cars. Probably would go better with light plastic cars, or maybe they're too light, metal would be better...

Edited June 6, 2017 by fairbro

[Deano]

Had one of these when I was  kid (still have some of the track pieces).   As I recall, it used just normal Hot Wheels cars.

[tom]

I remember seeing commercials for these growing up.  You pull on the blue "shifter" handle to propel the car around the track. You had to time it just right so the car was pushed along, rather than crashing into the pushing part,or missing it completely if you were too late.  Cool find!

[talon63]

I had one of these, as well. Nearly any Matchbox, Hot Wheels, or Johnny Lightning car would work. If memory serves, the all around best car for this track was the Matchbox Mini Cooper. Was the least likely to be propelled off the track if you overpowered the lever. 

[oldcarfan]

Cool. This opens up a whole new venue for you to buy stuff. Now you can haunt eBay and resale shops looking for vintage Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars!

[Don Sikora II]

Never had the set, but as a kid I received both those cars as regular-line Hot Wheels around 1975. The red Torino was "reissued" in one of the nostalgia series a few years ago. Not an exact match to the original, but it's in the ballpark. The yellow one is a Monte Carlo.

[oldcarfan]

I loved that red Torino! I had one of those and played with it so much I wore paint off and the wheels almost through. Since you've reminded me, now I'm going to have to haunt eBay and try to find one.

[Don Sikora II]

I loved that red Torino! I had one of those and played with it so much I wore paint off and the wheels almost through. Since you've reminded me, now I'm going to have to haunt eBay and try to find one.

Pretty sure my Monte Carlo also has most of the paint worn off too. Have quite a few cars from that 1975 time frame (including the yellow Monte Carlo stocker, the black Street Rodder, and a chrome Monza 2+2) that were my favorites and it's obvious how much they were played with going by how little paint they have left on them. If I remember right, my Torino received a couple different Testors brush paint jobs in the late Seventies....thankfully didn't do that to too many of my cars.