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Johnny Lightning
Johnny Lightning is a brand of diecast model cars launched in 1969 by Topper Corporation (owner of the "Topper Toys" brand), similar to the hugely successful Mattel's Hot Wheels cars. Their claim to fame at that time was that they were extremely fast compared to other brands of die-cast cars. Their most important technology was to mold in a small hook under the front axle so that they could be propelled by a lever-driven catapult, far faster than could be obtained by either gravity, or battery powered "supercharger" devices. Al Unser Senior won the Indianapolis 500 in 1970 and 1971 in the "Johnny Lightning special". Topper closed in 1973 and production of Johnny Lightning cars ceased for 23 years. The company made a total of 47 different models. In 1994 Thomas Lowe of Cassopolis, Michigan became aware of the abandoned trademark and secured the rights to the Johnny Lightning name for his Playing Mantis toy company. He made replicas of his favorite 10 original Johnny Lightning car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Die-cast Toy
A die-cast toy is a toy or a collectible model produced by using the die-casting method of putting molten lead, zinc alloy or plastic in a mold to produce a particular shape. Such toys are made of metal, with plastic, rubber, glass, or other machined metal parts. Wholly plastic toys are made by a similar process of injection molding, but the two methods are distinct because of the properties of the materials. Process The metal used in die-casting is either a lead alloy (used early on), or more commonly, Zamak (called ''Mazak'' in the UK), an alloy of zinc with small quantities of aluminium and copper. Lead or iron are impurities that must be carefully avoided in Zamac, as they give rise to a deterioration of the metal most commonly called zinc pest. The terms white metal or pot metal are also used when applied to alloys based more on lead or iron. The most common die-cast vehicles are scale models of automobiles, aircraft, military vehicles, construction equipment, and trains, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indy 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis. The event is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend of May. It is contested as part of the IndyCar Series, the top level of American open-wheel car racing, a formula colloquially known as "Indy car racing". The track itself is nicknamed the "Brickyard", as the racing surface was paved in brick in the fall of 1909. One yard of brick remains exposed at the start/finish line. The event, billed as ''The Greatest Spectacle in Racing'', is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix, with which it typically shares a date. The official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, but the permanent seating capacity is upwards of 25 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toy Cars And Trucks
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pets. Toys can provide utilitarian benefits, including physical exercise, cultural awareness, or academic education. Additionally, utilitarian objects, especially those which are no longer needed for their original purpose, can be used as toys. Examples include children building a fort with empty cereal boxes and tissue paper spools, or a toddler playing with a broken TV remote control. The term "toy" can also be used to refer to utilitarian objects purchased for enjoyment rather than need, or for expensive necessities for which a large fraction of the cost represents its ability to provide enjoyment to the owner, such as luxury cars, high-end motorcycles, gaming computers, and flagship smartphones. Playing with toys can be an enjoyable way o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jada Toys
Jada Toys, Inc. is an American manufacturer of collectible scale model cars, figures, radio controlled model vehicles, and dolls. It was founded in 1999 by Jack and May Li. Jada's products are predominantly aimed at the collectible market, and are available and popular at retail outlets worldwide. The company has or has had license rights to market products from a wide range of entertainment companies and franchises as well as sports associations, including DC Comics, Disney, Marvel Comics, NASCAR, NBA, WWE, ''Fast & Furious'', and ''Hello Kitty'', among others. History Founded by Jack and May Li in 1999, Jada's first toy was a 1:24 scale die-cast 1953 Chevrolet tow truck, part of their Thunder Crusher line. Though the Chevrolet tow truck toy and other lines proved successful, the company remained in obscurity until the introduction of the urban-themed DUB City brand. Launched in collaboration with DUB Magazine in 2002, the line presents officially licensed vehicles with custom rim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diecast Hall Of Fame
The Model Car Hall of Fame is an annual awards ceremony for the die-cast toy, scale model and slot car industries. History Founded in 2009, initially as the Diecast Hall of Fame, the Model Car Hall of Fame is an annual award event held in Las Vegas with a number of different awards. The Hall is supported by 77 clubs, forums and blogs from 18 countries. The 2017 Award Ceremony was held on November 2nd with the 2017 class being announced: Tim Allen as Automotive Legend, Paul G. Lang, Minichamps as Diecast Entrepreneur, Tony Karamitsos, Round 2 (the company that makes Auto World, Johnny Lightning and Racing Champions) as Diecast Designer, Joe Alvarado as Diecast Customizer, Robert Fellows as Diecast Historian and Woody Itson as Collector of the Year. Inductees The more than 170 inductees include * Carroll Shelby * Chip Foose * Francis Choi * George Barris * Jay Leno * Larry Wood * Mario Andretti * Michael Zarnock * Richard Petty * Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and his son, Jim France, has been the CEO since August 2018. The company is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. Each year, NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states as well as in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Europe. History Early stock car racing In the 1920s and 1930s, Daytona Beach supplanted France and Belgium as the preferred location for world land speed records. After a historic race between Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton in 1903, 15 records were set on what became the Daytona Beach Road Course between 1905 and 1935. Daytona Beach had become synonymous with fast cars in 1936. Drivers raced on a course, consisting of a stretch of beach as one straightaway, and a narrow blacktop beachfront highway, Florid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Racing Champions
Round 2 is an American manufacturing company which produces scale models including die-cast, plastic, slot cars, and other hobby products. The company is based in South Bend, Indiana. The company was founded in 2005 by Thomas E. Lowe who previously owned a toy company Playing Mantis. Round 2 holds several hobby brands, most of which were acquired and relaunched by Round 2 under the original brand name. Brands sold under Round 2 includes long-running model kit and diecast brands, including AMT, Hawk, Johnny Lightning, MPC, and Racing Champions. Brands by Round 2 AMT AMT, a long-running model kit brand first established in 1948, was bought by Lesney in 1979 and then by Ertl in 1982. In 1999, Ertl was bought by Racing Champions whose primary focus was diecast model. Racing Champions subsequently made a decision to sell off the model kit brands succeeded from the Ertl, including AMT. After the establishment of Round 2, Thomas Lowe showed an interest in purchasing AMT. In 2008, Lowe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ford Torino
The Ford Torino is an automobile that was produced by Ford for the North American market between 1968 and 1976. It was a competitor in the intermediate market segment. The car was named after the city of Turin (''Torino'', in Italian), considered "the Italian Detroit". The Torino was initially an upscale variation of the intermediate sized Ford Fairlane with a similar approach to the Ford LTD being the upscale version of the Ford Galaxie. Beginning in the 1968 model year the intermediate Ford line consisted of Fairlane and Torino models. The ''Fairlane'' name was utilized for the lower trim level models while the upscale models were called ''Torino''. During this time, the Torino was considered a subseries to the Fairlane. By 1970 ''Torino'' had become the primary name for Ford's intermediate, and the Fairlane was now a subseries of the Torino. In 1971 the ''Fairlane'' name was dropped altogether, and all Ford intermediates were called ''Torino''. This name was one of several ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Starsky & Hutch
''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a ''Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by the success of the then recent movie ''Busting''), produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast from April 1975 (pilot movie) to August 1979 on the ABC network. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures Television in the United States and, originally, Metromedia Producers Corporation and later on 20th Television in Canada and some other parts of the world. Sony Pictures Television is now the worldwide distributor for the series. The series also inspired a theatrical film and a video game. Overview The series' protagonists were two Southern California police detectives: David Michael Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser), the dark-haired, Brooklyn transplant and U.S. Army veteran, with a street-wise manner and intense, sometimes childlike ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pontiac Trans Am
The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Chevrolet division's platform-sharing Camaro. This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang. The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird in the 1950s and early 1960s concept cars. First generation (1967–1969) The first generation Firebird had characteristic Coke bottle styling shared with its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro. Announcing a Pontiac styling trend, the Firebird's bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, giving it a more streamlined look than the Camaro. The Firebird's rear "slit" taillights were inspired by the 1966–1967 Pontiac GTO and Pontiac Grand Prix. Both a two-door hardtop and a conve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smokey And The Bandit
''Smokey and the Bandit'' is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. The directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Reed), two bootleggers attempting to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. While the Snowman drives the truck carrying the beer, the Bandit drives a Pontiac Trans Am to distract law enforcement (called blocking) and keep the attention off the Snowman. During their run, they are pursued by Texas county sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason). ''Smokey and the Bandit'' was the second highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds began a relationship after meeting on set. Plot Wealthy Texan Big Enos Burdette and his son Little Enos have sponsored a racer in Atlanta's Southern Classic and want to celebrate in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chevrolet Nova
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramatic appearance of a nova vary, depending on the circumstances of the two progenitor stars. All observed novae involve white dwarfs in close binary systems. The main sub-classes of novae are classical novae, recurrent novae (RNe), and dwarf novae. They are all considered to be cataclysmic variable stars. Classical nova eruptions are the most common type. They are likely created in a close binary star system consisting of a white dwarf and either a main sequence, subgiant, or red giant star. When the orbital period falls in the range of several days to one day, the white dwarf is close enough to its companion star to start drawing accreted matter onto the surface of the white dwarf, which creates a dense but shallow atmosphere. This atmospher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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