(1956—1999) BACKSTORY: The popularity of the Tomorrowland Autopia led to Junior Autopia in 1956 on an unused piece of land across from Storybook Land. Although the vehicles looked the same as those at the Tomorrowland Autopia, extension blocks were placed on the foot pedals and booster seats added to accommodate smaller drivers. The third (and smallest) Autopia track, The Midget Autopia, designed for the youngest drivers, featured a ride system that was more similar to the Fantasyland dark rides than the other Autopias. The child-size cars ran along a center bus bar through tunnels, along straightaways, and through a barn. Located next to Storybook Land, the Midget Autopia ran from April 23, 1957 to 1966. It was closed in April 1966 to make way for the wide path up to It’s a Small World.Walt Disney donated the ride to his boyhood hometown of Marceline, Missouri, where it was installed in a park named in his honor. For several years, it operated as a ride for the children of Marceline. Unfortunately, the cars were too difficult and expensive to maintain. You can still see a Midget Autopia car in Marceline. A lemon-yellow car is on display in the town’s Walt Disney Hometown Museum. The museum is open from April through October in the town’s former Santa Fe railroad depot—an appropriate place to honor lifelong train buff Walt Disney
The Junior Autopia closed in 1958 to make way for the Matterhorn Bobsleds and the Monorail, and reopened on January 1, 1959 as the expanded Fantasyland Autopia, located across from the Matterhorn and sponsored by Richfield. Both Autopias featured similar triangle-shaped, double-sided boarding areas (two tracks at each attraction), scenic straightaways, bridges, and cloverleafs. At one point, all four ride tracks converged, creating Tomorrowland's own four-lane superhighway. In 1991, during the Disney’s Afternoon Avenue makeover of Fantasyland, the ride was transformed into the Rescue Rangers Raceway. The theming was kept until 1992, when the promotion ended. The Junior Autopia remained open on an interim basis until 1999, when both the Tomorrowland and Fantasyland Autopias were closed. In 2000, the Junior Autopia and regular Autopia were combined and redesigned as “Autopia, presented by Chevron,” with a new fleet of cars. Today, you can see a bronzed Midget Autopia car on a pedestal at the side of the Autopia track. This “statue” is an actual car that once operated in Fantasyland and Marceline.
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(July 17, 1955–Present) BACKSTORY: Sponsored by Richfield (1955–1970), it represented the future of America’s highways. The Fiberglass bodies were constructed by Glasspar of Costa Mesa. Each of the 40 original Autopia cars were powered by a Gladden “75,” a one-cylinder mill producing 7.5 horsepower. This was the same engine used in the Mustang motorcycle and was assembled in Glendale, California. Cars without bumpers were almost completely destroyed by the test drivers, so bumpers were fitted around the vehicle; spring-loaded bumpers were eventually installed to discourage collisions. The Tomorrowland version received makeovers in 1967 & 1999. Other versions included the Midget Autopia, Fantasyland Autopia (Rescue Rangers Raceway), and Junior Autopia. Of these, the Tomorrowland Autopia existed the longest. The Midget Autopia opened April 23, 1957. It was the third and smallest track, after the Tomorrowland Autopia (1955) and the Junior Autopia in Fantasyland (1956). It was located next to the Storybook Land Canal Boats and the Motor Boat Cruise at the very edge of Fantasyland. Closed in 1966 and dismantled to make way for “It’s a Small World.” The ride was donated to the city of Marceline where it operated for a few years. In 2000 both existing Autopia tracks were replaced with a much larger Autopia sponsored by Chevron. The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray-inspired cars were replaced by three different kinds of cars: Dusty (off-road style), Sparky (sports car), and Suzy(Volkswagen Beetle-style). Each was designed to be tied into the Chevron line of animated “Chevron Cars”; 4 versions were sold as toys during the 2000 summer season at Chevron stations.)
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