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Autopia
Autopia

Land(s):

Tomorrowland (Disneyland)
Tomorrowland (Magic Kingdom)
Discoveryland

Opening Date(s):

Disneyland: July 17, 1955
Magic Kingdom: October 1, 1971
Disneyland Paris: April 12, 1992

Autopia is a Disneyland attraction, in which patrons steer specially designed cars through an enclosed track. Versions of Autopia exist as Anaheim, California, Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallee, France, and at Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Other versions of the attraction can be found at the Magic Kingdom as the Tomorrowland Speedway and at Tokyo Disneyland as the Grand Circuit Raceway.

The name Autopia is a portmanteau of the words "automobile utopia", which was popularised in academic circles by British architecture critic Reyner Banham to describe Los Angeles in his 1971 book "Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies".

Premise

  • Take the wheel of a gas-powered car and speed through a winding track to Victory Circle.
  • Stroll past classic racing marquees and make your way to the racing pit, home to growling, multi-coloured speedsters. Designed to look like the famed Indiana Motor Speedway, the racetrack includes well-known backdrops of the motoring world, including the Scoring Pylon, Gasoline Alley and the Yard of Bricks.
  • At the pit, hop inside a streamlined race car, unique in colour and design, and strap yourself in for an exciting and challenging drive. As the checkered flag is waved, you're off!
  • Accelerate at 7 miles per house around a scenic 0.4 mile-long racetrack. Careen around sharp bends, past lush foliage and pick up the pace underneath a small bridge. Along the way, listen to an announcer call the race overhead, as you pass such iconic attractions as Space Mountain in the not-too-far distance.
  • Go for a personal best or race against a family member or friend. In the end, coast into Victory Circle, at the top of your game, champion of the track!

Disneyland History

Disneyland

The Disneyland Autopia, in one form or another, is one of the few current attractions that opened with the park on July 17, 1955. When it opened, it represented the future of what would become America's multilane limited-access highways, which were still being developed. President Eisenhower had yet to sign the Interstate Highway Legislation at the time Disneyland opened.

Before the park opened, the cars were tested without the bumpers, and were almost completely destroyed by the test drivers. Bumpers were fitted around the vehicles, but there were still problems with collisions, as a guide rail had yet to be implemented on the ride. Eventually the vehicles were fitted with spring-loaded bumpers to discourage collisions. The first fleet of Autopia cars were dubbed "Mark I". Throughout Disneyland's first few years, Autopia went through a few fleets, as the cars took a hard beating. Though basically the same look, they went through Mark I, II, III and IV by 1958. When the Monorail, Submarine Voyage and Matterhorn debuted in 1959, so did a new fleet with an all-new look, the "Mark Vs". The next design, Mark VI, came in 1964. It was at this time the center guide rail was first installed. 1968 brought another design, the Mark VIIs. They would remain in service through 1999, till a breed of Mark VIIIs would hit the Autopia roadway.

The Tomorrowland version was not the only form of Autopia to exist at Disneyland. Other versions, separate from the Tomorrowland version, including the Midget Autopia, Fantasyland Autopia (Rescue Rangers Raceway) and Junior Autopia. Of these, the Tomorrowland Autopia existed the longest.

The Midget Autopia opened in 1957. It was the smallest and was the third Autopia 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. It was closed in 1966 and dismantled to make way for "It's a Small World". The ride was donated to the city of Marceline, Missouri, where it operated for a few years.

The Fantasyland Autopia began originally as the Junior Autopia in 1956. It closed in 1958, and re-opened in 1959 as the expanded Fantasyland Autopia. It was a duplicate version of the Tomorrowland Autopia and featured the same theme of the original until 1991, when part of 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 ride remained open on an interim basis until 1999, when both the Tomorrowland and Fantasyland Autopias were closed.

In 2000, Disneyland replaced both existing Autopia tracks with a new, much larger Autopia sponsored by Chevron. The colourful Chevrolet Corvette Stingray-style cars were replaced by three different kinds of cars: Dusty, an off-road style car; Sparky, a sports car; and Suzy, a Volkswagen Beetle-style car. Each was designed to be tied into the Chevron line of animated "Chevron Cars", and 4 versions of the Autopia cars were sold as toys during the 2000 summer season at Chevron stations nationwide. The voice of Dusty the Autopia car is voiced by Matthew Howard. He is said to be the youngest Disney ride announcer as of 2004. The ride safety spiel was re-recorded in 2004 to remind parents to watch their children due to several minor incidents.

Walt Disney World

The second Disney theme park to open was the Magic Kingdom. An opening day attraction, the Grand Prix Raceway was based on an international car race rather than the futuristic roadways of Autopia. The original sponsor was Goodyear, as it supplied all of the tires on the Mark VII vehicles.

The ride was expanded in 1973 and remained unchanged until the 1994 re-model of Tomorrowland. Part of the track was also shortened to make room for Mickey's Birthdayland sometime between late 1987 to early 1988. The Grand Prix theme and name was dropped in favour of Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, but the track and vehicles remained the same, a new theming to coincide with the "New Tomorrowland" overlay was installed.

On December 20, 1999, Walt Disney Company and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway partnered to change the theme of the track. The ride was changed to add items from the famous speedway, such as the famous Yard of Bricks, the Scoring Pylon, Gasoline Alley and the wheel and wing logo. The loading area featured panels with the three Indy events: the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard 400 and the United States Grand Prix.

The name was changed in 2008 to Tomorrowland Speedway, resulting in the drop of the Indy portion of the title.

Disneyland Paris

In Disneyland Park in Paris, the attraction, which opened with Euro Disneyland on April 12, 1992, uses the original Disneyland name of Autopia, but has a unique sense of style and theming. The cars are more rounded and feature a toy-like quality to go with a 1950s retro theme, which differs from the Discoveryland theme. The park has multiple cars that go around for approximately 7-9 minutes.

Trivia

  • Autopia was featured in a 1987 special in which Ernest P. Worrell recounts his childhood when he visited Disneyland. In it, the young Ernest goes with his father, in which the dad drives the wrong way and crashes into a wall. They are ejected from Autopia by a Disneyland employee dressed as a motorcycle policeman, who gives them a "ticket" which bars them from returning to Autopia for the rest of the day.
  • In Disney INFINITY a blue Autopia car appears as a vehicle.


Disneyland

Main Street, U.S.A.: Disneyland Railroad | Main Street Cinema | The Disney Gallery | Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

New Orleans Square: The Haunted Mansion | Pirates of the Caribbean

Frontierland: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island | Mark Twain Riverboat | Sailing Ship Columbia | Big Thunder Ranch | Golden Horseshoe Saloon | Fantasmic!

Critter Country:' Splash Mountain | Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Adventureland: Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room | Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye | Jungle Cruise | Tarzan's Treehouse

Mickey's Toontown: Chip 'n' Dale's Treehouse | Donald's Boat | Gadget's Go Coaster | Goofy's Playhouse | Mickey's House and Meet Mickey | Minnie's House | Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin

Fantasyland: Sleeping Beauty Castle | Alice in Wonderland | Casey Jr. Circus Train | Dumbo the Flying Elephant | It's a Small World | King Arthur Carrousel | Mad Tea Party | Matterhorn Bobsleds | Mr. Toad's Wild Ride | Peter Pan's Flight | Pinocchio's Daring Journey | Snow White's Scary Adventures | Storybook Land Canal Boats | Pixie Hollow

Tomorrowland: Astro Orbitor | Autopia | Space Mountain | Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters | Disneyland Monorail | Captain EO | Inoventions | Starcade | Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Resorts: Disneyland Hotel

Former Attractions: Country Bears Jamboree | Star Tours | Honey, I Shrunk the Audience | Ariel's Grotto | PeopleMover | Skyway | Carousel of Progress | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage | Fink 169 Boats | Swiss Family Treehouse | Adventure Thru Inner Space | Magic Journeys | Rocket Jets | Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland | Midget Autopia | The Party Gras Parade | Space Station X-1 | Flying Saucers | Aladdin's Royal Caravan | One Man's Dream | Mickey Mouse Club Theater | Fantasy Waters | Fantasyland Autopia | Rocket Rods | Snow White: An Enchanting Musical

Other: List of Disneyland Attractions


Magic Kingdom

Main Street, U.S.A.: Walt Disney World Railroad | Main Street Vehicles | Disney's Electrical Parade

Adventureland: Swiss Family Treehouse | The Magic Carpets of Aladdin | Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room | Jungle Cruise | Pirates of the Caribbean

Frontierland: Splash Mountain | Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | Tom Sawyer Island | Country Bear Jamboree | Frontierland Shootin' Arcade

Liberty Square:' The Hall of Presidents | Liberty Square Riverboat | The Haunted Mansion

Fantasyland: Cinderella Castle | It's a Small World | Peter Pan's Flight | Mickey's PhilharMagic | Dream Along with Mickey | Prince Charmin Regal Carrousel | Dumbo the Flying Elephant | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Mad Tea Party | The Great Goofini | Cinderella's Royal Table

New Fantasyland: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train | Ariel's Grotto | Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid | Be Our Guest Restaurant | Enchanted Tales with Belle | Princess Fairytale Hall

Tomorrowland: Tomorrowland Speedway | Space Mountain | Astro Orbiter | Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover | Carousel of Progress | Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin | Stitch's Great Escape! | Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor

Resorts: Disney's Contemporary Resort | Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa | Disney's Polynesian Resort | Disney's Wilderness Lodge

Former Attractions: The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) | Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes | Mike Fink Keel Boats | Mickey Mouse Revue | Mr. Toad's Wild Ride | Skyway | Snow White's Scary Adventures | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage | If You Had Wings | Delta Dreamflight | The Timekeeper | Magic Journeys

Other: List of Magic Kingdom Attractions


Disneyland Paris

Main Street, U.S.A.: Disneyland Railroad | Liberty Arcade | Discovery Arcade | Main Street Vehicles

Frontierland: Legends of the Wild West | Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | Phantom Manor | River Rogue Keel Boats | Rustler Roundup Shooting Gallery | Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing | Woody's Roundup Village

Adventureland: Le Passage Enchante d'Aladdin | Adventure Isle | La Cabane des Robinson | Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril | Pirates of the Caribbean

Fantasyland: Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant | De Carrousel de Lancelot | Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains | Les Voyages de Pinocchio | Peter Pan's Flight | Alice's Curious Labyrinth | Dumbo the Flying Elephant | It's a Small World | Mad Hatter Tea Party | Le Pays de Contes de Fees | Casey Jr. - Le Petit Train du Cirque

Discoveryland: Autopia | Space Mountain: Mission 2 | Orbitron, Machines Volantes | Videopolis Theater | Les Mysteres du Nautilus | Buzz Lightyear Laster Blasts | Star Tours | Captain EO

Resorts: Disneyland Hotel | Disney's Hotel New York | Disney's Sequoia Lodge | Disney's Newport Bay Club Hotel | Disney's Hotel Cheyenne | Disney's Hotel Santa Fe | Disney's Davy Crockett Ranch

Former Attractions: Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes | Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage | Le Visionarium | Honey, I Shrunk the Audience

Other: List of Disneyland Paris Attractions

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