Daveland@Disneyland A-Z: The Autopia, Pt. 1

Sponsored by Richfield (1955–1970), The Autopia was an exciting representation of the future of America’s highways. 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 the all-too-tempting collisions by guests of all ages.

In this day and age of traffic jams & high gas prices, it is probably difficult for today’s generation to appreciate or understand just how cool a miniature freeway was back in 1955. Children could experience the thrill of driving an automobile even though they were years away from getting a real license; and adults could get a little taste of the the “freedom” promised by the new super highways being designed and constructed in the very near future. These were really exciting times!

In fact, the Autopia was so popular, that there were other versions that were eventually added to complement the Tomorrowland Track: 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.

This photo shows construction of the Tomorrowland attraction, 1955:

These next three images give a good idea of the look of the track, the vehicles, and the thrill of guests that drove the cars:

For the 50th, Disneyland showcased a model of the park on opening day; this shot of the Autopia area is shown here:

Besides different colors, the Autopia also had a few different cars, including this cop car:

This car actually belonged to Walt Disney himself, and was on display in Tomorrowland, as can be seen in this 1958 shot:

A few more of my favorite 1950’s shots to round out this segment of my first Autopia posting:

STAY TUNED: More Autopia to come! See more vintage and current Autopia photos on my regular website.