Autopia
| Autopia | |
|---|---|
Disneyland's Autopia
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| Disneyland Park | |
| Area | Tomorrowland |
| Coordinates | 33°48′45″N 117°54′59″W / 33.8125°N 117.9164°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | July 17, 1955 |
| Marceline, MO | |
| Area | Walt Disney Municipal Park |
| Coordinates | 39°42′23″N 92°57′29″W / 39.7065°N 92.9581°W |
| Status | SBNO |
| Opening date | July 4, 1966 |
| Closing date | 1977 |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Name | Tomorrowland Speedway |
| Area | Tomorrowland |
| Coordinates | 28°25′10″N 81°34′45″W / 28.4194°N 81.5792°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | October 1, 1971 |
| Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Name | Grand Circuit Raceway |
| Area | Tomorrowland |
| Coordinates | 35°37′53″N 139°52′44″E / 35.6314°N 139.8788°E |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | April 15, 1983 |
| Closing date | January 11, 2017 |
| Disneyland Park (Paris) | |
| Area | Discoveryland |
| Coordinates | 48°52′22″N 2°46′46″E / 48.8729°N 2.7794°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | April 12, 1992 |
| Hong Kong Disneyland | |
| Area | Tomorrowland |
| Coordinates | 22°18′53″N 114°02′31″E / 22.3147°N 114.0419°E |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | July 13, 2006 |
| Closing date | June 11, 2016 |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | Race car/normal car |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Development |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Length | 782 m (2,566 ft) |
| Vehicle type | Cars |
| Vehicles | Unnumbered |
| Riders per vehicle | 2 |
| Rows | 1 |
| Duration | 5:10 minutes |
| Height restriction | 32 in (81 cm) |
| Sponsors |
Disneyland Honda (2016-present) Chevron (2000-2012) Richfield Oil Company (1955-1970) Disneyland Paris Ford Hong Kong Disneyland Honda (2006-2011) Magic Kingdom Goodyear (1971-1999) IMS Corporation (1999-2008) Tokyo Disneyland Bridgestone Corporation (1983–2016) |
 Fastpass available at Disneyland |
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 FastPass+ available |
|
 Single rider line yes |
|
 Wheelchair accessible |
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 Must transfer from wheelchair |
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Autopia is a Disneyland attraction, in which patrons steer specially designed cars through an enclosed track. Versions of Autopia exist at Anaheim, California, Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, 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 formerly at Tokyo Disneyland as the Grand Circuit Raceway.
The name Autopia is a portmanteau of the words "automobile utopia." The term was later popularized in academic circles by British architecture critic Reyner Banham to describe Los Angeles in his 1971 book Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies.
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.
The cars generate a moderate level of exhaust from the gasoline engines that propel the cars. The park employees that work at this ride are compensated an additional $0.20 an hour for hazardous environment. In 2000, it was replaced with a much larger Autopia sponsored by Chevron with many cars were replaced with Dusty, Suzy, and Sparky, the queue was even given animated dioramas featuring the Chevron Cars.
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 vehicle, 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.
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Wikipedia