The Throttlebots are Transformers toys released in 1987.
The Throttlebots, a sub-group of the Autobots, consist of six toys that could transform between a car and a robot. As a special gimmick, they feature a pullback motor.
The Throttlebot toys had limited poseability and simple transformations. Not even the arms move. To transform the car to a robot, what is needed is to lift the frame of the car to an upright position, flip out the side panels to reveal the arms and hands, flip back the rear of the car body to reveal heads, and optionally push the chassis in.
The Throttlebots include six toys:
The Throttlebots were among the first Transformers released in 1987 and featured pull-back motors that worked in both car and robot modes.
The Throttlebots were introduced in the Transformers cartoon's third season finale, "The Return of Optimus Prime" as a team originally consisting of Chase, Freeway, Searchlight and Wideload. In the second half of that two-part episode, the severely damaged Bumblebee is repaired and rebuilt by a Quintesson, and given the new name Goldbug by Optimus Prime after commenting that his new body made him a "Gold Bug". Rollbar did not appear until the first installment of "The Rebirth", the three-part episode that served as the fourth and final season of the series. In the Return of Optimus Prime saga the Throttlebots were one of the first Transformers to be infected by the hate disease and quickly spread it over to the Stunticons. In the fourth and final season of the Transformers they have a little major role of defending Autobot City against a full army of Decepticons.
In the Marvel US Transformers comics, Goldbug is introduced the 4th issue of the G.I. Joe and the Transformers mini-series. He was rebuilt by the efforts of G.I. Joe technicians and Autobot medic Ratchet after being destroyed by a G.I. Joe security detail (using Armadillo mini-tanks).
In the UK Marvel comic Goldbug is rebuilt by the time-travelling Junkion leader Wreck-Gar after his "death" at the hands of the notorious bounty hunter Death's Head as the events of the aforementioned crossover do not take place in the continuity of the UK comic. Goldbug goes on to join several other "future" Autobots in fighting the rogue Decepticon Galvatron before rejoining his present day companions and eventually the other Throttlebots.