This story was born out of an evening conversation I had with Ron Sklenar, one of the foremost slot car collectors in the United States. We were sitting among Ron's incredible collections in his home, a place where no slot car enthusiast can be without the heart beating a bit faster. Ron's extensive collections are anchored by an extraordinary collection of Aurora slot cars and memorabilia. Ron's enthusiasm and story telling is every bit as thrilling as the collection pieces themselves.

I was looking at a certain Aurora Vibrator HO car that was among an extensive Vibrator slot car collection Ron had acquired from a collector in New Jersey. The car was the metallic gray Thunderbird Hardtop. Ron related the framework for the story of this famous and highly collectible car, and I subsequently undertook a bit of research into the background of this particular variation of the Thunderbird Hardtop.

In 1935, officials at Allegheny Ludlum Steel Division and the Ford Motor Company collaborated on an experiment that would become a legacy and a tribute to one of the most dynamic metals ever developed.

Allegheny Ludlum, a pioneer producer of stainless steel, proposed the idea of creating a stainless steel car to Ford. The idea took shape in the form of a 1936 Deluxe Sedan. That car became the centerpiece of a campaign to expose the public to the new metal and its many uses.

Allegheny Ludlum and Ford would later collaborate on two more stainless models, a 1960 Thunderbird and a 1967 Lincoln Continental Convertible. Since 1960, when two stainless steel Ford Thunderbirds were introduced, they have been displayed throughout the United States and Europe.

In the late 1950s the Aurora Plastics Corporation, a successful plastic toy and model kit manufacturer based in New York, saw the potential for HO scale electric slot cars in the United States. The company purchased Playcraft Highways from the British toy company Mettoy, re-branded the line Model Motoring, and a 1960s toy phenomenon was born. For millions of men who were young boys in the 1960s the mere mention of Aurora brings back many found memories of childhood.

By the early 1960s Aurora had become the premier HO slot car manufacturer in the United States with its immensely popular Model Motoring line. During this period Aurora approached the Ford Motor Company about co-sponsoring their newly developed nationwide racing competition. Out of this collaboration came the Ford-Aurora Grand Nationals. It was a big hit, and many of the cars in the Aurora HO line became reproductions of Fords from the era.

One such car was the 1960-1962 Ford Thunderbird Hardtop. An idea was born at Aurora to recreate the famous 1960 stainless steel Thunderbird. It is likely the car was intended as simply a fun variation in the line made with materials in current use.

Aurora did not have available a metallic silver plastic resembling stainless steel, so the body was molded with the dark gray, swirly, metallic-like plastic the company used for their jet airplane model kits. The roof on the Thunderbird was a separate molded and painted piece, with tan chosen over black for this special car in an effort to more closely suggest the original stainless steel car.

The metallic gray Thunderbird is the toughest variation to find and, along with its sister car the metallic gray Corvette Convertible, has become a rare and highly collectible vintage HO slot car.

I was one of those young boys mentioned earlier in the article, for which the mention of Aurora or sight of the Aurora and Model Motoring logos was like magic. It still is, and evokes pleasant memories of childhood. Another twist to the story for me: Allegheny Ludlum's principle plant for manufacturing stainless steel is located in the Alle-Kiski Valley in Western Pennsylvania, where I grew up. The mill was the principle employer in my hometown and is still going strong today. Finally, my father drove a 1964 metallic silver Thunderbird which to me was the coolest "dad" car in the neighborhood.

The Aurora Vibrator metallic gray Thunderbird Hardtop remains the highest valued collectible vintage slot car I own. Yes, I bought the car from Ron. How could I not? Between the Allegheny Ludlum specialty steel mill in my hometown which gave genesis to the original stainless steel Thunderbird, my father's metallic silver Thunderbird, and the tie-in with vintage Aurora HO slot cars from my childhood, the value for this car for me goes way beyond monetary and it remains a treasured part of my collections. These are the things that make collecting special; when it comes from the heart and is infused with passion.

Enjoy vintage slot cars!

Aurora Vibrator- #1544 Thunderbird Hardtop 1960-1962
Metallic Gray/Tan

John Bamonte
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
January 2008

Swirly dark gray plastic