The Retro Blog

Oh the bumper car. As a child, I looked forward to driving them, thinking of the mini cars as little driving simulators. As I aged though, my goals changed, and they became a method for me to bash and possibly give whip lash to my friends.

The method for making little cars powered by an electric current was first put to paper in 1890, but it wasn’t until the 20’s that “Dodgem” cars became popular amusement park attractions. Bumper cars peaked in the 30’s through the 50’s, meaning that there are lots of really nice looking bumper cars out there. Here are some cute ones.

People love bumper cars so much, you can find them just about anywhere. Even Chernobyl has bumper cars. Really depressing bumper cars.

Now you can even buy vintage bumper cars that have been motorized and made street legal.

Ever at the front of technology, Disneyland opened its own version of bumper cars in 1961. The “Flying Saucers” were actually personal hovercrafts that were steered simply by leaning from side to side. The ride only lasted five years, as Disney decided it was too expensive and made for very slow moving lines. Here’s some footage of the ride in action. My favorite bit is at the end when you can see a guy simultaneously taking pictures and smoking while being bumped around.