The weather outside is frightful, so now is the perfect time to break out the HO race track and take some laps around the living room. And getting some new rides is always a great motivation to keep that track up longer and do even more racing! Auto World’s newest ThunderJet release (#34 SC367) has a great mix of cars and styles that will appeal to everyone. Let’s take a look at this release and see what’s in the mix.
SC367 #1 1963 Studebaker Avanti – Avanti Red and Avanti White
Avanti is Italian for “Forward” and the Raymond Loewy designed car was supposed to save Studebaker. The Avanti was even chosen to pace the 1962 Indy 500, but production delays forced Studebaker to substitute a Lark Convertible for the event. When finally released in 1963, the fiberglass bodied Avanti hit the dealerships with a $4455 price tag. It came in R1 and R2 versions, with the R2 having a 289 C.I. super-charged engine pumping out 290 horsepower. Although too late to save Studebaker the Avanti did gain a loyal following and was produced for several years after Studebaker folded up shop and shut down. This release has one car in Avanti Red and the second in Avanti White.
SC367 #2 1963 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia – Signal Orange and Manila Yellow/White Two-tone
The Karmann Ghia has been described as “A Beetle in an Italian Sport Coat” or even “Little Liza Mueller’s Sports Car”. Never a high performance model, the one thing the Ghia always had was stunning, sporty good looks. The Ghia was quite the popular car and in 1963 Volkswagen and Karmann Coachworks cranked our 22,829 coupes and 5433 cabriolets. Originally designed in 1955 with production starting in 1956, the Karmann Ghia base design changed very little through it’s final production run in 1974. This release has the bright Signal Orange paint that was released in 1970, but was favorite to repaint the older models to make them look like the newer models. The second release is in a traditional factory two-tone Manila Yellow and White.
SC367 #3 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible – Arcadian Blue and Poppy Red/White Stripes
Starting late in 1964, the Ford Mustang galloped into the dealerships and stampeded out the door to the delight of car buyers throughout 1965. At $2614, you could drive off with a new convertible and Ford sold 101,945 convertibles alone for 1965. This release has the first model in Arcadian Blue with the blue on white Pony-Package interior. The second release is in eye catching Poppy Red with White stripes.
SC367 #4 1967 Ford Fairlane Police Car – Black/White Illinois State Police and Blue/White Chicago Police
The 1967 Ford Fairlane only saw some trim and tail light changes from the ‘66 updates. With the smaller platform and totting the 390 C.I. big block, the Fairlane would make a good pursuit car for police. The first version in this release has the period markings for an Illinois State trooper and the second offering has a city going Chicago PD design.
SC367 #5 1970 Chevy Baja Blazer – Black #022 and Red #15
When the Ford Bronco hit the dirt trails, Chevy needed to answer the challenge and came up with the Blazer. Based on the C/K model with a shorter wheelbase, along with an open top cab, it stepped up to the challenge. Although bigger than the Bronco, die-hard Chevy fans brought the Blazer up to par and offered stiff competition to the Fords. In this release we have two versions of the Baja racing Blazer. The first in a Black/Blue #022 livery and the second in a Red/White #15. These are ready to see some off-road racing thrills.
SC367 #6 Sand Van – Orange/White and Light Blue/White/Dark Blue
A 1960’s classic, the VW based Sand Van Dune Buggy in this release is based on original Aurora release. Complete with the period queues of high rolling roof lines and cathedral windows in the rear, this buggy is at home on the beach or the local car show. The two versions in this release pay tribute to the harder to find color combinations of orange with the solid white top and the two-tone light blue with the white and dark blue top. It may be difficult to find originals, but these will be much easier to add to your collection.
Here’s the packaging to the new ThunderJet release. Look for these at your local hobby shop or favorite Online dealer.
And here’s the checklist for all the cars in this release.
Auto World’s ThunderJet release #34 (SC367) has great mix of styles and types that will appeal to any slot car collector and racer. Any of these will be wonderful additions to your slot car stable. As with the previous ThunderJet release #33, all cars in this release have the new metal guide pin. These should be available in late December 2021/early January 2022.