by Aurora
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In the 1950s, Aurora bought the rights to the “Model Motoring” slot car racing system from Playcraft, an English toy manufacturer. Aurora then released its first HO-gauge racing sets in autumn, 1960. Aurora steadily improved the models’ chassis and incorporated popular race car body styles. Consequently, Aurora’s “Model Motoring” race sets sold well. By 1965, the company had sold over 25,000,000 cars.
By the late 1960s, Aurora released their imitation of Mattel’s extremely successful and popular Hot Wheels. The gravity-driven Speedline Stunt and Drag Race Set featured dual tracks with loop-the-loops and two sleek, shiny cars.
The Aurora Speedline cars for this set were adapted from its HO-scale slot cars, the Thunderjet 500s. The bodies of the Speedline were identical to those of the HO slot cars. Enthusiasts often removed the bodies from the Speedline cars and used the flashier bodies as replacements for the HO slot cars and their more tame paint jobs.
