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When you purchased one of Takara’s Penny Racer toy cars, you made sure you had an extra penny left over. One small cent made for stunt car spinning happiness that made Matchbox and Hot Wheels track driving seem bland and dull.

 

These little vehicles were first released in Japan as Choro-Q cars. In the U.S. they were renamed Penny Racers, and in 1981 kids were astounded by the TV commercials that demonstrated their amazing abilities.

 

Penny Racers were basically just a pull-back motorized car, something that had been available in some form for years. The twist of this car, however, was the placement of the penny. Kids could slip a penny into a slot on the back of the car, and that would shift the weight of the car around. If the penny was over to the right, the car would move towards that side, spinning and taking off in a new direction. If the penny was right in the center, you could expect some serious wheelie action, as the weight of the car favored the back. The package made some suggestions, but kids experimented with all sorts of penny positioning.

 

With names like Van Man, Baja Blaster, Grizzly Gasser and Z Machine, Penny Racers were all the rage in 1981. Takara continued to make Choro-Q cars in Japan, but eventually the fad began to wane in the States.   Other toy companies like Tonka began to make similar die-cast models. Then in 2000, Nintendo 64 introduced a Penny Racer racing game that introduced these cent-sational cars to a new generation.