# Kids! Win this FX-100 sports car! (What?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2023, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342 "2023-06-12T01:02:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/21 "2023-06-12T13:26:32Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > According to this bit of clickbait, Bugatti made gasoline-powered kids cars in the 1920s-30s. I parsed that one wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/22 "2023-06-12T13:52:14Z")
The Great Lakes Science Center has a Mercury capsule replica, and you can climb into the seat and flip the switches. It’s mounted upright (i.e., how it would be on the top of a ~~pile of explosives~~ Redstone or Atlas), so you’re sitting in a very weird position. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/23 "2023-06-12T15:36:31Z")
So you’re Robbie Alen Hanshaw’s uncle??? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/24 "2023-06-12T15:41:43Z")
The boys across the street from us had a homemade wooden go-kart powered by a repurposed lawnmower engine. They putted up and down our suburban street at 25-30 mph, 8 inches off the ground in a contraption with all the structural integrity of a chicken crate. It was a different time. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/25 "2023-06-12T15:48:16Z")
Shirley Temple tooled around the Fox studios vicinity in a gas-powered runabout. > **[Dreyer Racer in "America in Color"](https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle.php?id=1304014)** ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/26 "2023-06-12T15:55:53Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > Can anyone show proof that this car ever existed outside of this commercial? Google Lens found this but apparently Sotheby’s doesn’t really know what they are, either. > **[Toy Time: Made with Fun in Mind, These Selections Echo Some Serious Machinery...](https://rmsothebys.com/all-stories-videos/blog-editorial-videos/toy-time-made-with-fun-in-mind-these-selections-echo-some-serious-machinery/)** > > From go-karts to pedal cars, these examples are designed to bring out the kid in any car lover. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/27 "2023-06-12T16:05:43Z")
I’ve sat in the Gemini capsule at OMSI, also when it was up next to the then Washington Park Zoo. One article I read said Hanshew’s prize included a guitar and 200 Revell model kits, which he donated to local children’s hospitals. Also five years worth of Baskin-Robbins ice cream, which he shared with his science class. Pretty altruistic kid; I wonder if he kept the guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/28 "2023-06-12T16:14:54Z")
There are quite a few of those little gas powered replicas around. Here’s some more: > **[Classic Car Go Karts](https://silodrome.com/classic-car-go-karts/)** > > There are few forms of motor racing quite as fun go-karting. Karts usually aren't that quick, but they're typically cheap to run and maintain, accidents My cousin had a home made go-kart with an 8 hp engine that was seriously fast. The throttle was a belt tightener - a steel rod on a hinge, connected to the drive belt. The harder you pressed, the less slip there was on the drive belt and the faster you would go. The brakes were friction pads on the front wheels that you pushed against with your feet. We drove that thing all over his little town. It’s a wonder we’re still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/29 "2023-06-12T19:28:27Z")
I think I found it! 1956 Ferrari Bimbo Racer: [Bing](https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&insightstoken=bcid_s2em6mUbY7UFhFJExg7IYMtk8fBb.....0o*ccid_Z6bqZRtj&form=ANCMS1&iss=VSI&selectedindex=2&id=A01978E4FEE40A1C752E7373D6AD8327593BB14B&ccid=6wSV9y1A&exph=936&expw=1664&vt=2&sim=11&simid=607989472080000369&ck=4033C0BF96549D317FDC63B2BE74BF6B&thid=OIP.6wSV9y1AV3fLSllBl8lKHwHaEK&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.mecum.com%2Fauctions%2Fca0817%2Fca0817-300017%2Fimages%2Fca0817-300017_12%402x.jpg%3F1499984978000&cdnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fth.bing.com%2Fth%2Fid%2FR.eb0495f72d405777cb4a594197c94a1f%3Frik%3DS7E7WSeDrdZzcw%26pid%3DImgRaw%26r%3D0&pivotparams=insightsToken%3Dbcid_T2em6mUbY7UFqxcxoNWLuD9SqbotqVTdP9s) ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/30 "2023-06-12T20:43:55Z")
Oh! I agree that looks like a match alright alright. Called a Ferrari Bimbo - but I see those used electric motors; wonder if a gas model was made. But this basically answers my question - yes, the car in the Red Ball ad must be real. I’ve also seen these pictures of Shriners’ parades with old guys riding in cars way too small for them. Must be pretty powerful. [![](https://i.imgur.com/NDtrTKF.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/NDtrTKF.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/31 "2023-06-12T20:57:08Z")
No, this isn’t quite the same. That grille is huge compared with the rest of the car. > **[1956 Bimbo Racer 12V Children's Car | Amelia Island 2018 | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/am18/amelia-island/lots/n0002-1956-bimbo-racer-12v-childrens-car/648051)** > > 1956 Bimbo Racer 12V Children's Car for sale at RM Sotheby's Amelia Island ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/32 "2023-06-12T21:22:29Z")
Remember that the advert was a drawing. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/33 "2023-06-12T21:28:30Z")
This? Not a drawing! [https://i.imgur.com/Fi38jzH\_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand](https://i.imgur.com/Fi38jzH_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand) But it might well be a knock-off, as the one built by actual Ferrari might have been costly. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/34 "2023-06-12T21:30:47Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > But it might well be a knock-off, as the one built by actual Ferrari might have been costly. Yeah, and I don’t think anyone would call this a “FX-100 sports car”. [![](https://photos.classiccars.com/cc-temp/listing/87/6149/1502541-1956-bimbo-racer-child-s-car-thumb.jpg) ](https://photos.classiccars.com/cc-temp/listing/87/6149/1502541-1956-bimbo-racer-child-s-car-thumb.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/35 "2023-06-12T21:42:55Z")
The FX-100 designation seems to be used by a lot of products, including bicycle brakes, audio cables and yes, sneakers. Somehow that combination of letters and numbers just screams “badass”. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/36 "2023-06-12T21:48:34Z")
Whatever that Carvette thing is, it looks like it would have made a good soap box derby chassis back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/37 "2023-06-12T21:59:26Z")
A prefab chassis might not jibe with Official Soap Box Derby parameters (that is, after adults took it over from its Little Rascals-style roots and basically ruined it). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/38 "2023-06-12T22:53:46Z")
I asked Google Newspapers about other Red Ball Jets contest prizes. These are all I could find up to the tenth page of results: [A Jingle contest offered five random boys and five random girls, each accompanied by one adult of their choosing, a two-week dude ranch vacation in Colorado. (1952)](https://books.google.com/books?id=WVEaAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA74&dq=%22red+ball+jets%22+contest&article_id=4105,6658384&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL8ZWb3r7_AhX6mWoFHUA7CloQ6AF6BAgJEAI#v=onepage&q=%22red%20ball%20jets%22%20contest&f=false) [Cameras and bicycles. (1953)](https://books.google.com/books?id=okBUAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA12&dq=%22red+ball+jets%22+contest&article_id=2134,6019188&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL8ZWb3r7_AhX6mWoFHUA7CloQ6AF6BAgPEAI#v=onepage&q=%22red%20ball%20jets%22%20contest&f=false) [One Lou Ellen Huntley won a bicycle, brand not stated. (1958)](https://books.google.com/books?id=3WFDAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA9&dq=%22red+ball+jets%22+contest&article_id=3413,2583833&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL8ZWb3r7_AhX6mWoFHUA7CloQ6AF6BAgOEAI#v=onepage&q=%22red%20ball%20jets%22%20contest&f=false) [One Ellen Sue Carey won a Columbia bicycle. (1959)](https://books.google.com/books?id=hhRIAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA5&dq=%22red+ball+jets%22+contest&article_id=3784,5867693&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL8ZWb3r7_AhX6mWoFHUA7CloQ6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=%22red%20ball%20jets%22%20contest&f=false) [A go-kart in a “Name That Shoe” contest. (1960)](https://books.google.com/books?id=jHFOAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA19&dq=%22red+ball+jets%22+contest&article_id=1442,3606478&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiD8PC_3r7_AhVLkmoFHcyFBUU4ChDoAXoECAIQAg#v=onepage&q=%22red%20ball%20jets%22%20contest&f=false) [Bicycle grand prize, with a telescope, a flash camera kit, and binoculars going to other winners. (1962)](https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_9VAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA23&dq=%22red+ball+jets%22+contest&article_id=1535,1341653&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjK5M6e477_AhXEnGoFHbpbC-84ChDoAXoECAUQAg#v=onepage&q=%22red%20ball%20jets%22%20contest&f=false) [A barking puppy toy in a “Space Face” contest. (1966)](https://books.google.com/books?id=SGBcAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA46&dq=%22red+ball+jets%22+contest&article_id=6368,793418&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL8ZWb3r7_AhX6mWoFHUA7CloQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=%22red%20ball%20jets%22%20contest&f=false) [Red Ball had their own space capsule contest. (1967)](https://books.google.com/books?id=F1cmAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2&dq=%22red+ball+jets%22+contest&article_id=4118,3664416&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjK5M6e477_AhXEnGoFHbpbC-84ChDoAXoECAIQAg#v=onepage&q=%22red%20ball%20jets%22%20contest&f=false) [A weekend in NYC with a romp through FAO Schwarz in a “Christmas in July” contest. (1968)](https://books.google.com/books?id=FGBcAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA36&dq=%22red+ball+jets%22+contest&article_id=6034,4097189&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjK5M6e477_AhXEnGoFHbpbC-84ChDoAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=%22red%20ball%20jets%22%20contest&f=false) ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/39 "2023-06-13T01:16:01Z")
Supermarket Sweep at FAO Schwarz? Cool! Oh wait, they probably made you give away the toys. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342/40 "2023-06-13T01:52:30Z")
I won’t lie. That Red Ball commercial would have wanted me to have a pair if I’d seen them as a kid. I almost want a grown-up-size pair as an adult, except I know that footwear technology has advanced so much over the years that it would probably feel like strapping cardboard and burlap to my feet after being spoiled by modern options. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-win-this-fx-100-sports-car-what/985342.md?page=3)