Le Mans Raceway

[halfabee]

The skyride pic really shows how beautiful that area was to glide through back then.

At one point in the late 80s, there was a very cool (for the time) Oldsmobile Aerotech concept car parked in the grass of Le Mans. My cousin tried to spit on it from the skyride bucket. Bullseye, hit it right on the hood. Never got caught. I didn't approve, largely because that car WAS what the future looked like in 1988. It deserved better. I've never told that story until now. Old man tales.

 

[halfabee]

The Aerotech, for reference. You'll have to imagine the loogie.

 

[warfelg]

The Aerotech, for reference. You'll have to imagine the loogie.

Don't have to imagine. It looks like one. :laugh:

 

[halfabee]

You know, it really does look like a flying blob of spit, doesn't it.

A blob of DEAD SEXY spit built on an Indy car chassis, powered by a 4-cylinder engine that was turbocharged to make a WTF-worthy 900 hp from just 2.3 L of displacement, good for about 275 mph. Yes, I had to look all of that up, except the it-being-sexy part.

By 80s standards it was beyond totally radical. It was bad.

I think the one at BGW was just a mockup. Shame... it would have been a hoot to drive that thing around the BGW Le Mans course. By my estimates it could cover both loops in about 6.5 seconds.

 

[Zimmy]

...My cousin tried to spit on it from the skyride bucket...

Charming

 

[BGW Family]

Thanks to @GrandpaD I was prompted to tour the boneyard. I use to check often, but haven't Google checked there in a while. I spy five Le Mans cars still hanging around.

 

[Celticdog]

^ unfortunately that above photo is old (May 2017). The current Google Earth aerial is dated May 2018 and some of the cars are gone. The others may be obscured by trees. It's also easier to see if you turn off the 3D feature.

 

[Coasterguy154]

Thanks to @GrandpaD I was prompted to tour the boneyard. I use to check often, but haven't Google checked there in a while. I spy five Le Mans cars still hanging around.

View attachment 13162

Don’t forget there’s one out front of the fries shop in Aquitaine!

 

[VikingvadR]

Thanks to @GrandpaD I was prompted to tour the boneyard. I use to check often, but haven't Google checked there in a while. I spy five Le Mans cars still hanging around.

View attachment 13162

I think I see the old le scoot logs

 

[WDWRLD]

One of the cars sat in Hampton for a while, a blue one. Not sure if its still there, I should go look.

 

[VonDerrick]

a car was sold on ebay at one point

 

[UncleDuncan]

 

[Burnouts]

Met a guy today who has restored a Le Mans car.

 

[AIR]

Just a random thought: if Le Mans Raceway survived til 2009, how beautiful would have this ride been for Christmas Town? I would have loved to ride that when Busch Gardens and Christmas Town were decorated so tastefully and classically.

 

[horsesboy]

Just a random thought: if Le Mans Raceway survived til 2009, how beautiful would have this ride been for Christmas Town? I would have loved to ride that when Busch Gardens and Christmas Town were decorated so tastefully and classically.

Possibly but given what they have done with the train I can only wonder if it would really be that great.

 

[Bring Back Questor 87]

That restoration couldn't have been done any better. BGW should showcase that in a special area of the park from time to time. Amazing work!

 

[willrobs3]

Possibly but given what they have done with the train I can only wonder if it would really be that great.

What have they done with the train?

 

[cricket]

Christmas town train has always been a highlight of the event for me.

 

[Nicole]

So. About Le Mans Raceway…

 

[Jonesta6]

Great memories of it as a kid - it was always a treat whenever the third lane opened up.

Looking back, though, no wonder it was removed when looking at operating costs - required maybe 10+ attendants between loading, spotters on the courses, and unloading. And since it's a bunch of modified lawn mower engines, I'm sure gas mileage was abysmal. Then think of how low capacity they are, and aren't as marketable as a thrilling ride, and poof, gone.

But I guess that's the difference of AB ownership - they focused on the overall experience and didn't seem too worried about the costs to operate this kind of ride.

However, in a parallel universe where AB still retained control, it may have been inevitable that it got replaced - it's a lot harder to relocate than the scrambler...