Photo: Van Eaton Galleries
There’s quite a big chance that you’ve traveled in this car yourself, but even if you haven’t, there’s no way you didn’t hear of it, considering it’s one of the icons of Walt Disney’s epic theme parks. The PeopleMover was as emblematic as the park itself, as it was used to tour visitors over Tomorrowland.
“Tomorrow can be a wonderful age. Our scientists today are opening the doors of the Space Age to achievements that will benefit our children and generations to come. The Tomorrowland attractions have been designed to give you an opportunity to participate in adventures that are a living blueprint of our future.” These were Walt Disney’s words. A man with great vision and a passion for innovation, he wanted to show the American people how the world was moving toward tomorrow.
And above this world, there was the Goodyear PeopleMover. The small trains that ran on elevated tracks for a “grand circle tour” above Tomorrowland were decommissioned 20 years ago, but the car in question actually had its original suspension rebuilt following its initial configuration, which means it still works.
Technically a two-car unit, it’s one of the 13 cars that are known to exist, and may as well be the only one still functional. Even so, the amount of cash it sold for is more than impressive. The hammer dropped over the weekend in a sale held by Van Eaton Galleries that included hundreds of items of Disneyland memorabilia.
The car may have been created in 1965, but it came way ahead of its time. Passengers boarded and were aligned by a large speed-matched rotating platform inside the station. The trains were not powered by motors within themselves, but rather by being pushed by rotating tires, each with its own electric motor, embedded in the track once every nine feet.
Each car had its own sound system that would broadcast something similar to what city tour busses have today - audio guides.
And above this world, there was the Goodyear PeopleMover. The small trains that ran on elevated tracks for a “grand circle tour” above Tomorrowland were decommissioned 20 years ago, but the car in question actually had its original suspension rebuilt following its initial configuration, which means it still works.
Technically a two-car unit, it’s one of the 13 cars that are known to exist, and may as well be the only one still functional. Even so, the amount of cash it sold for is more than impressive. The hammer dropped over the weekend in a sale held by Van Eaton Galleries that included hundreds of items of Disneyland memorabilia.
The car may have been created in 1965, but it came way ahead of its time. Passengers boarded and were aligned by a large speed-matched rotating platform inside the station. The trains were not powered by motors within themselves, but rather by being pushed by rotating tires, each with its own electric motor, embedded in the track once every nine feet.
Each car had its own sound system that would broadcast something similar to what city tour busses have today - audio guides.
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