by BIG E » Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:48 pm
Kevin's previous reply is pretty much on the mark. It wasn't the rule, but many times you'd find the cover art cars in the box. Many collectors arrange their sets this way as a result. Plus, it just plain looks cool!
The Cobra GT and definitely the Alfa Romeo are too new for the set. The Lola GT (one of my favorite T-Jet racers) was an early model but most likely would not have come in that set. It would usually be all street cars or all race cars, not combinations of the two. Remember, there were many, many of these sets manufactured, so anything is possible.
If your thumbs get sore you can use some vintage Atlas or Tyco plunger type controllers. They can easily be wired into your layout because it came with two real terminal tracks and a power supply that had actual screw terminals. If they have a brake wire, just leave it out of the circuit and connect as per the set up manual. Be sure to put a piece of tape over the end of the brake wire to protect against any electrical shorts.
When we were kids, we would turn the Aurora controllers upside down in our hands and press the button down onto the tabletop as hard as we could. Maximum speed, but not very much control! We discovered the Atlas plunger controllers and they became our controller of choice.
Ditto to Kevin's take on the tan cars. Something in the pigment turned that color ABS plastic brittle after many years. I've had some of my old runners unfortunately fall to that fate. But, you never can tell!
As for the fact that everything still works, well hey... it was made by AURORA !!
That's a great piece, I hope you enjoy having many hours of fun with it.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS... Ernie
PS... I just looked at the pics again, and I believe the 9" double wiggle track on the left is too new for that particular set. It was probably purchased later on, as it was a popular track section when Aurora released it. Just more stuff for you to enjoy!