I had some really fun car and truck toys when I was a kid. Stuff that would drive and crawl and make noise, etc. Those were exceptionally fun days back then, using your imagination and playing with your buddies. One thing we did not have were Stick Shifters which I just saw for the first time and believe me, this could be the coolest drag racing themed toy in history! There are a couple of versions of the toy shown in multiple ads below. I think the first one is the coolest. Why?

The three vehicles the kids are playing with are a Pro Stock Vega, a freaking I/Gas Honda, and an injected AMC Gremlin! It seems like the things worked by spinning up some rollers as the kids jam first second and third gear and then when they yanked fourth the little cars rocket off the rollers pulling wheelies and ripping down the “track”.

I wish I could play with one of these right now! Does anyone still have theirs? Did anyone play with them as a kid? Make sure you watch until the end because you will see all of the different styles that were available. There are still lots of cool car toys out there. My kids have a bunch and they still throw down old school in some sense. Yes, electronic stuff has a presence in their lives but they are far more likely to be on their hands and needs with toy cars than on an iPod.

This looks like it would have been hours and hours of fun to play with. BangShift approved!

Press play below to see these 1972 commercials for Stick Shifters!