Tomorrowland Retools Part of Its Past

The cars will be as slow as ever. They’ll still putt-putt along a tame little track, kept by a metal railing from wavering more than a foot or so to the right or the left no matter how wildly their pint-sized drivers spin the steering wheel.

But, oh, the new models at Disneyland’s Autopia have looks.

Today, the Anaheim amusement park will reopen the beloved 45-year-old ride to the public. The mini-cars will be reminiscent of SUVs and Volkswagen bugs and have high-tech front and rear bumpers and iridescent paint jobs that seem to change color depending on the viewer’s angle.

The new vehicles are modeled on popular toy cars sold by Chevron, which sponsored the redesigned ride.

“We did this to keep up with the times. That’s a complicated thing,” said Tony Baxter, one of Disneyland’s lead “imagineers.” Autopia has been closed most of the time since December because the redesign involved recycling the chassis from the old cars.

For decades, children have loved Autopia, never minding that the cars of Tomorrowland literally reeked of the past, with their smelly exhaust. The only remotely exciting thing you could do with them was bump the car in front of you.

That was enough to thrill kids for a long time: the chance to press a gas pedal, command a steering wheel, get into a minor car crash.

But these days, designers say, that isn’t enough. Kids are savvy. They know cars. When designers revamped the ride, they did so according to the desires a consumer society that sits on highways as a way of life.

Kids “want cars with personalities that reflect who they are. . . . That’s like everybody else,” Baxter said.

Youngsters echoed that sentiment: “I felt like I was in a Mercedes,” said Carlos Vasquez, 12, of Santa Ana. He was one of 62 kids--part of an Orange County program for disadvantaged children called Rosie’s Garage--who got to try the ride during the media preview Wednesday. “I want a fancy car. . . . It felt good.”

The cars still run on what are basically souped-up lawn mower engines. A three-gallon fill-up in the morning lasts them all day.

“I think it’s great for my children,” said Carmen Camacho of Brea, the mother of one of the visiting children.

“They get to drive a car. I guess . . . they are seeing what kind of car they like.”

Even with foot to the floor, the cars will go no faster than 7 mph, about the speed of a fast walker. And in a true nod to California modernity, emission controls have been built in.

The vehicles have also been designed for that one exciting element of the ride--bumping other cars--with high headrests.

“We wanted to put in good headrests in cars that get bumped all day,” said Disneyland designer Jason Hulst. “The headrests weren’t like that before.”

But the safety and environmental features went unnoticed by the kids Wednesday. They were looking for another kind of realism.

“I just want to drive . . . Sparky,” said Sergio Vargas, 12, of Santa Ana. “The sports car.”