The Streco Turnpike Cruiser was a two-passenger open microcar built especially for amusement park and carnival use by the Streifthau Manufacturing Company of Middletown, Ohio (1958-1985), a family-owned firm managed by Edgar and Lindy Streifthau.
Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than 700 cc (43 cu in). Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, quadricycles and voiturettes, and the Japanese equivalent is the kei car.
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often featuring multiple areas with different themes. Unlike temporary and mobile funfairs and carnivals, amusement parks are stationary and built for long-lasting operation. They are more elaborate than city parks and playgrounds, usually providing attractions that cater to a variety of age groups. While amusement parks often contain themed areas, theme parks place a heavier focus with more intricately-designed themes that revolve around a particular subject or group of subjects.
Middletown is a city located in Butler and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, about 29 miles northeast of Cincinnati. Formerly in Lemon, Turtlecreek, and Franklin townships, Middletown was incorporated by the Ohio General Assembly on February 11, 1833, and became a city in 1886.
Records show that approximately one hundred and sixty-seven Streco Turnpike Cruisers were built, and fourteen amusement parks are known to have ordered the cars, which were powered by single-cylinder Kohler Company K-Series engines through matched centrifugal clutches at governed speeds of approximately six to eight miles per hour in single file along pre-fixed guideways and/or on winding pathways and, in some parks, with a fixed center guiderail to limit lateral motion. Streco Turnpike Cruiser bodies were constructed of solid fiberglass, and featured prominent tailfins (in conjunction with the fashion of the period), and also full wraparound bumpers for driver/passenger protection. The first series Streco cars were distinguished by standard twin-headlamp configurations, with the more rugged second series cars distinguishable by their quad headlamps.
Fiberglass (US) or fibreglass (UK) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet, or woven into a fabric. The plastic matrix may be a thermoset polymer matrix—most often based on thermosetting polymers such as epoxy, polyester resin, or vinylester—or a thermoplastic.
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