I'm too young and from the wrong region to ever have visited, but needless to say Action Park is legendary even to people like me who can't comprehend the level of madness and danger the place offered. I know this is a for sale ad, but I feel like this is a little too esoteric to go in the classifieds as these are more of a conversation piece. But, there is currently an opportunity to buy 37 Lola 507 karts from the life-threatening era of Action Park...
http://bangshift.com/bangshiftapex/ebay-find-someone-is-selling-37-lola-506-go-karts-from-the-most-dangerous-and-insane-defunct-american-amusement-park-ever/
I went there when I was about 11 or 12. Too young for those karts at the time but the wan't was strong I remember.
Side note, water parks when you are legally blind without glasses but your parents won't let you wear your glasses (because they'll come off and you'll lose them) kinda suck.
T.J.
UltimaDork
8/21/15 2:24 p.m.
I wonder what size those Hoosiers are?
Man does that bring back memories... my family used to go to Action Park every summer and those karts looked a lot bigger back then. I lived in nearby West Milford, NJ from 2002-2005 and skied regularly at the re-named Mountain Creek but, the water rides were much much tamer than the original Action Park.
Why did the thought of a neighborhood grand prix's just pop in my mind. I know there are 3 track day guys and 2 national level autox'er in the close area. Lay out a street course and go to town. 33 starters and 4 for spares. You think the HOA and Mud would mind?
Holy awesomeness. That place was so dangerous and so great. Every aspect of that park has some form of crazy liability from the water slides to the cliff dives to the skin removing alpine slides. Those carts were probably one of the safer rides there. Someone please buy the lot and start a spec race or IROC style of competition.
Btw this used to be right near the Playboy resort. Good time when it was considered family friendly to go to see playboy bunnies.
NickD
New Reader
8/21/15 3:27 p.m.
Hmm, these originally had snowmobile rotary engines. Clearly someone needs to up the ante and put in a 12A or 13B
I'd never heard of Action Park (didn't grow up in the area) until I saw this doc: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x158v48_the-most-insane-amusement-park-ever-full-length_tech
Wally
MegaDork
8/21/15 3:59 p.m.
Even as a kid I wondered how no adult stepped in and said "No, we can't do this."
I would love one of those but with shifter cart drivetrain. It would be scary but hilarious.
I second, fourth, and fifth the neighborhood Grand Prix. That. Is. An. AWESOME IDEA!!!! Do it! And screw the HOA, I've picked a fight with them the whole step of the way since I moved in, also found lots of loopholes to get around the sadistic neighbors that try to enforce them. The N.G.P. sounds like my next move!
I never went there, but I am a huge fan of Action Park. I gobble up any and all documentaries, message board threads, blogs, whatever having to do with this defining slice of Americana. Somehow its mere existence captures the spirit of the late '70s, early '80s times when our technology began to outpace our naiveté.
The best part is that every comment about the place seems to pair a horrible, disfiguring accident with a fond memory.
"My brother has a piece of glass driven into his frenulum. It was the greatest summer of our lives."
"Two of our kids lost fingers there. Our third can't see the color yellow anymore. Man I miss that place."
Wally
MegaDork
8/21/15 9:01 p.m.
In reply to JG Pasterjak:
That pretty much nailed it.
mndsm
MegaDork
8/21/15 9:11 p.m.
JG Pasterjak wrote:
I never went there, but I am a huge fan of Action Park. I gobble up any and all documentaries, message board threads, blogs, whatever having to do with this defining slice of Americana. Somehow its mere existence captures the spirit of the late '70s, early '80s times when our technology began to outpace our naiveté.
The best part is that every comment about the place seems to pair a horrible, disfiguring accident with a fond memory.
"My brother has a piece of glass driven into his frenulum. It was the greatest summer of our lives."
"Two of our kids lost fingers there. Our third can't see the color yellow anymore. Man I miss that place."
You and me both. Action park is the type of Americana we just don't get anymore. There used to be this E36 M3ty little roadside carnival kinda like action park by me. Much smaller, and run by what can only.be described as convicted felons. The gokarts were one of two things even remotely safe enough to do there. They somehow had acquired part of a 50s Russian carnival- some of the rides were amazing. They had the good old fashioned slick track.... Man it was fun. I got kicked out of there more than once for wrecking karts. Famously the last time we sandwiched a kid (he was a pylon and I wanted the inside, buddy moved to close the door) so the kod bounced his front end off my friends kart, flew ate and I pitted him into the wall. The front end of his kart exploded, as I'm sure it was only held together with chewing gum and chaw spit. They black flagged us right then and there, and I almost got into a fist fight with his mom because she was pissed I wrecked him out. I told her he should have berkeleying moved. They tore it down at the end of that season.
