Goofy's Red Hot Rod Was Lifted Out of Disney's Pop Century Resort, and a Refurbishment Sign Now Hangs on Barriers Where It Parked

Goofy has lost his car. The red hot rod that sat outside Disney's Pop Century Resort for years has been lifted off its spot and towed away.

A video posted to social media shows the car hanging in the air as a utility vehicle hauls it off. Inside the Magic dates the removal to Wednesday, September 23.

The hot rod on its way out, lifted on the front of a blue utility vehicle. Still from a Dash Destinations (@dashdestinationstravel) social media video, via WDW News Today

Why it left, according to the people who filmed it

The explanation so far comes from a travel agent's social media account, not from Disney. Dash Destinations (@dashdestinationstravel) says the car was removed because of a broken windshield, and both WDW News Today and Inside the Magic cite that account.

Disney has not said anything publicly. Inside the Magic notes the windshield explanation could mean a repair and a return, but "Disney has not publicly confirmed that plan," and there is no announced return date.

What is there now

WDW News Today went to look on Thursday. "When we checked on the area on September 24, we noticed temporary barriers surrounding the space it used to be," the site reports.

The empty spot inside the barricades, with Pop Century's giant 8 track tape in the background. Photo: WDW News Today

A sign on the fencing reads "Please pardon our pixie dust this area is being refurbished for your enjoyment!" A Goofy statue stands right beside it, in swim trunks and holding a surfboard, now posing next to an empty pen.

If you want to see the spot, WDW News Today puts it near the courtyard's edge, between the 1960s and 1970s sections, a short walk from the Everything POP main building.

Repair or goodbye?

That is the open question. "It's unclear whether the car will receive a new windshield and put back into place, or if it will be permanently removed," WDW News Today writes.

A broken windshield is the kind of problem a car comes back from. The sign offers a small hopeful hint, since it says the area is being refurbished. Inside the Magic goes only as far as saying the barriers could suggest more work is planned there. But until Disney says something, nothing guarantees the hot rod returns.

The car was never a ride or a headline attraction, and few guests planned a trip around it. It was a photo stop, though, and Pop Century is built out of exactly this kind of thing: giant yo-yos, bowling pins and Rubik's Cubes celebrating decades of pop culture. Inside the Magic calls the car a fixture since the resort's earliest years. Pop Century opened in December 2003, so the resort turns 23 this December, and the car nearly made it to that milestone with it.

The resort itself has been getting attention lately. WDW News Today recently toured the finished soft goods update to its guest rooms, and Inside the Magic notes a lobby refresh as well.

We will update this story if Disney confirms a return date, or if the car turns up back in its spot with a brand new windshield.

Sources

• WDW News Today, Goofy's Hot Rod Removed from Disney's Pop Century, Reportedly Due to Broken Windshield
• Inside the Magic, Disney World Abruptly Removes Beloved 22-Year Pop Century Staple (Sept. 23)

Image credits: Hot rod removal still by Dash Destinations (@dashdestinationstravel), via WDW News Today. Barricade and Goofy surfboard photos by WDW News Today.