Johnny Lightning diecast cars were originally produced by Topper Toys just after the launch of Hot Wheels.  The original cars were only produced from 1969 through 1971 and featured 47 distinct castings.   31 of the 47 models were released in 1970.  Among the 1970 cars were 7 "Jet Power" cars, which contained a plastic bladder which could be filled with pressurized air that would send the car racing down the track.

I have 14 of the metal castings (including 2 of the Jet Power cars) and most of the ones I believe to have speed potential.  I've purchased a number of them loose, but in good condition with straight wheels.  Findings loose ones in good shape with straight wheels is tough though.  I've also acquired a few in their original blister, but those are hard to come by.  

When the JL brand was re-launched by Playing Mantis in the 1990's, they re-issued some of the original castings.

These vintage cars are super cool, but in doing some trial runs, the cars were not that fast.  I have not applied any graphite though, so that could certainly make a difference.  The wheel caps will make this difficult, but I'll look into the best approach.  More to come.​

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Here is my vintage Topper collection.   The blister example is from the Jet Power series.

I have not formally raced them, but these were the quickest based on a couple of test runs.  Screamer (in blue) looks to be my fastest, followed by Baja, Leapin' Limo and the 60 gram Smuggler.

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Johnny Lightning Topper Inventory (47 castings)

The ones where a weight is listed are the ones I own in my collection.