Vintage Slot Cars

The slot car is well known by everyone in one form or another. The 1950s and 1960s were a time when people could enjoy all the new and exciting things being introduced for consumption. With music styles and new modes like hula hoop and seductive, it was the advent of the slot car racing business.

Companies like Revell, Monogram, Cox and Strombeck, took detailed models of popular stock cars, Indy cars, Formula 1 cars and sports cars, has added rudimentary chassis with motors and the hobby of racing auto site was officially created.

Home sets have been sold by the tens of thousands at Christmas, HO scale, scale 1 / 32 and even 1 / 24 scale. Of course, shopping with family and friends on a plastic track is fun, but soon the desire to compete on a larger scale becomes a huge business opportunity.

commercial raceways in 1963 consisted of small oval or figure 8 in the back of DIY. Four to six lane layouts are commonplace. All tracks slot car were custom made. There were no standards so no two were the same and the number of channels have been as high as ten years. Only in America pipeline model into production a complete range of tracks Formica beautiful face, a standard 8 lane, has been set.

As the popularity of slot car racing has increased, more companies have been trained to respond to the request mad. The first cars adapted toy motors and HO train engines for propulsion. Soon Mabuchi motors of Japan began producing engines for slot cars.

Before 1966, emphasis was laid on the scale and detail. A slot car was essentially a model car with an engine adapted to it. Manufacturers are working mold master who photographs examine all angles of each new car racing season, even some vintage models. Some even ask permission and licenses from the owners of car and can accurately measure the actual car, and then reduce these measures to 1 / 32 or 1 / 24 scale.

The tires used on the car to the top slots have been real rubber, just like on real cars. The tires were molded to the shape and every detail right down to the logo Firestone. These slot cars were too heavy and slid around really. Get around a track with any pace took a very good driver. Majority of people who do slot cars back then and today are not good drivers. Just as Tiger Woods is the best golfer or Michael Schumacher is the best driver, some people have innate skill to be good at racing slot and most did not.

In 1966, the emphasis changed the hobby. Go fast and make the car easier to drive to sub became the new priority. The beautiful appearance and precise across the slot car would become the victim.

Today, the first car under very scale are by far the most collectible. Some rare slot cars sell for over $ 1,000. Not bad for something that was $ 8.95 new.