Scalextric slot cars have been in existence since the later part of the 1950s. Prior to going electric in 1957, the Scalextric slot cars were originally the Scalex clockwork-powered race car brand.
After that the track has been through 4 changes culminating in the digital innovation in 2004. The actual cars models themselves did not change much throughout the years. The only significant modification happened at the start of the life of the brand. The new Scalextric range was debuted at the Harrogate Toy Fair in the United Kingdom and immediately shot to popularity. The owners at the time, Minimodels Limited, discovered they were not able to meet marketplace demand and sold off the organization to Lines Bros Limited who also operated a subsidiary company that specializing in plastic. In 1958 the production material was changed from metal to plastic.
In addition to a collection of 1:24 scale slot cars made between 1968 and 1970 and 1:64 “micro” scale cars introduced in the nineties, the Scalextric slot cars have been 1:32 scale. Sets manufactured run the gamut of styles from race cars to brand name products such as Nascar, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as well as The Simpsons.
The Scalextric brand is presently owned by Hornby, the brand leader in the model railway and slot car interests. Hornby is based and publicly owned in the Uk and has set up a subsidiary company, Hornby America, to import the brand to the United States Of America.
Slot car racing boomed in the United States in the 60s. Over the following ten years revenues of the pastime exceeded $500 million annually and over 3,000 public racing tracks launched. Leagues established to operate organized races for the serious hobbyist culminating in nationwide titles. It was this very enthusiasm that would prove to be the hobby’s downfall as amateurs ultimately felt crowded out by the professional competitors and quit patronizing the public race tracks.
Today with the innovations in production systems there is certainly more features than previously on commercially available slot cars. Scalextric led the way with a push into “micro” cars and much smaller scales to decrease the space requirements for home tracks. The new digital slot cars designed by Scalextric allows for multiple cars to a slot, providing the slot car races more realistic passing and also increasing the excitement.
Scalextric slot cars are available in a much larger range than ever before. Better manufacturing results in increased performance and detail. The reduced room needs brought about by smaller scales and added cars per slot has broadened the attractiveness of the hobby for the home enthusiast. Whilst perhaps not getting situation where races are televised again, the pastime is yet again becoming increasingly popular.
Hornby continues to stimulate the pastime and Scalextric in the United Kingdom and the United States with a large visitors’ facility. Additionally, James May from the well-liked BBC show Top Gear recently living out his boyhood wish by building the biggest Scalextric track ever at the old Brooklands race track.
Scalextric slot cars also have totally embraced the digital world with a social media presence. The company responsible for the rise of the slot car is positioned to reinvent the hobby once again and bring slot car racing right into a modern age.
Scalextric today are available in almost any car model you might wish. You can also get motorcycles, skateboards, horses and go-karts. Scalextric is now massively well-liked in the United States. This has a lot to do with their well-crafted NASCAR and Indy ranges. Whenever you select Scalextric slot cars you’ve got more than 50 yrs of know-how to count on.
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