The Joys of Model Racing

While the present generation has thoroughly moved into the digital age, for millions of people before them slot cars were a cherished feature of childhood; and, for a few wonderfully eccentric hobbyists, they are still the next best thing to climbing into turbo-charged reality, smashing the gas pedal down, and roaring into the thrill of the race.



(Chris Burden's Metropolis II: a huge kinetic sculpture made from slot cars;

1912 was a rather eventful year: New Mexico and Arizona became states, The RMS Titanic hit a iceberg and sank, The Girl Scouts were founded, the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Giants, and Lionel toys produced and sold the very first slot car set (right image below):



"I am an artist the track is my canvas and my car is my brush." --Graham Hill

Here's a classic slot car track :





For those unfortunate few who never had the bliss of assembling the track, picking just the right car, squeezing the little plastic control - and sending that same perfect car flying out of control across the rec room carpeting, slot cars are mechanically very simple:

The track is modular, allowing an almost infinite number of configurations: from the Monaco Grand Prix to Germany's Nürburgring. It has two power strips and the cars have fickle brushes to pick up the power as well as a neat little electric motor to make the wheels go 'round.

However, what those already-mentioned eccentric hobbyists have done with that simple concept is truly staggering: from cars that are exquisitely detailed and painstakingly reproduced from high-performance reality - to tracks that run from exact scale copies of legendary circuits to totally insane fantasy. It seems that slot cars have become the medium for a dazzling amount of creativity.

"Anything happens in Grand Prix racing, and it usually does." --Murray Walker





Speaking of creativity, take a look at these totally whimsical slot car designs by Ken Butler - an anchovy can, a mousetrap, a violin, a cell phone and a fishing lure (I guess, for those really hooked):








"Be it jewel or toy, not the prize gives the joy, but the striving to win the prize." --Robert Bulwer-Lytton

The most famous car chase in movie history? "Bullitt", of course! And now - this chase is recreated in slot cars, as could be expected: in 1/32 scale, lovingly made by the slot car UK enthusiast Emigre:




And here's where art and beauty meets slot car fun.





Why does a track have to be just loops and hammerheads and all that? Here's a really fun and unique approach to racing: a hill climb!





When you talk about brilliant track designs, though, you have to talk about the beautiful, and commonly considered most impressive, slot car track in the world: James-Michael Gregory Harlan's White Lake Formula 1 track. Taking over 3 years to complete, the track is the ultimate racing circuit in a very convenient smaller scale - watch video:






"It is amazing how many drivers, even at the Formula One Level, think that the brakes are for slowing the car down." --Mario Andretti

Even though they may be small in stature, that doesn't mean the slot cars can’t be ... well, 'immense' doesn't quite fit but you have to admit the track that was created by journalist, and Top Gear presenter, James May for his wonderful BBC series Toy Stories, has a huge amount of WOW power: ladies and gentlemen, auto enthusiasts of all scales, the world's longest slot car track!

If you don’t know James May and his Toy Stories Show, you really should: determined to reintroduce 21st century kids to his own beloved childhood hobbies, he – with the help of the great British public – created and assembled a full-size model Spitfire, a Meccano bridge strong enough to support a man, a Lego house big enough to actually live in, an entire garden made out of Plasticine (and enter it into the Chelsea garden show), then a ten mile long model train track.

But the episode we're interested in is the one done as a celebration of Scalextric (the British slot car manufacturer) as well as the legendary Brooklands racetrack. Using planning that rivaled putting on a Grand Prix, James created a 2.75 mile long track - watch video - that followed the original race course. When it was finished, the flag was dropped and two teams – one made of slot car enthusiasts and one of just local folks – blasted at scale speeds towards the finish line. But since it wasn't possible to power the entire length of the track a relay system had to be used, so as the car passed from one section of track to the other someone new had to take control.

James May (life size) posing with Scalextric race cars (smaller scale):



(images credit: Toy Collector)

Another video to watch is here... Well, if you think that James May's celebration of both Scalextric and Brooklands was wild, check out the plans that Mazda has for the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed: no less than a life-size slot car track.




And if you think that all this is a bit too whimsical -- that slot cars are fine and dandy for crazy stunts or seriously dedicated hobbyists -- then take a look at the following designs for public transportation systems, all of them using the same basic idea of our beloved childhood toy. The slot car is not just racing in miniature, a venue for art and eccentricity, but it's actually become a plan for the future of transpiration