Sometimes it’s not about popularity or performance. This one is all about HISTORY.

1978 Sandown – Peter Brock – #C3927

And some might wonder why a car and driver far away from Missouri USA would appeal to me. Well, I appreciate motor racing history. Not just in my own backyard. From friends I have met thanks to our forum, and many hours reading about the racing in Australia, it was hard not to become a fan.

You can search for the history yourself. I will not spoil it for you. I will include a video that sort of sums it up rather nicely.

So it was time to order the Scalextric model.

This is FAR from the first Holden Torana from Scalextric.

But it is for me. It is just that other releases always seemed to take priority. Veteran enthusiasts will easily relate.  As far as I can tell, nothing has changed over the years. Just the paint.

Nothing is ever perfect in our hobby, but Scalextric executed this one well enough for my eyes. Some fine scale collectors and die hard fans of the 1:1 have found issues and I am no position to argue. I am just not that particular in some areas, so what was delivered is fine enough for me.

I felt the detail level was more than enough to hold my attention. Markings are clean enough, but I noticed just a hint of fading in the rear. Also some paint smudges, particularly in the rear around the bumpers. Not even close to a disappointment for me, but have to call it like it is.

Looking underneath we see the now standard inline configuration. 

I noticed right away that this car had the “Slimline” FF-050 motor. Given the RPM difference (almost 8000) between this motor and the standard FC-130 shown here in the Falcons, it just gave me pause. Seems Scalextric should have at least put the same motor in both the classics for compatibility.

But what makes it worse is the other reports I read stating this motor is 18K. It has never been 18,000. Not even the standard FC-130 is 18K. So keep this in mind if you plan to race this car against that classic Falcon.

So given the age of this mold, it was no real surprise to find these wheels in the rear. Those that have asked if they changed them to the new “15×8” standard?  The answer is no.

The only tires I had on hand to fit were the Paul Gage urethanes shown above. They fit well enough, but they need a good sanding to prevent them from rubbing the fenders. I would also suggest gluing them on the wheel. This is for non-magnet, wood track racers though. The stock rubber is pretty good when sanded and cleaned.

With this high RPM motor,  the car is quite the rocket. It easily outpaces my recent Falcon. No matter, I will swap a milder motor in it and then it can be more of a match. Tuning is what we do around here and I actually look forward to it.

As a stand alone model, I cannot really complain. It worked out of the box on standard Scalextric track with the magnet working it’s magic. Non-magnet and wood track racers will need to do some tuning, but that can be said for just about every ready to run car produced.

For veterans of these models, you likely are very happy. I am a little ashamed of not trying one sooner. There are not many models I have not tried, but this was one of them and now it’s off that “list”. (finally)

Overall I am happy with my first car in the series. I am also pleased the models are offered by USA dealers. With more and more manufactures simply copying each other and releasing the same old tired molds, I am becoming more particular in my purchases.  I do not need yet another Porsche 911 or Group 5 Capri that has been done literally to death. There is more to auto racing than Le Mans and Scalextric has a great niche with this series. You owe it to yourself to check one out. 

-Harry

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