Scalextric slot cars have been in existence from the from the 1950s. Before they went electric in 1957, the Scalextric slot cars were originally the Scalex wind-up race car model.

After that the track has been through four revisions culminating in a digital innovation in 2004. The cars models themselves did not change too much over the years. The only major adjustment happened early in the life of the brand. The new Scalextric line was debuted at the Harrogate Toy Fair in Britain and quickly took off. The owners at the time, Minimodels Limited, discovered they were not able to satisfy demand from customers and sold the company to Lines Bros Limited that additionally owned a subsidiary that specializing in plastic manufacture. In 1958 the production material was changed from metal to plastic.

Apart from a line of 1:24 scale cars produced from 1968 to 1970 and 1:64 "micro" scale cars introduced in the the nineteen nineties, the Scalextric slot cars have always been 1:32 scale. Sets produced vary wildly in terms of models from actual cars to brand name cars such as Nascar, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as well as The Simpsons.

The Scalextric brand is at present owned by Hornby, the brand leader in the model railroad and slot car pastimes. Hornby is based and publicly traded in the United Kingdom and has set up a subsidiary, Hornby America, to bring their slot cars to US.

Slot car racing boomed in America during nineteen sixties. In the next 10 years sales of slot cars surpassed $500 million annually and over three thousand public courses opened up. Leagues formed to run organized races for the serious enthusiast finishing in national competition. It was this very fervor that would prove to be the hobby's downfall as amateurs eventually felt pushed aside by the serious racers and quit patronizing the public slot car tracks.

Nowadays with the improvements in manufacturing systems there is certainly much more features than previously on commercially available slot cars. Scalextric is leading the way with a move into "micro" cars and smaller scales to reduce the room requirements for home tracks. The brand new digital slot cars designed by Scalextric allows for multiple cars to a slot, giving the slot car races more realistic passing and enhancing the drama.

Scalextric slot cars can be found in a much larger range than previously. Better manufacturing leads to improved performance and functionality. The lowered room demands brought about by smaller scales and extra cars per slot has widened the appeal of the past time for the home fan. Whilst maybe not getting situation where races are are on Telly again, the hobby is yet again becoming increasingly popular.

Hornby continues to stimulate the activity and Scalextric in the United Kingdom and the USA with a big visitors' facility. Additionally, James May from the popular BBC TV series Top Gear not too long ago living out a boyhood fantasy by building the largest Scalextric racing track ever at the abandoned Brooklands racing track.
Scalextric slot cars have also fully embraced the digital world with a social media profile. The brand responsible for the popularity of the slot car is positioned to reinvent the past time again and bring slot car racing into a new age.
Scalextric now come in just about any car make you could wish. You can also get motorcycles, skateboards, horses and go-karts. Scalextric has become hugely popular in the USA. This has a lot to do with their well-made NASCAR and Indy ranges. Whenever you opt for Scalextric slot cars you've more than 50 yrs of proficiency to rely on.

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