105 replies to this topic

[Maximo]

Gentlemen,

I would love to collect any and all photos and magazines scans of the commercial slot car tracks from the glorious '60s.

Specifically, American Model Car Raceways, Hi-Speed/Engleman, Altech, and any others.

Brochures and magazines scans of the various advertisements placed by any of these firms would be most appreciated.

I am trying to create my own little museum of these tracks from the past.

Thanks! :roll: :mrgreen:

-Maximo

[MG Brown]

Check with John Ford . . . I imagine he has a lot of materials that you may find to be of interest.

[Maximo]

Only if I buy it from him. He offered to sell me a CD-ROM or DVD. I would rather spend that money on slot cars and parts.

Thanks, though.

-Maximo

[TSR]

John Ford also believes for some reason in the Great AMF Conspiracy (buying AMR for the sole purpose of destroying slot car racing in America . . .) However, John is a good guy and spent time and money to produce the DVD, so it is only fair that someone gives him money to acquire one.

[Maximo]

Yes, I know that John Ford is a very good guy and has done his part to help slot racing grow and persevere.

My concern is that DVD may not have the magazine ad scans. I have somewhere is storage some old Car Model magazines that I bought from Jim Honeycutt twenty-three years ago and there were some very interesting AMCR ads in them.

-Maximo

[TSR]

I have now ABSOLUTE proof that AMF NEVER wanted to "destroy" slot racing in America or anywhere else for that matters. This proof will be exposed in the new book. All those stories are pure BS.

[idare2bdul]

PDL said;

I have now ABSOLUTE proof that AMF NEVER wanted to "destroy" slot racing in America or anywhere else for that matters. This proof will be exposed in the new book. All those stories are pure BS.

How do we know they didn't buy you off with a free bowling for life pass?

AMF did come pretty close to killing off Harley-Davidson.

[TSR]

AMF purchased H-D but let H-D manage it. That was their mistake. The guys at H-D believed that they suddenly no longer needed to work. So the Japanese progressed and H-D regressed. When AMF found what was happening, they simply sold it at a loss.

AMF did pretty much the same with a lot of companies they owned, and AMRC is one: indeed AMF purchased the stock, but the lock and barrel was still run by the AMRC fellows and life was suddenly easy . . .

Without motivation, a company quickly falls, and this is simply what happened. While the FOREIGN agents for AMF were working their butts off to get going, the AMRC folks did just nothing to pick up the ball and run with it. After a while, AMF just shut them down, not to "destroy slot car racing" but simply because they reaslized that they did not know the subject and were not about to lose money on it.
As usual, and as they did with H-D, they simply assumed the liabilities but never put any money in these companies. Meaning, they pumped cash out, but never put any in.
This is the story of AMF.

[Maximo]

Dokk,

Great stuff to be sure!

The reason I have wanted scans of their ads in the '66 era was I remember seeing a picture and an overhead view drawing of what I thought was a 300' track (maybe called Indy 300)???

The one company taking over another acquistion only to have it implode, is as classic a story model of America business as the cliqued success ones. The hunger and desire to success goes out the door and then before too long "el foldo"....or it's for the tax loss....or to eliminate a competitor....or acquire their technology and production skills and or facilities or...... AMF probably wasn't smart enough to be that devious.

-Maximo Street Journel

[timewarped]

If memory serves me right, there was one of these 300' monsters in Brockton, MA, circa 1966. Sheldon Buck (former MIT rocket scientist) and I raced there, once. It was a VERY fast track, lots of long straights and banked curves, but a pain to practice on because it was a VERY VERY long walk to retrieve your car on the back side of the track. Sheldon won that race with a Champion 707-powered Lancer McLaren using a Fast Wheels chassis, Weldun gears and (probably) Tiny's silicones.
There were at least three tracks in the building, an enormous expanse of space. Never took the long drive back there as we had at least 20 other tracks closer by to choose from. Ah, those were the days, when there was a track in every little town and several in each big city.
I remember seeing an overhead plan view of the track in an ad in MC&T; don't remember the issue. (Don?)

[Rusty Pinion]

Oh, nooo . . . not the bowling ball conspiracy again. The one great thing about slot racing is we didn't have to wear those goofy shoes . . . (some guys did. )

[don.siegel]

Ed,

I'll take a look for the ad - oops, there goes my weekend!

I remember that ad as well, but don't think it was American....

Don

[don.siegel]

Well, that was fast - and ironic!

I look in my index and see an article on AMF concluding a licensing agreement with AMCR to manufacture and sell tracks abroad - Car Model, July 1966.

So I thumb through the issue and see a couple more ads, for the steering wheel track from AMCR, the R&J Custom Line tracks, and the '66 AMCR Congress championships, with the winning team from Checkered Flag raceways in Tujunga, CA . . . Bruce Ericson driving the unlimited car, by the way.

And in the Previews section there's the Indy 300, the "fastest track in the world", 300 lap length of course and banked turns - and the largest commercial track in the world. Manufacturer: Mr. Raceways Division, Model Raceways, Cambridge Mass - no wonder you remembered this one Ed! Will post pics; remind me if I don't!

The biggest American track was the 220 foot Sovereign, announced the year before, and later known as the Purple Mile I believe.

Don

[TSR]

I remember that ad as well, but don't think it was American....

The most complete ads I have seen so far were in 1967 issues of Slot Rod in Australia.
There, AMF has full-page ads.

[Maximo]

Don,

That sounds like the one I was talking about! Please post that scan....please!

-Maximo

[Keith Tanaka]

Maximo, here's an ad from Car Model magazine circa 1966. This American Raceways track is only 220 feet in length!



Keith

[Maximo]

Keith,

Thanks, I have that ad scan already. . . I appreciate your effort in posting that. I suppose it must have been Mr. Raceways. The ad I have in storage is a June or July 1967 issue of Car Model. I might have the cover scan, but that ad has haunted my mind for many years!

I wondered why, if it was AMCR, that no one have ever even mentioned it. Anyone have that Mr. Raceways Indy 300 ad scan??? Do any of those tracks even exist anymore? Does anyone have some good stories to share about Mr. Raceways?

-Maximo

[Keith Tanaka]

Maximo, here's an ad for Mr. Raceways "Indy 300". No photo, only a line drawing of the track layout.



Keith

[timewarped]

That's the one I remember. I can only imagine today's Eurosports and wingies roaring around that track. Padded walls and heavily-padded turn marshals would be required.

[Cheater]

Keith, thanks for posting the AMCR ad with the Sovereign track pic. That's the track I basically learned to race on and it still holds a special place in my memory. I raced for a number of years on the Purple Mile at Ga. Hobby Center.

For anyone who doesn't know, the reason this track got to be called a Purple Mile is that 220 feet is 1/24 of a real 5,280 foot mile.

As far as I know, no original AMR Purple Sovereign remains in use anywhere in the world. :cry: Anyone know differently?

[Ron Hershman]

Well, that was fast - and ironic!

The biggest American track was the 220 foot Sovereign, announced the year before, and later known as the Purple Mile I believe.Don

American made a 240' Emperor track. Only three of these were made so the story goes. The one in France, Buzzy's in NY, and Denver, CO, area. There was drawing in ads of this track. Looked like a big Engleman with two cross overs.

That was the biggest track American made.

[TSR]

The one in France

. . . was a Revell "Laguna" . . .

I raced many times on it.

[Maximo]

Okay,

I keep hearing about Revell commercial tracks in this thread and others.

Did Revell make their own commercial tracks of designs different from the other mfgrs? How many were built? Were these only for a Revell Slot Car Center type franchise location?

This is good stuff, for I have lived all over California for over twenty-five years but AFTER the '60s slot market had long since went away. I did get to visit some track centers that are now gone. The neat one that was in North Hollywood and several in Orange County, Bellflower, and one in PCH. Now long gone, but I'm sure that there are interesting stories of these things still in someone's mind. It's wonderful to read about a couple of kids in their Barracudas out cruising, exploring, and discovering little industrial complexes where tracks were being made! Great stuff . . .

- Maximoto

[TSR]

Yes, David, Revell sold many of their commercial tracks, of NINE different models, the largest being the "Laguna" 240' with two under and over crossings. They sold these not only to their franchised raceways (mostly around the Los Angeles area) but worldwide, all the way to France and Australia.
These tracks are NOT AMCR/AMF tracks and had a different construction and design.

[Steve Okeefe]

I remember, in Brooklyn near Buzzy's, on McDonald Avenue, there was a raceway that had an "Indy 300". It was bright yellow, and looked *exactly* like the drawing Keith posted.

I remember this because in the middle of 1968, not only was it the BIGGEST track I had ever seen, but it was where I, and the crowd I was with, first saw an anglewinder. We all headed back to the Bronx shortly thereafter, to build our own anglewinders . . .

Does anyone else out there remember that raceway?