40 replies to this topic

[Rick]

The track that was reported to cost $4,990 in 1966 would cost $32,630 in 2009 dollars. Were tracks that expensive back then?

 

Yes.

[Mr. Frank]

That was a lot of money in them days..

[TSR]

All the companies building tracks at the time had them priced between $2,500.00 and $7,500.00, and you can multiply this figure by five to come to today's deflated dollars value.

American Model Racing Congress sold "keys in hands" raceways, which were everything needed except for the actual building, for $1,0000.00, mostly to retirees looking for something they could invest in, operate, and augment their income, at a time when couples saved money for their retirement. Over 2,000 such retirees invested in what was little else but a bad business plan. The failure of AMRC that was swallowed by AMF, then jettisoned when it appeared that the promised product sales did not take place as most users simply built their own cars from scratch or inexpensive components, caused these people to lose all their savings and stuck with the prospect of liquidation of a business that generated profit for the first six months, then losses ever after.

Stan Engleman sold his 220" as shown of these "Elvis Estate" pictures (the estate needs to confirm if these pictures were taken at Graceland), for $4,600.00, not including the electro-mechanical lap counter, the mechanical wind-up timer (yes!), and the power supply.

Mucho Pesetas!

[Bob Chaney]

Stan Engleman sold his 220" as shown of these "Elvis Estate" pictures (the estate needs to confirm if these pictures were taken at Graceland), for $4600.00, not including the electro-mechanical lap counter, the mechanical wind-up timer (yes!) and the power supply.

I forwarded the picture to the Archive department at Graceland, and received this reply:
 
"The picture is grainy but that’s the room."

[tonyp]

When I worked in the raceway in Irvington the owner said the track cost for the four Englemans was $20,000. Add the cost of everything else into the picture and a $5,000 a month rent in 1966 and there was no way it could last.

[TSR]

The picture is grainy but that’s the room.

Excellent, and a proof that the poorly assembled, beat-up Cox Lotus and Cheetah were indeed Elvis' own cars. As Edo, a "Troubled Assembler Chick Magnet".
We cannot help but love the guy.

Yes, I know, I am a hound dog too.

[Hworth08]

Wow, that was a lot of money.

Now I see why the first commercial I raced on was simple, home-built, and used copper tape. That track had to compete with space for bicycles. After a year the bicycles won.

[Mike Patterson]

Bob,

Thanks for following through and sharing what you found out. It's stuff like this that keeps my brain cell going !

[68Caddy]

I don't care what Elvis had in his life but I sure care about the guys that made slot car racing what it was back then to make Elvis
buy a track, kudos to you young guys back then for putting this hobby in the Main stream and making it what it is today.
Elvis just bought the cool stuff back then and it was slot car racing thanks to our hard core racers back then.


Nesta

[mwjsone/page]

John Ford is the guy to ask. He has seen the King in person and Ramcat Larry stated that the track was in the coachhouse.

[TSR]

He MET the KING?
He better never wash himself again!

[johnford]

He MET the KING?
He better never wash himself again!

I did meet the King and the Beatles too, along with a host of other stars of the past. Or at least my alter ego did... Johnny Dark.

HOWEVER... when it comes to the track at Graceland, I only saw a picture, and not a good one either. In my piece online, I was wrong and it was NOT a King track, but a special ordered track from Stan Engleman while he was building in El Paso. One of these days I will update that website and make the correction...

jf

[Ramcatlarry]

WHAT JF said....interesting that Graceland said that the track IS gone...somewhere.

FYI: Slotmaster made several models of controllers both resistor AND transistor with the same handle and heatsink configuration. I have one of each and a wiring diagram for the transistor model. It still works although the range of control is limited, the basic design is the same as any modern transistor control.

[Ron Hershman]

The "King" had a "potato masher"

[Gator Bob]

Just So Cool !!! Cox, Dynamic, Wilson, Slotmaster and Englemann

[Gator Bob]

FYI: Slotmaster made several models of controllers both resistor AND transistor with the same handle and heatsink configuration. I have one of each and a wiring diagram for the transistor model. It still works although the range of control is limited, the basic design is the same as any modern transistor control.

Found my resistor version and I'm flipping out looking for the transistor model. It can't be too far, tried it about a year ago and it worked great with vintage cars. Dang!

Larry, Could you please post the wiring diagram over in controllers if it is not there already.
Thanks,
Bob