44 replies to this topic

[Stefano Sbravati]

Moving from another topic, I will show here some pics of a Unicar collection.

My purpose is to start a discussion on this brand, very popular among Italian slot racers in the late '60s.

Let's start from a previously posted picture:



Of course, any comment, additional information, pictures, and so on are gladly welcome.

Thank you all for any contribution.

[Gator Bob]

Stefano,

These cars look yery nice and you have a large collection.

Please post a picture of one of the cars with the body off. Are they all 26D powered?

[Mark H]

Nice collection, and yes, more detailed pictures would be appreciated. Never really seen Unicars before.

Thanks for posting!

[Stefano Sbravati]

Please post a picture of one of the cars with the body off. Are they all 26D powered?

Hi, Professor Bob!
Thank you for reading.

More pictures are coming soon.

Unicar made several chassis, both in aluminium and nylon: mainly Mabuchi 26D were used on nylon chassis (latest production), while 36D were installed on alu chassis (early production).

I did not find much documentation on these cars, as Aldo Favero (the company owner) did like more building cars rather than putting down documentation. Here is what I found (could anybody help me in finding something more decent?):







Please note: prices in ITL. At that time USD/ITL change was at his historical rate of 800. This means a kit was sold then at an equivalent of around 8 USD. Meanwhile, an RTR Cucaracha or Russkit Carrera Series sold at 12,500 ITL, or 16 USD.

[Stefano Sbravati]

Nice collection, and yes, more detailed pictures would be appreciated. Never really seen Unicars before.

Thanks for posting!

Thank you for reading!

Here is one of their "blockbusters": the Alfa Romeo TZ2 (also called "Canguro") in the characteristic metallic "Palla di Natale" livrey.
(How is "Palla di Natale" said in English? I mean those balloons which hang from Christmas trees).

Pictured as found on eBay: quite expensive, indeed.







As you can see, there is a white nylon chassis, which replaced the earlier alu chassis.

Since at AGFA people were very pragmatic, they recycled blisters and boxes from earlier alu production.

[Gator Bob]

Hanging Christmas balls or ornaments....ha-ha.

You have some good documentation for the Unicar. The kit is excellent... but alum. motor carrier and nylon chassis is sure an interesting design.

What name sticker is on the 26D or 36D motors?

Is the 26D a white endbell, two-hole can, blue wire arm with un-caged ball bearings?

[Stefano Sbravati]

Bob, the motors are the Mabuchiest Mabuchis ever seen (here a 26D):

[Stefano Sbravati]

Let's show more details of some models.

Here is a "Noleggio" (Rental Car) which probably never saw a track (The motor is a 36D):

[Stefano Sbravati]

... And here one which probably saw too much track.

[Stefano Sbravati]

Here is another piece: the "Super Aerodinamica".

I don't know much about it: I believe it is present in my documentation as "Nuovo Tipo".

It is, in my opinion, the last addition to their production, before the crash of slot racing business in Italy. Year 1969, if I remember well.

The yellowing of the body lets me think it is original: in addition, it does not have the characteristic mould signs of the present replica. But I can be wrong.

[TSR]

The true question for us at the LASCM is, in what kind of packaging was it sold, since our aim is to obtain the artifacts with everything they came with, boxes, instructions, decals...

We are also desperate for mint and sealed Porsche 906 and Dino kits to complement the kits we already have, and one of the rental cars would be nice.

We have great trades if someone wants to play...

[Gator Bob]

Stefano,

Very cool old cars.

We had a car some what similar to these in the US called GRC Spitfire. I sold a nice condition in box Spitfire about ten years ago and saw the exact picture I took on a website that was identifying all the Thingies from the '60s. It had a plastic 16D motor carrier and drop arm. It used the body mold as the main chassis structure like the rental car you show.

These cars have an amazing long guide lead on the "avantreno" that must have made for an interesting handling car... a Champion 607 would wake up the Super Aerodinamica. LOL.

Thanks for sharing.

[Stefano Sbravati]

We are also desperate for mint and sealed Porsche 906 and Dino kits to complement the kits we already have, and one of the rental cars would be nice.

Philippe, I'm desperate, too.

I'm quite sure there are some hidden somewhere, but it's very difficult, almost impossible to discover them.

I found six hardbody kits, complete and mint: pity the first owner, in order to save space, threw away the boxes and cut the blisters...

[Stefano Sbravati]

We had a car some what similar to these in the US called GRC Spitfire. I sold a nice condition in box Spitfire about ten years ago and saw the exact picture I took on a website that was identifying all the Thingies from the '60s. It had a plastic 16D motor carrier and drop arm. It used the body mold as the main chassis structure like the rental car you show.

These cars have an amazing long guide lead on the "avantreno" that must have made for an interesting handling car... a Champion 607 would wake up the Super Aerodinamica.

Bob, thanks for reading, watching, and commenting.

Do you have any pic of the Spitfire?

Regarding the "607", I've done more: I put a "617" in a chassis. It needed some extra weight in order not to take off...

[Stefano Sbravati]

... And here is a disaster: Alfa Romeo TZ2 hardbody severely damaged.

Do you know anybody who could take care of it?

[TSR]

Jean-Michel would save it with no problem as he has all the necessary talent.

I found six hardbody kits, complete and mint: pity the first owner, in order to save space, threw away the boxes and cut the blisters...

We are of course talking about Miguel Pereira, but I am not sure if Miguel did it himself or found them that way.

[Stefano Sbravati]

Jean-Michel would save it with no problem as he has all the necessary talent.

We are of course talking about Miguel Pereira, but I am not sure if Miguel did it himself or found them that way.

It's a small world, isn't it?

But I didn't buy them from Miguel...

[Stefano Sbravati]

Jean-Michel would save it with no problem as he has all the necessary talent.

Is Jean Michel reading here?

And could Your Majesty entrust me to him, in case?

Very grateful...

[TSR]

Hi Stefano,

Yes, Jean-Michel reads Slotblog. You can PM him, his display is Jean-Michel Piot.

Kind regards,

Philippe

[Jean-Michel Piot]

This is an unpainted plastic I guess ... (otherwise it would not be difficult).

In such a case, I hope that the screen can be removed with white spirit.

Once the screen remove , the sole way I see to have an invisible (or as less visible as possible) repair would be to use a pyrograph (an iron where you can control the heat very precisely) and melt plastic (before it gets brown), possibly adding some identical plastic (chemical composition), of the same color of course and sand down and polish.

I made such a repair on two or three scalextric cars, notably on a very rare Hamley's blue Swivel Guide Cooper (I once had two of them!). One of our great Masters (Pierre Yves Lebeau) made several such repairs as well.

This is definitely not straightforward and if, by chance, not visible from the outside, it can be often be seen from the inside

I would try on one car that I own, accepted once to do it for a collector (on the hardest color: white...) but do not know If I would take the same risk again for a car that is not mine.

Moreover, for the time being I have a HUUUUUGE amount of work for my job. I just ended work today (at 0h30 Paris time) before I came here...

But in few weeks things may certainly change (for the good) for reasons I might explain later.

[Stefano Sbravati]

This is an unpainted plastic I guess ... (otherwise it would not be difficult).

In such a case, I hope that the screen can be removed with white spirit.

Once the screen remove , the sole way I see to have an invisible (or as less visible as possible) repair would be to use a pyrograph (an iron where you can control the heat very precisely) and melt plastic (before it gets brown), possibly adding some identical plastic (chemical composition), of the same color of course and sand down and polish.

I made such a repair on two or three scalextric cars, notably on a very rare Hamley's blue Swivel Guide Cooper (I once had two of them!). One of our great Masters (Pierre Yves Lebeau) made several such repairs as well.

This is definitely not straightforward and if, by chance, not visible from the outside, it can be often be seen from the inside

I would try on one car that I own, accepted once to do it for a collector (on the hardest color: white...) but do not know If I would take the same risk again for a car that is not mine.

Moreover, for the time being I have a HUUUUUGE amount of work for my job. I just ended work today (at 0h30 Paris time) before I came here...

But in few weeks things may certainly change (for the good) for reasons I might explain later.

Thank you, Jean-Michel: could we talk about this later?

[Stefano Sbravati]

Nylon chassis from Unicar came in different shapes, different colors:

[TSR]

Nice!

Some from the LASCM and Ezio Scisco's collection:

Aerodynamica at the LASCM:





Unicar P4 kit at the LASCM:



Note that the body can be built as a spyder or coupe, and there is an extra clear-plastic vac formed body in the kit!!

Unicar P4 built by Ezio:







Unicar 330P2 kit at the LASCM:

[Mike Patterson]

What is the distance from the rear axle to the guide flag post, center to center? That guide looks waaaaay out there!

[TSR]

Mike,

The Aerodynamica has a very short wheelbase so the guide is not as far out there as it looks...

Here is the same chassis over a Ferrari P4: