15 replies to this topic

[finscale]

Hi,
 
I found this old car from eBay (USA). I am going to restore it and also use it in some vintage slot meetings here in Finland. Because I know nearly nothing about '60s slot racing cars (I am Scalextric collector and 1/24 European style hard body racer) I would very happy if somebody can tell me more about the details of this car.
 
At first: Do you think it is original '60s car? 
 
According seller the chassis should be Lancer? Motor is Mabuchi FT16. Body (Ford Mk IV) isn't for this particular chassis. Seller though the manufacturer of body is Lancer or Dynamic? Are these chassis and body from the same era? 
 







 
Best regards,

[Guy Spaulding]

Everything shown appears to be period correct for a '60s car, right down to the wheels and tires.  I'm not sure if the chassis was mass-produced or a one-off scratchbuilt model, but the drop arm and motor bracket appear to be mass-produced. The body looks like a Lancer for sure. Everything appears clean and undamaged. 

Should make a fine project car.

[slotcarone]

Looks like the front wheel set up was changed since the O-ring style I don't think was used on that type of frame. There are bushings on the front axle being used for spacers, too. 

Nice find though!!!

[Guy Spaulding]

O-ring tires on threaded rims is unusual for sure.

[endbelldrive]

Hello Kai,

We had a discussion about your chassis and appropriate parts for that era:

Link - Unknown mystery chassis?

It should work out very nicely as restoration project.

[TSR]

It is indeed a Lancer chassis, fitted with a period-korrekt Mabuchi FT16DBB, AJ's Twinn-K front wheels, a Riggen "Auto-Crack" crown gear (they ALL develop one of more radial cracks with age), and unknown rear tires (can't see the rims to tell what they are).

The body is a Dynamic Ford Mk IV issued, like the chassis, in late 1967.

The chassis is missing its two outside 1/16" rails.
 
Have fun with it, the chassis is kind of a rarity! 

[finscale]

Thank you very very much about this information. I can start restoration of the car now  . And next I want to buy anglewinder from early 70's...
 
I know something about Retro racing in States (I even built IRRA™ Retro car three years ago...). But do you have races for real vintage slotcars there?
 
This is off-topic (maybe moderators can split this topic if necessary?). But I would like ask: Do you have any plans to create real Retro Nats in States in some days? I can see you have some big Retro races there. But I also see many organizations and different rules. This kind (Retro Nats) of big meeting would be very interesting for foreign racers (like me). 
 
Best regards,

[TSR]

Hi Kai,

Not yet... but it would be good to have such races. Problem is, very little from 1968 through 1973 survives as far as chassis and often, motors, while quite a bit from later (1974 through 1980) appears to float around...

[finscale]

Restoration work is ready now (except I am looking for faster motor). Body is Lancer Ferrari 350P4 CanAm with Patto's stickers. Also the first track tests has done.

 

 

 

 

[Pablo]

Nice job, looks great !

[TSR]

Very nice! 

It also appears that some RTR models were produced using those chassis, both the sports car and the F1. Indeed we have unearthed what appears to be genuine RTR cars, one with a Lancer Lotus type 49, one a Cooper-Maserati both obviously factory painted, using various components such as Riggen crown gear, late-production Pactra guide flag and Mabuchi FT16DBB motors.
A sports car RTR chassis bearing what is certainly a replacement body as the original might have suffered racing damage was also found from the same source. So who did it? Lancer? A distributor? At this time, another little mystery...

[don.siegel]

Any chance it was one of the AW specials? They did earlier Team Russkit style chassis/car kits, maybe they evolved... 

 

Don 

[TSR]

Don,

I do not think so because it does not show in any AW catalogs and Oscar told me that after a short time the chassis builder that did it for them simply did no more and that was it. The AW "Pro" kits lasted only 2 years on the AW catalogs. They were never sold as RTR models, only as kits.
 

The LASCM has one of these Lancer chassis in the original packaging (so far the only one we have seen with an actual tag), so we are sure of what it is. But the RTRs? That's a mystery other than they do use Lancer bodies and chassis, are very obviously factory painted and have parts made by friends of the Lancer company, especially Pactra to which they were selling bodies. Production HAS to be in late 1967, early 1968 since the late-series Pactra guides were not available until then.

[Jens Scale Racing]

Hi Kai,

 

nice to see that you are not only running fast and modern cars...

 

Welcome to the good old times!

[finscale]

Hi Dieter.

 

Yes. I like vintage slot cars very much . I am also very interested in history of the hobby.

 

BTW. This 60's Lancer Ferrari is much faster than my DSC cars  

 

BR 

[Jay Guard]

.... But I would like ask: Do you have any plans to create real Retro Nats in States in some days? I can see you have some big Retro races there. But I also see many organizations and different rules. This kind (Retro Nats) of big meeting would be very interesting for foreign racers (like me).

Kai:

We don't have an "official" Retro Nats race here in the States but in my opinion the "R4" race held in March in Columbus, Ohio is as close to a " Retro Nats" as you will find.  It is considered a "Premier" Race by the IRRA ™ racing organization and draws virtually every top Retro racer in the eastern half of the Unitied States.

 

If you'd rather go to the the West coast then the biggest Retro race would definitely be the Checkpoint Cup held at Buena Park Raceway in Los Angeles, CA in January.  They use their own SCRRA rules but fortunately the rules for these two races are quite similiar so very few (if any) changes would have to be made to run your car in either race.

 

As you mentioned there are several other big, well attended Retro events throughout the year but the two I mentioned above are generally considered to be the "Retro Nats" by most racers.