92 replies to this topic

[Brian Cochrane]

Retro racing right now is currently in its eleventh year and going strong. This is far longer than slot racing's "heyday" back in the 1960s.

 

The reason is that Retro racing chose a set of rules which uses a scratchbuilding platform similar to the glory days of slot racing and powers the car by a powerplant that is low cost and very equal. Plus the cars look like cars of the late '60s and driving them is similar to the '60s.

 

Retro racing also has a nice mixture of racers from young to old. People who have bad things to say about Retro racing probably never tried racing Retro.

[aquavelvis]

Can someone help me ID this one? It's very similar to the one in the OP but not identical.
 
I picked it up on eBay last week where it was described as NOS but the seller had it listed among at least 100 slot car-related auctions and didn't/couldn't state the manufacturer.
 
Showed it to my local long-time shopowner, a guy named Jim, and he thought it might be an REH.
 
Thanks in advance for help identifying it as well as its approximate year of manufacture.
 
 

[Bill from NH]

Scott, Jim is correct, the chassis is a REHCo.

[aquavelvis]

Thank you, sir!

[Arne Saknussem]

I prefer build motors to buying many throw away motors . 

 

Me too, but them's the rules.  Don't like it, don't race 'em.

[MrWeiler]

Retro is kinda "what if" Science Fiction type racing. Like what if Anglewinders had never been tried and new bodies would have been outlawed where would have inline chassis design have progressed?

[axman]

Why don't Retro racers use true Retro chassis from the '60s and '70s like this?

 
Well, David, I for one am glad we don't. For any class of racing to succeed you have to have other racers to race against. I was there in the '70s racing in Australia and overseas and I'm glad it's finished. A huge skill set was required to build and race these things. In Australia to succeed you had to be the whole package and build our own chassis, motors, and bodies. To get a following these days to do that is just not going to happen.

Whoever did the Retro rule set has done a pretty good job. It's a good balance of racer and retail. I've just come back from racing Retro at Hornsby and we had about 25 cars. The interesting thing is almost non of the racers have actually built their own. In most cases they buy a ready-built chassis... and simply screw in a motor, get some wheels out of a bottle, mount the body, and you're away. (Non of this burning finger stuff soldering in the motor while trying to get the right mesh.) And best of all the low torque Chinese motor don't want a track bogged down in glue so the track owner is not going to have the Flexi brigade smoking motors after the race.

Be there, done that... I'm not going back.

[Half Fast]

Kim-
 
Do you use IRRA^® rules in Oz?
 
Cheers,

[axman]

Aussie Retro is a combination of IRRA^® and SCRRA. No ball races, single parallel hinge only. We use JK Hawk Retro on larger banked tracks like a KIng and Plafit Cheetah on the flat tracks. 
 
Our rule set is HERE.

[Mark Wampler]

With reading only the title of this thread, I'd say technology is the reason. 

[Pete L.]

I got into the Jail Door cars and bought jigs and parts, learned how to build the cars, both GP and Sports cars. We actually ran several GP Jail Door races at The Race Place in Farmingdale, NJ.

 

I also raced a couple of Jail Door races with the Retro East guys years back. Those cars were a challenge to build and drive, but lots of fun... I thought they were a great idea!!! In fact, I wonder where all those Jail Door cars are now?

[axman]

I've built a couple Jail Door chassis. I see them more as vintage than Retro. Nice shelf queens when married to correct scale narrow bodies... and for me they are very desirable If they mimic say a Morrissey chassis and look the part with a Russkit or period hot rewind. I just cant come at putting a Chinese motor in one of these.

 

You've obviously got the skills to build a Jail Door so you only have to go one more step - attach hinged side pans and you've got a much better handling Retro. And more guys to race with.

[NSwanberg]

I'd like to see a builders award at Retro races for the racer that does the best with his own scratchbuild using a motor bracket and a solder-on guide tongue as the only allowable pre-formed or bought parts.

[Noose]

In Retro East we give the Constructor Award to the builder who has the most points in our series.

[old & gray]

I'd like to see a builders award at Retro races for the racer that does the best with his own scratchbuild using a motor bracket and a solder-on guide tongue as the only allowable pre-formed or bought parts.

 
In the NorCal area would that be Jim Fowler! When he isn't finishing on the podium (and running races, previewing setups, and writing race reports).

[slotcarone]

I'd like to see a builders award at Retro races for the racer that does the best with his own scratchbuild using a motor bracket and a solder-on guide tongue as the only allowable pre-formed or bought parts.

There are many chassis being built just that way and winning regularly in Retro East.

[slotcarone]

I also raced a couple of Jail Door races with the Retro East guys years back. Those cars were a challenge to build and drive, but lots of fun... I thought they were a great idea!!! In fact, I wonder where all those Jail Door cars are now?

Back when we were racing Jail Door cars regularly in Retro East, I built probably 30 chassis that were all sold through Hudson Valley Raceway. Still around somewhere! My favorite class.

[Tim Neja]

Why do people always confuse "Retro" with vintage?  

[Pablo]

Because they don't read Slotblog enough. 

[Bill from NH]

In hindsight, the originators of Retro should have called it something entirely different. If they had, it would have have eliminated any 'retro/vintage' confusion some people seem to have. According to Merriam-Webster, vintage is a synonym for retro and vice versa. So those people aren't as confused as others like to think.

[Pablo]

Good point, sir. 

[Cheater]

In hindsight, the originators of Retro should have called it something entirely different.

I said the exact same thing almost ten years ago, but it's pretty darn hard to get the toothpaste back in the tube, you know.

Heck, I tried to encourage several groups to stop using the D3 designation. That term originally meant USRA Division 3, a link-up that was firmly refused by the West Coast racers to whom it was proposed. But no... I was informed it was too firmly entrenched to change.

[MSwiss]

In hindsight, the originators of Retro should have called it something entirely different. If they had, it would have have eliminated any 'retro/vintage' confusion some people seem to have. According to Merriam-Webster, vintage is a synonym for retro and vice versa. So those people aren't as confused as others like to think.

 

It seems like a non-problem to me.

Even if one wants to make the case, it somehow is, what's a better one or two description that you could "prefix" in front of "racing"?

[Bill from NH]

"Sealed FK motor."        

[jimht]

"Non-vintage Retro"