With the news today that Sears has filed for bankruptcy, it reminded me of a gentleman I met in LA well over twenty years ago.
This gent told me he had worked for Sears in the 60's and after I explained my affection for slot cars and the Cox La Cucaracha in particular, that during the height of slot car popularity Sears Planning Dept. had approached Cox to build a "Brother" to the La Cuc that would be exclusively sold by Sears.
It would have been a sports racer of no known brand like the La Cuc. It featured a powder blue poly body and mounting just like the La Cuc. The shape was clever but different than the La Cuc that was popular at that time. Sears believed that the La Cuc was indestructible and would bring customers to Sears. He even drew a shape on paper that I put away many years ago. He said it had shared components such as the roll bar and engine intake pipes but the windshield was different. It also used the same driver figure.
He stated that it was to be called the "Tarantula" and would be sold along side with the La Cucaracha and all other slot car products offered at that time. I don't exactly remember why he said it didn't happen but maybe the hint of an impending crash might have been the cause.
I did not believe his story at that time and he has long since passed away... Just thought I would mention it after reading about Sears troubles this morning.
Maximo