124 replies to this topic

[dc-65x]

When I was at Eddie's Slot Car World Saturday Eric, the Master Historian for the SHPBAPSCR Museum (Society for the Historical Preservation of Bay Area Pro Slot Car Racing), provided me with something interesting I thought I'd share. Hopefully Tony P and others can chime in on these pictures from the past. First is a Trinity ad with note from Eric about the pictures. I tried to post the images in a rather large format so that they could be down loaded and viewed for closer inspection. They were all saved 1024 pixels wide at a resolution of 200 dpi but Photo Bucket seems to have other ideas. Oh well They are photo copies of photo copies so the quality isn't that great....sorry:







This is the picture that really got my attention:



Here is the same chassis pattern with my Tony P center section I had cloned from a Noose owned chassis:



Here is a link to Noose's Tony P steel car:

Tony P's 1978 Plate Chassis

Tony, can you help me out with the what's what on these two similar chassis designs please . I might need to put the "Laser Dude" to work on this other style .

[tonyp]

Rick, what do you need to know?

[dc-65x]

Hi Tony,

For starters, I wondered which one came first and approximately what year they were made. One of these two is going to be my only "wing car" with full side dams. Which one do you think will perform better on today’s tracks with just spray glue? Did you ever run one or both of these style center sections or were they mostly for customer cars or ???

Thanks in advance, Tony ,

Rick

[Raymond 'Speedy' Gonzalez]

Hi Tony and Rick,

Last week I found in my old workshop/museum an original TonyP shipping box for a steel chassis dated 1976. The invoice handwritten on the inside box cover with an original "TonyP" signature. If anyone would like to see I can post a picture tonight with Tony's permission.

Speedy

[dc-65x]

Hi Raymond,

I'd love to see it! Do you still have the chassis or any other info on it?

Thanks

Rick

[tonyp]

Rick, I used both styles.

The two rails were made from .040" steel and were stiffer, we used them mostly for flat tracks like Elmsford and glue. The three rail was made from thinner steel and had more flex. These we used for spray and or limited glue races.

The two rails we ran with no bar under the rear axle as this gave it more bite...

Not sure on the year. The illustrations seem to contain both Bob Emott's and my handwritting so I believe they were from either Bob's two issue newspaper he tried to start or Somebody's Got To Eat It.

Years I do not remember. The two rail came first, than the three rail... The drawing says that Ernie did use this style to win at Clementon. I am sure it was used after the Iso that you already did a build on that also won there. So we know it was between then and the Elmsford World Champs that Paul Pfeiffer won as I had quit building by then and just built a couple of cars for Ernie for his last race.

[Raymond 'Speedy' Gonzalez]

Rick,

I probably have six to eight of Tony's frames from 1974 to 1978. I do not have a three rail, I would have remembered that. I have diamond fronts, L fronts, and trailing L fronts. We would have to have Tony date them; my memory is not that good. I will photograph this next weekend and send to you.

Speedy

[tonyp]

They are all between '74 and '78... LOL... I could not date them but probably tell you the order they were built... maybe...

[dc-65x]

Thanks, Speedy. I can't wait to see the pictures.

Tony, I think I should go with the three-rail center section then. Thankfully I made it out of .032" spring steel I bought just for this project and not the thicker stuff I already had.

[Ron Hershman]

Rick, I have the bodies you'll need when you're ready.

[tonyp]

The three rail will run well for you. The other for sure needs glue.

[dc-65x]

Thanks Ron.

Tony, any ideas what bodies would be appropriate? Ron's got four pages of vintage bodies on his O/S web site.

O/S Vintage Bodies

[tonyp]

Speedy,

Did you make me my last slot car box? It was just big enough for a car, a controller, and bottle of glue...

[Raymond 'Speedy' Gonzalez]

Tony, my fellow slot car partner in crime Mike Shepard, built that box and later a bigger box for Ernie, and Joel. He builds the best boxes bar none. I think Swiss has a later model box.

Speedy

[tonyp]

Speedy,

I wish I still had it but alas when I quit I handed it to a kid with my car and controller in it at BIR and said have fun.

Rick,

OS 00 Ferrari Coupe
OS 012 Matra

Either would be period-correct to the best of my memory.

[Ron Hershman]

The bodies on the Trinity cars in the Trinity ad are the Ferrari coupe.

The cars pictured below the ad, the white-painted body, I can't tell what body that is due to the poor image. The pic of the two lower darker-painted cars are the O1A Porsche by O/S.

[Raymond 'Speedy' Gonzalez]

TonyP to go box from 1976:









A few more tidbits from Speedy's museum...

[dc-65x]

Hi Speedy,

Thanks for the pics. I can't wait to see all your chassis pics. It's a good thing for there to be different museums and I'm glad you have one, too .

Tony,

Thank you for your constant, unhesitating help with my projects. I can't tell you how much it is appreciated... well. yes I can, IT IS MUCH APPRECIATED AND THANK YOU!

Ron,

Thanks for making these bodies for us and helping me to get the "korrect" versions!

Rick

[TSR]

In a hundred years, and after my new book has won a Pulitzer, that autograph will sell for as much as one of George Washington's...

[Raymond 'Speedy' Gonzalez]

Philippe,

You know I began slot racing in 1964. The racers I read about in model car magazines, were my heroes. I raced at the Champion Williamsburg Nats in 1967 and saw many of these guys in person. It was a dream come true for me. To me TonyP's autograph is more valuable than George Washington's; however I will trade for a Mickey Mantle autograph.

Raymond "Speedy" Gonzalez

[JerseyJohn]

So would Tony...

[Ron Hershman]

In a hundred years, and after my new book has won a Pulitzer, that autograph will sell for as much as one of George Washington's...

Let's hope in 100 years some still know and care about slot cars and their history.

[TSR]

Of course they will, since they won't have anything else to do as they will ALL be on welfare from the World's Council of Earth.

Tony, I think that we have at least two of these frames at the museum. I will have a looksie.

[Raymond 'Speedy' Gonzalez]

Wow, I got more TonyP frames in my museum than Dokk! Here are a few pictures of my last racer 30 years old, still assembled as when retired and all hinges still operable.

[tonyp]

Cool!