6 replies to this topic

[philk]

Anyone have a timeframe when these motors came out?

[Jairus]

Not an exact date, but 1968 is a good guess.

But they were widely available through 1969.

[W. J. Dougherty]

I got a Cukras 28/29 double kit for Christmas 1968. It was a fantastic motor for the American yellow we had that ran on powerpacks. One of the best gifts I ever received...

[Martin]

Flower Power baby. 
 
Thanks to the LASCM
 
Mura "John Cukras Signature" motors
 
After several years using the Mabuchi components, George and Ron Mura took the high road and made their own so as to compete with the emerging Champion Company. Using a can manufactured for Tradeship with some modifications, as well as a new molding of an endbell patterned after the Mabuchi FT16D unit but made of much better material, the M400 series was issued in early 1968.

At the same time, Mura signed arguably the best slot car racer of his time, John Cukras, to give technical help as well as race the resulting improved motors. The first series had two-color cans and a black endbell using a copy of the Mabuchi hardware, but they were rather fragile as their armatures had no commutator ties and soldered connectors. Many simply blew up. These are very scarce today.

A second series used a much better white endbell with pent-roof brush holders and one-color cans painted in pink or white, and the armatures were now tied and welded. These were much more successful and were sold in fair quantities. Besides assembled motors, there were motor kits as well as separate armatures and parts such as "signature" endbells. Today a Mura-Cukras motors is one of the most collectible motors ever produced for slot car racing use.
 
Mura "John Cukras Signature" motors
 

[philk]

Cool, don’t remember these from the sixties. This one was giving to me by a friend some years back . Wish the paint was in nicer shape. Really need to build an old style anglewinder to put it in.

[W. J. Dougherty]

Any idea what winds were used? What time frame were there produced? Thanks...

[Jairus]

Read the cards.  The wind is printed on the card.
Time frame for the earlies were late 1967.
The pink motors late 1968.