The festive period has for generations introduced people to the joys of slot car racing through the gifting of sets as presents or simply whipping up an existing track for some competitive holiday season miniature motorsport fun.
Since its inception in the late 1950s, Hornby’s Scalextric has been a market leader, entertaining households the world over with its unmistakeable racing experience. Over the decades it has continued to evolve into the digital age, yet still retains its original appeal of propelling a scaled-down replica car, or bike in some instances, around an electric-powered grooved race track.
This concept has developed legions of fans and no doubt delivered hundreds of thousands of hard-fought races and perhaps the odd living room stewards’ enquiry for dubious driving. In some cases, it’s the closest and easiest physical activity to play out those dreams of racing for real. Of course, today there are computer simulators that can achieve incredibly accurate and similar thrills, but there is still something quite special about taming a physical car, albeit at 1/32 scale, which explains its lasting appeal.
“The beauty of Scalextric is the entry level for enjoyment is very low,” Hornby’s new CEO Oliver Raeburn explains. “The cars perform differently and there are all sorts of experiences and skills you can get into, but at its most basic it’s pulling a trigger and racing a car. Anybody can do that and that’s why it’s so pleasing.”
It has established a growing community of racers, including this writer, who believe Scalextric is much like a dog, in that it’s for life and not just for Christmas. Receiving my first Scalextric set as a Christmas present – a micro Formula 1 set featuring a 1993 Ferrari and a 1994 Benetton – ignited a passion that has since resulted in the acquisition of multiple sets. Over the past 30 years, that passion has only intensified as the product has moved into its much more advanced digital era.
The result is a collection of more than 170 cars, including such classics as Alain Menu’s 1997 British Touring Car Renault Laguna, Nigel Mansell’s 1992 Williams FW14B, Tony Pond’s 1986 MG Metro 6R4, Dick Johnson’s Australian Touring Car Championship 1988 Ford Sierra RS500 and the 1995 Le Mans 24 Hours-winning McLaren, to name just five. Each of these cars drive and react differently on the track, which only adds to the appeal.
The majority of the collection have logged more miles than the actual real-world counterparts, having pounded around scale replications of Brands Hatch and challenging rally stages, or travelling the globe via a relocation from Australia back to the UK.
I can understand why some may question this obsession, suggesting that surely this is a toy for children. But this is a common misconception. It’s a hobby for everyone. A quick glance at Scalextric’s catalogue provides proof, with its products ranging from contemporary F1, touring, rally and sportscars to a vast array of models from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
This year’s offerings have included incredibly detailed recreations of Colin McRae’s 1995 World Rally Championship-winning Subaru, a 1978 Swedish Grand Prix box set featuring Mario Andretti’s Lotus 79 and Niki Lauda’s Brabham BT46B fan car, and now you can even race Jim Clark’s F1 championship-winning Lotuses and his British Saloon Car Championship Lotus Cortina.
The app has realism settings built in that can mimic tyre wear and fuel, adding pitstop strategies to the challenge, meaning it’s no longer a battle of just driving fast and smoothly
It’s this pure nostalgia hit that keeps its loyal fans coming back. Perhaps the best proof of this was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Hornby enjoyed a resurgence as its business grew by a whopping 25%, evidence that the hobby is very much alive and well.
But for me, it’s the way Scalextric has embraced the digital era that has changed the game, transforming the experience from its humble beginnings. Today, with a digital ARC Air or Pro system, first launched in the past decade, one standard digital set can run up to six cars at one time, instead of the traditional two. These cars can switch lanes courtesy of a well-timed touch of a button on the controller to perform accurate overtakes or put up a defence.
To ensure all of this action is accurately documented, the company’s App Race Control phone and tablet app provides live timing to the thousandth of a second via Bluetooth. It can also log speed and a plethora of race data.
The app has realism settings built in that can mimic tyre wear and fuel, adding pitstop strategies to the challenge, meaning it’s no longer a battle of just driving fast and smoothly. And if you do run out of fuel, the app will reduce the power of a car until the driver limps into the pits for a splash and dash.
Punctures and weather conditions can also be mimicked to similar effects. It’s even possible to play with throttle maps on the controllers to deliver the desired throttle and braking response to satisfy your inner race engineer.
The racing experience with all of these variables has never been better, in my opinion, and it’s incredibly addictive. It provides a perfect nostalgia hit, which we all seem to be striving for these days, but with a modern edge.
And now Scalextric has unveiled an altogether new experience, designed for all to enjoy, whether it’s the seasoned slot car racer or someone new to this 1/32 racing world. Parent company Hornby has just opened its new interactive WonderWorks facility at its headquarters in Margate, Kent on the site of its old visitor centre. Here you can experience the products first-hand thanks to expertly created layouts, one of which has recreated some of Margate’s real-world landmarks to a tee.
This track, where you race to your heart’s content, is surrounded by a walk through Scalextric’s history from its humble beginnings to its digital era. This trip down memory lane evokes plenty of childhood memories, with hundreds of examples of the cars and sets that helped build Scalextric into the hobby it is today.
Visitors can also learn how the cars are designed and made, using the latest technology that aims to create the most accurate of replicas, and enjoy a sneak peak at some of its new range set to hit the shelves in 2024, such as the Ford Puma World Rally Championship cars.
Revered machines from the past are also on display, including what the company believes is its most valuable car – a Bugatti Type 59, made in 1963, which can now fetch an eye-watering price tag of £5000. Likewise, even modern classics are becoming collector’s items such as the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix box set – this was re-released only a few years ago, featuring Mansell’s Williams FW14B and Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP4/7. These regularly reach around the £500 mark on eBay.
The idea behind the WonderWorks is to preserve and celebrate Hornby’s history while also embracing the future, according to Raeburn, who joined the company in January this year, and offered Autosport a guided tour of the facility.
“The old visitor centre was produced about 13-14 years ago and I guess I would sum it up by saying it was a great demonstration of the past of the company and how we got to where we are today,” he says. “I think what we are trying to do with this is to reimagine it and try and show a little bit of the past but get people really involved in the present and get involved in the future.”
But what does the future hold for Scalextric as it aims to build on its recent resurgence?
“The challenge we have is to recognise how important our existing customers are – and of course they are critical to our future – but we need to bring new people into the business,” adds Raeburn. “The romance of the past is hugely attractive and there is a whole trend of nostalgia.
It provides a perfect nostalgia hit, which we all seem to be striving for these days, but with a modern edge
“I think if I could sum it up, we have been very focused on product and engineering. What we are trying to do now is move a little bit more to focusing on customers and their experiences and what happens when people engage with our stuff.”
It’s hard not to agree with Raeburn as Autosport finishes a race against the Scalextric CEO; there’s still something wonderfully satisfying about slot car racing. So, if you have a set lurking in a loft or a cupboard, dig it out and have a race this holiday season – or perhaps you might be lucky enough to receive a new set this Christmas.
