The ONLY reason that SOME...of todays cars stick to the plastic tracks...is that they use a, or multiple magnets to hold them to the stainless rails. I have a wood track at home. It uses, "copper" braid, NOT stainless steel, for the electrical flow. So...no matter how much magnet that I "may" (NOT) try to use, there is NO magnetic attraction, of the car to the track. So yes, on many, and most all wood tracks, the cars STILL...slide in the corners, as do "drift" cars today. But...also yes, they CAN be made to run VERY fast. Look up "Group 7" (1/24 scale) slot cars. Cost, upward of $600. Speed, upward of 900 (scale) mph or 80ish, actual miles an hour ! No magnets ! Just Lexan wings to hold them to the track. Mike
The very fastest slot cars today require a great deal of concentration and strategy to win a race. A good example is "where to pass" cars in the lane inside and outside of where your car is running. It's always best to pass on the inside, for the very reason mentioned above- the non-magnet traction (gravity) cars DO fishtail out in the curves. Passing on the outside in a high speed corner can get your car knocked out of the slot! There is something called "retro" racing which is an attempt to duplicate what slot car racing was like in the late 1960's. I'd encourage you to check it out.
Someone asked about painting slot car bodies. Attached is a photo of the body I painted for the 2021 National Championships. It is a tribute to Chase Elliot's #9 NASCAR Cup car. It was painted from the inside with water-based craft paint and an airbrush. No decals were used. All Graphics were masked and painted.
[QUOTE=" But...also yes, they CAN be made to run VERY fast. Look up "Group 7" (1/24 scale) slot cars. Cost, upward of $600. Speed, upward of 900 (scale) mph or 80ish, actual miles an hour ! No magnets ! Just Lexan wings to hold them to the track. Mike[/QUOTE] And you gotta look so far ahead you don't know you've de-slotted till you come around again, or somebody yells.
back in the 60s there were two different slot car tracks in Ontario California that I would bicycle to. what I like to do was instead of using the slot car bodies I would use a regular 1/25 model car bodies… primarily early to mid 60s American cars… even used a ambulance body once for a while. I think the ambulance was made by Jo Han. I was more into stylin instead of Flyin. when I was in the Navy… going to A school in Millington Tennessee in late 1969 early 1970 they had a track at the Navy base and I continued having my slot car fun there. after leaving for my next navy assignment i lost interest of slot cars because i had bought a nice 51 mercury 2dsd in memphis. I don’t remember if I have any of the slot car stuff left at all or not… and sadly i greatly abused that mercury and my dad sold it cheap while i was on a westpac.
Hobby & Track, in Fox Chapel Plaza, north of Pittsburgh. Three large 1/24-scale tracks, I think they also had separate races for 1/32 scale on the same tracks. My brother raced there, but I was not allowed (age requirements? I don't remember why.) I did corner-worker duty. They tore out the tracks in ~1970? But even when I worked there from 1976 to 1978, it was still called Hobby & Track.
I was never lucky enough to have a large scale track near me. All ho scale since I've been a kid, but we still have a nice 4 lane ho setup in the basement, with a train setup as well. Something my son and I love to do during the cold winter season.
I know....but it's a dump! Like a pool hall. I got blasted on Facebook when I mentioned how bad it is. I follow the 1/32 Slotcar Group. They grilled me. I was being honest...the tracks there are old and crappy. Besides, I don't like the winged cars anyways. I go to a place by LAX .Brand new track, and they run all the newer hard plastic bodied cars. NO wings, NO glue, NO smoking, NO alchohol!!! It's called Electric Dreams.
Weren't the group 7's named that originally cuz cars were sposta cost $7.00? Or maybe frames were $7.00?? Seems like I remember that? So now they are $600.??? Wow. I also heard that Motel 6 was named cuz rooms were 6 bucks... Soper 8 was more expensive at 8 bucks... inflation....
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