Scalextric

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6-lane Scalextric layout with colour-coded lanes

Scalextric is a slot car racing brand that first appeared in the late 1950s and is currently a major international brand owned by Hornby. Scalextric is a brand name that, in the UK, has become almost a generic term for slot cars (as Hoover did for vacuum cleaners)

1 Products
2 History
3 In popular culture
4 External links

[edit] Products

The majority of Scalextric Products are 1:32 scale, although micro scalextric is 1:64 scale.

There is also Scalextric Sport Digital, where you can race up to 6 cars on a single track

[edit] History

Scalextric came from the Scalex brand of Minimodels Ltd which was a clockwork powered race car system that first appeared in 1952. Their inventor Mr B Francis showed Scalextric ("Scalex" plus "electric") cars at the annual Harrogate Toy Fair in 1957. In 1958 unable to meet demand for their popular range the parent company was sold to Lines Bros Ltd who operated as "Tri-ang". Their subsidiary Rovex which specialised in plastic then developed Scalextric converting the metal cars to the easier and cheaper to mould plastic. The track which was originally a rubber compound became moulded plastic at a later date. Production continued at Mini-models in Havant until 1967 when it moved to Rovex's own site.

When Lines Bros collapsed, their subsidiary Rovex-Triang which handled Scalextric and the Hornby railway brand was sold off eventually becoming Hornby Railways. Although Scalextric remained based in the UK, most of the products are made in Asia.

Scalextric-USA created a store front in Auburn, WA showcasing Scalextric slot cars, tracks and accessories. Scalextric Raceworld has been going strong, exposing newcomers to the world of slot cars and tracks.

[edit] In popular culture

Joan Manuel Serrat mentions the Scalextric in his song called "La mujer que yo quiero"
Half Man Half Biscuit sings about Scalextric in the song "All I want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague away kit"