"Christmas" slot car set.

[chrisguyw]

As it is that time of year again, I thought I would repost this from the old forum.......anyone else with "Xmas" memories ??

Happy Holidays
Chris Walker


For Christmas 1962, my dad bought me a VIP Slotcar set that he purchased at the London (UK) toy show.
He and my uncle set it up on a table in our basement, and when I discovered it I was the happiest kid in the world.

There is actually a story attached to this, which I should share......Up until I went into the basement, that Christmas was not going very well at all for a 6 yr old kid,...I was getting socks, Soap on a rope (remember that), facecloths, and other really boring stuff, and while I had to politely thank my parents/aunts/uncles, I was becoming increasingly more depressed, as, there did not appear to be a toy in sight...not even a bag of "Green army men". After the unwrapping was over, my father worsened my mood by asking/telling me to go to the basement to retrieve some more wood from the wood box, so the adults could enjoy a big fire and sip their eggnog. I flipped the light switch, saw the track, and almost peed myself with delight !!

Anyway, I still have those cars (track is long gone), and as it is the season to remember Christmas' past, I though I would post a few pics. of those "Christmas" cars

Cheers
Chris Walker

PS hope you all have some good Xmas memories.

My original cars,......all I have done over the last 55 years is to clean them, and, replace a few parts with original bits.........they still run great, not the fastest, but, very smooth and quiet.

Image resized to 87% of its original size [1024 x 768]


Image resized to 87% of its original size [1024 x 768]


The following pics. were stolen off "Images" to show the track/set/chassis......they are unfortunately a bit small.

The set as it came....



The Smooth metal track....much nicer looking than black plastic......looks like this one has had a few sections "copper taped"



And an underside, showing the 5 pole motor, independant front wheels, and "Ackerman" steering.....really advanced cars for the time.

[bdsharp]

Me with a new Strombecker set, Christmas '65. I can't say I remember it.

Dig the footie PJs.

[strummer57]

Nice.

As I posted on the "old" forum, my older brother and I got a 1/32nd Aurora (I think it was the "American Classic") set in 1966. Had a red Mustang and a yellow GTO. If I remember correctly, we also received a Revell Ferrari GTO and a Ford GT (of some forgotten make) at that time as well. Older brother was almost a teenager by then, so I had more interest in these than he did.

In one of our family's many moves, it was "lost", and only the memories (and interest, apparently ) remain...

Mark in Oregon

[2fast4u14]

my first set was an ELDON with a big banked curve on one end.ferrari p3 and Porsche Carrera,red and gray.i was hooked(still am).every year after,i would ask for another track.this meant a bigger layout and 2 more cars.great times.

[RichD]

I got an A.C. Gilbert set for Christmas in 1962, I think. I bought another set from a friend plus a few extra track pieces to expand the track. Eventually the track got landscaped with pits, a control tower and grandstands included. I is too bad that I did not take pictures of my track, but I did save the sketch of the layout that I made. My parents sold their house in 1972 and the track went to the dump.

[mattb]

65 I think. The Strom set was OK but the cars were junk. The Cox 1/32 Ford GT was the way I enter commercial racing. I only raced for a year, but it has effected my life for 55 years!!!

[strummer57]

This is a great topic Chris; good idea.

So far, we've seen a nice cross-section of manufacturers:

(2) Strombecker sets and one each of VIP, Eldon, Gilbert and Aurora...

Mark in Oregon

[arroldn]

Christmas 1960 Eldon figure 8 with Indy or F1 cars. I was 8 years old. Grown from that to Scalextric with lights. Became a member of the Eldon Pit Pass club. There was a local electric shop in town that sold Eldon and did repairs. Got Charger and Coronet stock cars. Then got the Escape route track and jump track. On to banked turns. Played with this from 8-18. College and then marriage. Now at 66 I'm still having fun with slot cars.

As a Boy Scout I had a subscription to Boys Life Magazine. They did an article of a HO set fully detailed with mountains and city scape. Cars running through the mountains. Man was that cool. All the mfg advertised in Boys Life. Now that would sure help grab the youngsters if that was done today IMHO.

[War Eagle River]

[glasshorsevh]

Strombecker.... Christmas of 1962. My father had recently bought an MGA for his long commutes to various job sites. “It gets good gas mileage “.... We lived in the Buffalo, NY area at the time and he joined the “South Towns Motor Club”. It was for sports cars, and aside from meetings and rallies, the club would attend the SCCA events at Watkins Glen, Dunkirk Airport, Mosport, etc.... and my brother and I were introduced to slot car racing. The unused train set was stripped from the large table in the basement, and replaced with the Strombecker set. The best Christmas present we ever got! ....surpassing Fort Apache, or the Marx Eskimo set. Yea, we were into little men too.

Val

[HRWJim]

For me it was an Aurora Ho set with the lock and joiner, the metal pins with the plastic lock. It had the steering wheel controller and T jet cars. Wish I still had all the cars.

Jim

[Bluevista]

Strombecker "Hill Climb" set, Christmas '66. The set was a basic figure 8 with two steep hill climb tracks and a straight for the overpass, new style steel recessed rail track, that glued on Strombecker aluminum rail track was pretty bad.
The hills were really hard to climb, the cars either didn't make it up them or would take off at the top of the hill, tire burnout marks melted into the uphill section . The cars were the aluminum chassis Chaparral and Lotus 30, the Chaparral was okay but the Lotus was low and fast. I still have both the cars, running and complete, some of the track,. I shoveled snow, ran to the store for neighbors, and cut grass to get two bucks for two straight sections several times . I saved up for months and got a banked Monza wall, it was the coolest thing in the world.

[strummer57]

Strombecker "Hill Climb" set, Christmas '66... The cars were the aluminum chassis Chaparral and Lotus 30, the Chaparral was okay but the Lotus was low and fast. I still have both the cars, running and complete, some of the track,.

Pictures please...

Mark in Oregon

[slothead]

In the early 60's an Aurora set with steering wheel controllers and T-jet cars came first. Made an oval that was kept under my bed, where it got all dusty and didn't work very well. If I got my older brother to race with me he'd quit after about 5 minutes calling it a "piece of junk". Then came multiple Strombecker sets ordered from the Montgomery Wards Christmas catalog. Acquired enough stuff to build a big track in the cellar on a table dad made for me. A Cox Ford GT became my favorite car and I raced it hour after hour along with a Revell Porsche. I bought a Cooper Cobra body someplace and mounted it on a Strombecker chassis using clear tape and had a small but decent set of cars.

I'm still addicted to slot car nearly 60 years later. In retirement it's what I look forward to everyday.

[stumbley]

Strombecker set with the D Jag and Ferrari Testa Rossa. Still both of my favorite cars. It was Christmas of either '62 or '63...it led to a large collection of track and a few more cars. Mom gave all of it and a comic collection (which contained an original 3D Captain America with glasses—I was at a trade show in the '80's and saw the same issue for sale for $15K)—anyway, Mom gave it all away while I was away at college. Had to wait until I was in my late '30's to start racing again...