Idea for a new Thunderslot car

[Modlerbob]

I was dusting off some of my older slot cars yesterday and came across my resin Lola GT which I had stuffed an HRS 2 sidewinder chassis into and got to thinking about Thunderslot. Even though they only made three of the 1:1 Lola GTs it was of historical significance as it lead to the Ford GT40 and the Lola T70. I would definitely purchase a Thunderslot Lola GT.

[Bal r 14]

Hell, I'd purchase any new ThunderSlot model they made. They are few and far between.

[4424ever]

Ok I’ll throw it out there just because it’s not mainstream and I’m not afraid to
70 Cutlass 442 😎

[chrisguyw]

While it certainly is a great car, it is tiny, and it would need a ton of stretching to provide the handling characteristics that most folks want to see........I fear that as it is so tiny, the amount of stretching needed would leave it unrecognizable from the original.

Here is a Monogram Lola GT,..........

Cheers
Chris Walker

[Kevan]

Corvette Stingray
Dodge Dart
Ford Mustang Kemp Cobra 2
IMSA Chevy Monza

[Aptosc6]

How about a Javelin to rub fenders with the Mustang?

[SuperSlab]

While it certainly is a great car, it is tiny, and it would need a ton of stretching to provide the handling characteristics that most folks want to see.....

Chris, my first reaction was exactly the same as yours. But then I thought of the wide-fendered Mecom Lola GT. I have the Proto Slot Kit model of this car so I did a few quick measurements. Over the unfendered part of the rear of the body it is 49.5mm wide. This conforms pretty much exactly to 1/32 of the online dimensions of the real car with the width given as 63". The width as measured over the fenders is 56.25mm, which gives a scale width of 70.9". If you consider that the McLaren M6 was 68" wide, if Thunderslot take the same degree of liberties with scale as they did with the M6, they can actually make the Mecom Lola wider than their stretched M6!

Mind you, I am not advocating that they do this, just giving this as perspective. I think it is in any case unlikley to be competitive with the CanAm cars due to its height and weight of the roof compared to the open cars.

But it is pretty...

[Modlerbob]

My thinking is that if they can get a working chassis under the McLaren Elva and make it one of my quickest 1/32 slot cars then it should be no sweat making a Lola GT work as well. It doesn't matter to me whether they fudge some dimensions as long as it looks properly proportioned.

[gsnopoint]

Really like that Lola Alwyn... What do you have under the hood? Need to find me one.

[SuperSlab]

Really like that Lola Alwyn... What do you have under the hood? Need to find me one.

Glen, this is a Proto Slot Ghostmodels body-only kit that I got from Electric Dreams. I see they still have them for about $65: on the expensive side but it is a beautiful pre-painted model and there really is nothing else decent out there so I think it is totally worth it. And compared to the complete RTR version of the same car they sell at like $250 (!), it is a positive steal!

They provide all the glass, decals, interior and inserts, so you only have to do that plus paint the "chrome" side panels: I used a Molotow pen for that. As for the running gear: a complete and utter kludge! Please don't laugh: it actually runs surprisingly well!



The front is cut off some donor Slot.it chassis with an inline pod screwed to it. I had to shorten the pod mount to guide position: cut out a piece and glued it all together with brass square tubing reinforcement. I used some old Slot Car Corner adjustable axle holders glued of the chassis for adjustment of the front axle height: works perfectly. I used a Flat 6 motor as that was all that would fit!

I know: it looks awfully Heath Robinson but it has decent body float, is silky smooth and handles way better than one would think. But then again: I don't think that well in any case! 😁 And it is a rather unique and (to my eyes in any case) extremely pretty little car, so well worth it.

[Brumos RSR]

SirSuperSlab, what’s the wheelbase?

[gsnopoint]

Thank you Alwyn! and thanks for the info.
Might be a little uncompetitive vs the TS, but a great looking car.
Thinking a well versed brass chassis builder could make this run very nicely.

[SuperSlab]

Tony, a quick measure shows 75.3mm wheelbase

[Fast Co.]

This thread has taken a detour, but since we're on the subject here is another version of the Protoslot Lola GT. The body measures about 120 mm in length (excluding the exhaust pipes). It is 51 mm wide at the outer edges of the rear fenders. And the wheelbase is approximately 73 mm. It's a tiny model. I don't recall what kind of chassis is under this one.

[SuperSlab]

Yep, this is the "regular" Lola GT, similar to the one Chris W showed. The version that John Mecom of Mecom Racing modified for the 1964 season of racing which I showed had those obvious flares and would be a better option for a slot car.