Fly Car Models History

[dinglebery]

I was looking online for some history of Fly cars and couldn't find any. Does anyone know where I can find a list of cars that Fly made, starting from the first car? Does that exist?
One of the first cars I bought was C34 - the Lola T70 Mk3B. I "think" I purchased this car before 2000, but I'd love to Know! When was it released?

[Junior]

Did you try this site. http://www.wikislot.com/. Seems to have some gaps, but a lot of good info.

[Pappy]

I have what I think is the one of the first Fly catalogs. I also have some of the cars in it but I don't have the cases for them. I believe I have your number 4 Lola T70. None of them have ever been on the track. It's 4 o'clock in the morning and later when I get out to my shop I'll look for the catalog and see if it says anything.

The way I acquired the cars was when I had my commercial slot car track I bought my inventory from REH Distributing here in Cincinnati. REH was the largest Fly distributor in the U.S.. They took them to a hobby show and put them on display. When they got back they didn't put them back in the cases and lost the cases. So they made me a good deal on them and bought them.

[War Eagle River]

Have been working on this list for years, lost interest a while back. It is quite extensive, Could use some updating. It's not completed with dates and all model numbers. Maybe someone on here can fill in the blanks for us? It's in Excel format. Have to figure how to get it on here.

[War Eagle River]

Incomplete list. No dates. Folks are more than welcome to download and make adjustments and additions. Just be sure to share!
Fly-Complete-List.xls

[Pappy]

I found my Fly catalog and the only date on or in it is 2000 on the front and back covers. The only cars pictured are the A series the C series and Steve McQueen series of three cars from the movie Le Mans, they are listed as SM1, SM2 and SM3.. Your C34 is listed with a picture and I do have the same car.

[War Eagle River]

I have 6 FLY CD’s that are catalogues. But haven’t transferred them into the XLS file I attached.

[Fast Co.]

That particular model, C34 first appears in the 1999 catalog.

Here is a list of the early catalogs that show when the Fly Classics first appeared. This doesn't mean the cars were actually released in the same year they appeared in the catalog. You can probably determine which ones were delayed by their appearance in subsequent catalogs.

1997
Ferrari 512S (C1, C2)

1998
Ferrari 512S (C1, C2, C3, C4)
Porsche 908 (C11, C13)

1999
Ferrari 512S (C2, C3, C5)
Lola T70 (C31, C32, C33, C34, C35, C36)
Porsche 908 (C11, C12, C13, C14, C15, C16)

2000
Ferrari 512S (C2, C3, C5)
Porsche 908 (C11, C12, C13, C16, C17)
Ferrari 512S Berlinetta (C21, C22, C23, C24)
Porsche 908 Flunder (C41, C42, C43, C44, C45)
Lola T70 (C31, C32, C33, C34, C35, C36)
Steve McQueen Collection (SM1, SM2, SM3)
Porsche 917K (C51, C52, C53, C54, C55, C56)
Porsche 908/3 (C62, C63, C64, C65, C66)

2001
Ferrari 512S (C21, C22, C26)
Ferrari 512S CL (C27, C28, C29)
Porsche 908 Flunder (C46)
Porsche 908 Flunder LH (C47, C48, C49)
Porsche 917K (C51, C53, C54, C55, C56, C57, C58, C59, C81)
Lola T70 (C35, C36, C37, C38, C39)
Porsche 908/3 (C62, C63, C64, C65, C66, C67)
Ford GT-40 (A181, A182, A183, A184)
Porsche 917/10 Turbo (A161, A162, A163, A164)
Steve McQueen Collection (SM1, SM2, SM3)

I stopped collecting Fly catalogs after 2001. Fly Classics are still among some of my favorite slot cars .

[Pappy]

Your 2000 catalog is exactly what my 2000 catalog shows.

[chappyman66]

The first Fly cars were the Vipers, if I recall correctly. They also released the Venturi and Marcos as GT cars before the Classic cars started coming out, I believe. The Sunoco T70 made the big splash early on...that really set the standard for graphics in the day. Then they capitalized on the Classics line and the rest as they say is history.

[MrAdept]

Fly Started in 96 with the A1 and A2 Viper GTS-R. White with green stripes and Metallic Blue with White strips.
Followed by the A3 and A4 in early 97, dayglo Yellow and Orange respectively.
The Venturis appeared in mid 97 just prior to the Marcos.
C1, First of the classics appeared around Sept 98.

[Fast Co.]

I must have purchased my first Fly cars sometime in early '98 because the retailer had the Fly 911 GT1 on the shelf. In fact, the Le Mans 2nd place car was my first Fly purchase, along with the Gaugemaster's Marcos. I was amazed by the high level of details in the cars, especially that Porsche with the two-piece gold and chrome wheels. I took those cars home on that day and the very next day I was back to buy the two day-glow Vipers. Then a search on the internet opened my eyes to a whole new world of 1/32 scale cars. By about 2003, I had every single Fly release except the Limited Edition E2 Viper pace car. I never did acquire that car, but I do have a white prototype that has no paint and no graphics on it except an Exxon logo across the upper part of the windshield. At about the time Fly started releasing the Playboy limited edition cars, I decided that I wasn't going to continue to collect everything they produced and I became more selective about my subsequent Fly purchases though I still collected a good bit. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 Fly cars in my collection.

My focus shifted when Slot.It started producing RTR cars. Again, I started collecting everything Slot.It produced, and again I had to curb my purchases when production out-paced my ability to purchase. Today, I have well over 200 Slot.It models. Not to mention Racer Sideways, NSR, ThunderSlot, Scalextric, Ninco, Carrera, Revell-Monogram, BRM, RevoSlot, Anni Mini, AutoArt, Cartrix, Fleischmann, HPI, Le Mans Miniatures, Maxi Models, MB Slot, MR Slotcar, MRRC, MSC, Pioneer, Policar, Protoslot, Racer, ScaleAuto, SCX, Slot Classic, Sloter, Spirit, SRT, Strombecker, Top Slot, Vanquish MG... Did I miss anybody? No wonder even some of my fellow slotters think I'm nuts. I don't have a better half to help curb my habit. And my daughter is not thrilled about this part of her inheritance. Someone's going to get a good deal on some very nice slot cars when I kick the bucket.

[Silberpfeil]

Pretty complete list / pics of FLYCatalogs.

https://slotracer.online/library/fly/index.html

[dinglebery]

WOW! Thanks to all of you for sharing this priceless info!

So is it safe to say the first car they made was in 1997? The Ferrari 512S C1 and C2?

[Fast Co.]

The first cars were the Viper, the Marcos, the Venturi and the Porsche 911 GT1. If I recall correctly, versions of all of those models were released in the first year, and all before the Ferrari 512.

[chappyman66]

On another forum there is a post with the 1997 Fly catalog. It shows the Ferrari C1 and C2 as the first of the Classics line. The Vipers, Venturis, Marcos, and the Joest Porsche WSC rounded out the line.

[HomeRacingWorld]

The first Fly release was the #A1 Viper. It was in 97.

[Fast Co.]

That's correct.

[Giddyup]

Wow! ‘97? Time flies 😉

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Harry, as always, is right. It was the Viper, with several versions of the Viper to follow. I think the first one I bought was after the very beginning, a crazy Star&Stripes version. There's an outside chance that I have all the Fly Lolas, but I can't say that for certain. There were a flock of Ferraris in that time, and others I bought. My cars are stored by type and racing factory, so arranging Flys alone would be a big PIA, but trust me, I am a Fly fan.

[slothead]

Love the knowledge in our community and how it's being shared. The first Fly cars came out 8 years before I got back into slot cars and it was probably another 5 - 7 years before I moved beyond just having oval track cars. I can't remember what my first Fly car was, but once I saw how detailed they were and all of the race car replicas they made I was hooked.

[Giddyup]

Sounds like you and I got back into the hobby around the same time. Fly was what lured me back in. I’ll never forget one day driving back to the office from a meeting, I popped into this hobby shop who had these beautifully lit display cases of Fly Classics...once I saw the 917k, it was game over!

[Silberpfeil]

Big fan of the FLY cars as well.
In particular, their Vintage Racing issues.

Here's some catalogs from 1998, 1999 and 2000 to help grow the HRW "brain trust" on the brand.
Let me know if you want better /"closer-up" pics of any of these.


Enjoy - Mark



1998


1999



2000

[dinglebery]

Wow, this is great! Thank you!!

[lance]

Did Fly make some other cars under a different name? I recall GB Track, Flyslot Alpha series?, Starters and others

[dinglebery]

Yes - GB Track cars were the smaller Porsche 908's and such, and also Trucks I believe were GB Track.