First Model Racing Memories: Even Before Slot Cars

Even before I had slot cars of my own, I was able to enjoy the hobby via the gifts my older brothers received for Christmas. A set just like the one you see below was given to my older brother as a gift in either 1961 or '62, and it actually predates the type of slot cars we have today. While not the original--which is long gone--this set is actually a rail racing kit, manufactured by the Ideal Toy Company (ITC) in the early 1960s. Instead of riding in slots, the guides (and the electrical current) followed the path of raised steel rails that were mounted above the surface of the track. This system was used by a few other early manufacturers as well, in the UK and Europe.

This Ideal Toy Co. set had vacu-formed hills and a rail track.

My father actually put this thing together prior to Christmas and had it mounted on a 3' x 5' sheet of plywood, so my brother could play with it immediately. I couldn't have been more than 4 years old at the time, but I clearly remember it being the hit of the party when we entertained our extended family in the basement rec room that holiday season. I can't recall what eventually happened to the track, but I remember the two 1:24 scale Mercedes 300SL coupes hanging around for years; the white one gathered dust on a shelf above my father's workbench for what seemed like ages.

I suppose we did look like these kids playing with the track.

You can still find the sets on eBay occasionally; the one in the photo appears to be in practically new condition. I found this image to share on Worldwide Slot Car Chat when I talked about my own hobby history--but after recently visiting Professor Motor's slot car site, I discovered in his bio that he must have received the very same set from his grandmother for Christmas in 1961. It's a small world!

These big, honkin' Mercedes 300SL Coupes were a lot of fun.