Maker record
Scalextric
Scalextric is a British brand of electric slot-car racing sets and scale cars, first introduced by Minimodels Ltd in 1957. Its early sets used tinplate cars guided by a slotted track; plastic cars replaced tinplate from 1960. The range developed from simple on-off controls to digital systems, including lane-changing sets. Scalextric has also offered cars in smaller Micro Scalextric formats alongside its established 1:32 range.
- Founded
- 1957
- Locations
- United Kingdom · 1957
The story of Scalextric
Minimodels Ltd introduced Scalextric at the Harrogate International Toy Fair in January 1957. The company had previously made tinplate Scalex cars powered by a spring motor. To turn them into racing models, Minimodels tested an electric motor and guide wheel on a rail track, then adopted slotted track. The first Scalextric cars were tinplate Maserati 250F and Ferrari 375 Grand Prix models. In 1958, Lines Bros (Tri-ang Rovex) purchased Minimodels.
Scalextric changed from tinplate to plastic cars in 1960, beginning with the C54 Lotus 16. Plexytrack replaced the earlier rubber track pieces in 1963. Following Lines Bros' financial difficulties, the Dunbee-Combex-Marx Group acquired it in 1971, and Scalextric production moved to Margate. A management buyout in the early 1980s led to Hornby Hobbies Ltd continuing production. Micro Scalextric, a 1:64 range, appeared in 1996; production moved from the United Kingdom to China by the end of the decade. Digital Scalextric arrived in the 2000s, with the first digital set introduced in 2005. App-based race control followed in 2014.
