Groovy slots electrify fans

Some of the most popular tracks were built in ten pin bowling centres, including the old Rushcutters Bowl in Sydney and Southern Cross Bowl in Melbourne. One of the best-known centres was American Raceways in Crows Nest, featuring a 120-foot-long circuit claimed to be Australia's longest and fastest.

The fad died out almost as quickly as it arrived, pushed into obscurity by the arrival of remote-controlled cars, although some of those '60s slot-car kids are now remembering how much fun they had. Their own kids, and possibly grandkids, are also getting the bug.

So where did all the slot cars go? The majority ended up as landfill but any that survive are appearing on eBay for increasingly optimistic prices. Ones that somehow escaped damage at the local track are worth almost whatever the seller wants.

The asking price increases if they are still in the original box, spiking dramatically if that box has never been opened.

Apart from the commercial centres that dominated the scene, there were kits available for home use. Scalextric is the best known of these and, if in good condition in the original packaging, those early kits are worth a small fortune. This manufacturer started in Britain in 1955 with the Scalex range of tinplate-bodied cars fitted with clockwork motors. In 1957, company founder Fred Francis devised a rubber track with recessed metal rails carrying electric current. To mark this milestone, "tric" was added to the brand name. Scalextric was an instant success, even if most kids still call it "scaletrix".

In 1963, a moulded polyethylene track design was introduced. Variable speed controllers were another innovation. Scalextric is sill being manufactured, these days in China, of course.

There are just enough slot car centres still around to keep racing enthusiasts happy although the classic cars are now more suitable for show than go. Slot cars running in a groove tend to fly off courtesy of centrifugal force.

If that car is worth a thousand dollars you begin to debate how much you really want to relive your childhood.

There are some old slot cars that you will be happy to let fly but probably not the Aston Martin DB4, produced by Scalextric as part of the two-car James Bond set. The Aston has an ejector seat and is white, not silver like the one 007 drove in the movie Goldfinger. The other car is a black Mercedes sports. The pair in original packaging are worth $4000 to $5000, depending on condition.

These are not the most valuable. Expect to pay up to $10,000 for extreme rarities like a Scalextric black Bentley in a box.

As with Matchbox and Hot Wheels model cars, colour can be the main determinant of value. A yellow Alfa is worth more than a red one. Others are simply rare. Auto Unions, which sold for #5 at the time, are now worth about $500 each. There are supposedly only 60 of these in existence. The Holy Grail for most slot collectors would be a complete Scalextric set, original and unopened. Says one who owns a 1957 set: "I've only ever seen one of these for sale." He bought it for about $3000 and it would be worth much more if he ever sold it.

Slot cars were also made in the US, where the fad for commercial tracks originated. Models made by Cox, Revell, Monogram, Strombecker and AMT are among the better-known. These were mostly sold in kit form and an unassembled Ford Mustang in a mint box is now worth $300 upwards. Something like a Ferrari 330 can be worth thousands.

The more common used cars are also worth something, even if damaged. In most cases these can be restored. Working parts like brushes and motors are easily replaced although smaller items like windscreens can be much harder to source. Serious collectors keep a mini-wrecker's yard for parts.

Among the more open fans of slot-car racing is Wheels magazine columnist Michael Stahl, who is just old enough to remember the tail end of the original craze. He wrote about the revival in the magazine in 2005.

"Slot cars have collided at a junction where baby boomer blokes are rediscovering one of the genuine joys of their youth, and are now introducing their own kids to the thrill of an interactive driving game that's much more than a digital stream on a television screen," he wrote.

In his case he collects the new generation of slot cars, modern ones made in 1/32 scale, which are much more sophisticated and detailed than the '60s originals. He first discovered these in Paris about six years ago when he bought a Spanish-made 1/32-scale model of George Follmer's 1972 Porsche

Can-Am car from a model shop.

"It was two weeks before I lifted it from its display case and realised that it was a slot car," he says.

Modern slots like the ones collected by Stahl include wonderful miniature technology like engine braking and independent suspension.

You can buy these new for about $80 and already some, like the Senna/Mansell Formula One twin pack, have greatly increased in value.

These may end up being the collectables of the future.

Since rediscovering his childhood passion, Stahl has started running corporate race days on a 1:32 scale. Details on the events are available online at slotmeister.com.

MY COLLECTION

Jim Berry runs the Armchair Racer slot-car centre in Sydney (rear of 64 Dickson Avenue, Artarmon) and has a huge collection of classic slot cars on display. He has more than 3000 Scalextric cars alone, dating right back to 1955, when they were known as Scalex.

He has a shed full of spares and accessories and also sells modern reproduction models.

Berry operated a couple of Telstra shops until 15 years ago, when he decided what he really wanted to do was turn his hobby into a business. Fortunately, he discovered there were enough like-minded enthusiasts to make this a going concern.

Not all will freely admit it, however. He notes that some customers say, "I'm buying this for my son." Jim asks how old the son is. "Oh, he's not born yet."

The Armchair Racer shop also contains a six-lane, 26-metre long racetrack, available for public use.