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| I’ve been collecting and racing slot cars since 1968, when, as a young boy, I was given some tatty second-hand Scalextric track and four cars; a Ferrari 156, a Lotus 16 and two Formula Juniors.
The Formula Juniors didn’t work, the Lotus and Ferrari barely moved, but I was hooked. Over the next few years I’d save my pocket and paper-round money until I had enough
for a trip to my local model shop, where I’d look excitedly at the small selection of Scalextric cars for sale. In those days the choice was tiny, rarely more than ten cars, and my collection remained small
and exclusively devoted to the Scalextric brand. How things have changed.
In 1997 I bought a yellow Ninco Ferrari F40, which opened the flood gates. For a start, it performed a lot better than any Scalextric car I owned had ever done, and, as the purity of my previously Scalextric-only collection was now ruined, there was nothing preventing me from buying cars from other makers. When I discovered Fly and its incredible range of beautifully detailed classic Ferraris, Porsches and Chevrons, the damage was well and truly done; my collection started its expansion and now stands just about the right side of manageable, if you can call a collection of 900+ cars manageable. Or sane... These days we’ve a huge choice of cars from a variety of manufacturers, but in many towns we’ve lost our toy and model shops, replaced instead by online retailers and eBay; very convenient, usually cheaper, but impersonal and risky, with no opportunity to examine our prospective purchases. In most cases we’re provided with little more than one small grainy photograph on which to base our buying decision, eBay in particular being a minefield of terrible photography, wildly optimistic descriptions and unscrupulous sellers. As my collection grew, I started to photograph it; for reference mainly, but also so that I didn’t make the mistake of buying a car that I already owned. From there it was a short step to starting this website and sharing my photographs for all to enjoy, maybe helping you with a purchasing decision. This site is a work in progress, with new photos being added as and when I find time to take them, either of the newest slot car releases or better photographs of my existing collection of cars. The photos vary in quality, but all are the best I have until I make the effort to re-shoot them, and since life and other interests tend to take precedence, progress remains glacially slow. Every car shown here is from my own collection. Some are battered and bruised after a lifetime of use and may no longer be entirely original. Please bear this in mind if using this site for reference. |
