Here we are almost 50 years after the first Matchbox slot cars were released. I only knew the toy line under the name “Speedtrack” as a kid, and only found out many years later that the cars and sets were originally released as “Powertrack.” As I understand it, the “Powertrack” sets were more expensive and marketed toward older kids and adults, while the “Speedtrack” line, which came a few years later, was cheapened and aimed at younger kids. I don’t recall ever seeing the “Powertrack” branded toys for sale, so I have to wonder if the Speedtrack line wasn’t aimed primarily at the US while the “Powertrack” line stayed abroad. Apparently some of the Powertrack sets were quite elaborate, and they seem much harder to come by-at least in the states-then the smaller and simpler Speedtrack sets.
There are many variations on these themes which I never saw as a young’un, including their own version of the “slotless slot car” concept similar to the TCR cars developed by Ideal; these were called Matchbox LaneChangers, which had steerable front wheels. I never saw or played with any of these nifty toys in my own childhood, and have yet to see them in person even as an adult, so they must be pretty rare!
Some kind soul-or more likely, a group of kind souls-has put the time and effort into giving us collectors an exhaustive look at the history of these toys on “Wokipedia.” I’m not sure when this entry was created, but I know it can’t go back too many years, because I can remember looking for more information on the Matchbox slot cars many years ago and finding nothing like this. Right here at your fingertips is a great deal of everything you’d ever want to know about these toys, including a collector’s guide to all the cars, complete with thumbnails and descriptions. Hats off to whomever put this together, because its really spectacular!
Powertrack – Wikipedia
So what about now, as fall is officially upon us and we enter the final days of 2024? Well, that brings us to today’s unboxing of a couple of recent online purchases…
I found a seller with this pair of slightly used, less than mint examples at a reasonable price. I never had these cars as a kid, but you know about my “thing” for Jaguars, and when I found out Matchbox made the gorgeous and rare XJ coupe as a slotty, I had to seek one out. To give it a companion for potential future racing, I picked the BMW 320i, as these are racing versions of two “saloon cars” you would have seen on the road concurrently back in the diz-ay. As with most slot cars (excluding T-Jets), their proportions are a bit off and they seem somewhat “cartoonish,” but the labels and adverts are period-correct, and the bright late ‘70s color combos are pleasing.
Curiously, they do not have lightbulbs in them, eventhough both cars have translucent fronts that were surely made to showcase headlights. I’m unsure if that’s because the chassis are not original to the bodies, or if some of the cars that were made to be lighted were later marketed as unlighted. What’s important, however, is that both cars have motors that seem to run very strong, and lack the tell-tale stench of “burnout” that always marks an electric motor with one foot in the grave.
The structure of these cars is different that I am used too. They are certainly big! With an inline motor design similar to that developed my Marusan/Atlas and used with such success to this day by Tyco and Faller, the chassis are held to the body with a single screw behind the front axle and a pair of locator pins at the rear of the pan that slide into notches on the body, while the front axle is not part of the chassis at all, but rather “floats” and is anchored in place by a set of forks also molded as part of the body. This seems like a clever way to keep the “unsprung weight” down while also allowing for full free-wheeling of both front wheels, and due to the car’s size, the structure seems quite robust and durable.
So…what am I going to do with them? I can’t race them on my Tomy AFX, Model Motoring, or Tyco tracks: they’re too big. Hmmm….
Well, seems to me like the solution is to buy myself a MATCHBOX SPEEDTRACK! And that, dear readers, is your humble blogger’s first slot car goal for 2025: to acquire one of the nicest, most complete sets of this format that I can at a price I’m willing to pay, and then find a place somewhere in my house to set it up!
In truth, I’m always going to feel the same way about these toys that I did as a kid: their size and incompatibility with my 1:64 world will limit my interest, and while I do want a nice set in this “genre” and will probably buy a few more cars, I do not intend to start collecting them. However, as anyone who has spent any time on this blog knows, my heart belongs to Matchbox: I will always be a “Matchbox collector,” so I think its high-time I give a little more attention to one of the original company’s products that I’ve overlooked. Hey, I’m only about 40 years late!
So now you’ve got a preview of what’s coming to this blog for 2025! Soon, however, I’m going on a brief hiatus again, as I prepare for my fall vacation to visit my buddy in Arkansas and enjoy the fall colors of the Ozarks! A few more short posts will appear, but I will then fall silent until about the middle of October. But don’t be strangers, race-fans; check back with me the middle of next month, because you know there’s always something thrilling going down at DRAG CITY!!!
I share the fondness for Matchbox and this opens up a whole new world. I don’t remember ever seeing the racing sets. I totally remember the not electric tracks with the regular cars but not these. I sure would have coveted one if I had. Interesting about the difference between these and the other cars you race. I guess there is a lot of variety to keep things interesting! Have a safe and good trip to visit your friend. The fall color in northern Arkansas was very pretty from what I remember.