The Matchbox Powertrack Speedtrack & Lanechanger Site

RARE FIAT ABARTH PP-142 SELLS FOR £133-70!

2008-08-11T18:02:00.005+01:00

Here is the Holy Grail of Powertrack cars, the quite excellent and exceedingly rare Fiat 131, PP-142 produced for Powertrack Plus.

It has appeared on ebay and has 6 days left to run at the time of writing. Bidding is currently £21 but I expect this to reach a price that will define the maximum for a Powertrack car.

There has been some curious bidding activity - noticably, Saabs are becoming a little passe, and not reaching the £30-£40 figures of last year.

The Yellow Escort was very exciting as within about two weeks five cars appeared and all went for very hefty prices - the highest going for close to £60.

Bidding is no indication of true worth though, as some bargains can be had; while other cars - most notably the red Escort - get revered as being rare when actually it was very common on both sides of the Atlantic.

Get bidding on the Fiat though - its very tatty but could well be a hens tooth...lol!

LATEST UPDATE! THIS CAR SOLD FOR £133-70 ($260!!) 8 people bid 24 times to win this. This is more than the second recent sale, that of the Saab 900 PP-139.
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TRACK FOCUS 2: CURVED TRACK

2008-04-21T20:39:00.003+01:00

The curve track for Speedtrack consisted of a standard 9" Curve that bent through ninety degrees. These could create both right and left turns easy enough. The more expensive sets also employed the forty-five degree curve, which was exactly half the regular curve.

With the introduction of PT-8000 (the four lane system), Matchbox designed a new curve, the 12" Curve, which bent through forty five degrees only.

Two 12" Curves could run around the outside of a standard 9" curve.

The 12" curve was available in the USA but it was never included in any of the sets, and a four lane version of PT-8000 never materialised in the USA.

SPEEDTRACK:

14-37-21 1 Pair 9" Curve 90 deg. (With crash barrier)

14-37-71 1 Pair 9" Curve 45 deg.

14-37-70 1 Pair 12" Curve 45 deg.

POWERTRACK:

PT-202 1 Pair 9" Curve 90 deg. (With crash barrier)

PT-205 1 Pair 9" Curve 45 deg.

PT-214 1 Pair 12" Curve 45 deg.

POWERTRACK PLUS:

PP-202 1 Pair 9" Curve 90 deg. (With crash barrier)

PP-205 1 Pair 9" Curve 45 deg.

PP-214 1 Pair 12" Curve 45 deg.

TRACK FOCUS 1: STRAIGHT TRACK

2008-04-21T20:10:00.004+01:00

The track supplied with Speedtrack, Powertrack and Powertrack Plus was exactly the same. As slot racing goes, the track was very well made and very good qulaity, though it is fair to say some aspects of the track connection have succumbed to time - but that said, generally the track is durable and easy to keep clean.

The Straight sections were available in the following lengths:

SPEEDTRACK:

14-37-20 Straight 9"

14-37-22 Straight 6"

14-37-72 Straight 15"

POWERTRACK:

PT-201 Straight 9"

PT-204 Straight 6"

PT-206 Straight 15"

POWERTRACK PLUS:

PP-201 Straight 9"

PP-204 Straight 6"

PP-206 Straight 15"

OLDSMOBILE UPDATE...

2008-04-20T20:31:00.002+01:00

Okay, regular readers will no doubt be keen to see how Craig is progressing with his Oldsmobile project...

The answer is - very well...

Erm...very well indeed! Still no word on delivery but isn't it a corker? I'm not a fan of blacked out wheels but this really works - a real Darth Vader stealth special. I can hardly wait!

But hey? What's this? It's a godamn Lancia Stratos man! Is Craig just teasing me?? Watch this space...

COPTER CHASE SURFACES AT LAST...

2008-04-19T20:53:00.004+01:00

A big thanks to Matchbox Stalwart, Mike who tipped me off about this US ebay sale. It is - finally - photographic proof that the Copter Chase set existed although Mike in fairness has stated previously he has seen tired examples on ebay at least twice now.

This particular set sold for over £70 excluding postage. That is serious money considering its not a great example. The box content looks decidedly sparse with regard to the track but the vendor states the cars are still boxed.

Evidently, the helicopter chassis is boxed, but the bodyshell of the copter and the rotors are supplied separately. This set appears complete though, with the copter body moulded in silver (see contents photo top left).

Now, Mike at Slotzpartz contacted me too, to say he has a mint example of the Copter Chase set. He maintains the copter body is very lightweight but the armature connecting it to the powered chassis is vulnerable. Apparently, the copter could be rasied and lowered on its arm by activating the U-turn button on the handcontroller. The Helicopter and it's chassis were not able to perform U-turns.

One final highlight of this set was a drop down 'road block' barrier. This was activated by U-turning the Van or the Police car into a trackside fire hydrant. Knocking that would twitch a connecting rod and deploy the barrier. Clever stuff and thanks to both Mikes for letting us know more about this intriguing set.

As for the winner of this item, I hope they find it complete and maybe they'll drop me a line to let me know what they think of it...

MY LAYOUT - PART 1.

2008-04-09T18:25:00.007+01:00

I have been asked how to buy a Powertrack set. It's a logical question and the best way to answer it I suppose is to give you a brief history of how I got started - both first time in 1979 and the second time - erm, 2007!

Christmas '79 was a big push for Matchbox and Race & Chase was the toy for Christmas. I was ten and very much in the target audience. Father Christmas knew it too (god bless him) and got one down our Chimney.

I have to say it was a load of fun and never let me down. Totally reliable it proved to be and it had a fair old play for about two years or so. Race & Chase, as an 'off the shelf' solution is a great set to start off with.

Come 1981 my interest was brought to boiling point with Powertrack Plus. Barely advertised, I stumbled across it in a Department Store and (I guess) wouldn't let my mother go home without it, coz (surprise surprise!), Father Christmas hit the bulls eye again...

That was my PP-9000 and easily the best toy I ever had. It has a rather kitcsh loop that was a bit gimmicky but in practice the whole thing worked a treat, I bought an 8x4 ft sheet of Chipboard and made a huge track - and added the track accesories and cars over the next couple of months.

By the end of that year I had moved off slot cars into radio control cars (Tamiya) and didn't give Powertrack another thought. Of course, much later I dug it out of a box with my Uni mates. I was amazed to find that although half of it had disappeared, what was left worked just as well as the last time I used it!

Anyway, away in the loft it went and it diminished through various house moves until only a few cars were left.

I put these on ebay last year (above) and they went for about £35. At the time, I thought that was excellent but I was surprised at the number of responses I was getting. Having not even looked at Powertrack on ebay I was somewhat surprised at how many other items were available.

Now, there is another aspect to this as my daughter, aged 4 (then) had a Mini Clubman racing set her Aunt had bought her. She loved it but it was a travesty - being neither precise or easy on the eye. It soon broke and my daughter was rather unhappy about it.

That's when I bid on a PT-2000. A small little layout for my daughters room that could be put on a board and slid away out of site when not in use. Including Postage it cost me £8.

It was very good and needed remarkably little work to get it going. The cars stuttered to begin with but soon got in their stride. That was it, I had to 'just buy a little bit more'.

So, we now have a large layout on a board in my study that folds down off the wall. It's 12v but there is not a single piece of stripey track to be seen. My original desire was to have banked curves but I ran out of room for those. I also junked the accesories I planned to use too, the Y junctions and the cross overs. Only the 15" crossroad and the lap counter remain.

All told I bought and sold around 10 sets and acquired alot of good and bad track. I picked up a particularly nasty PT-4000 where every track had rusted through, but as the Renault supplied was the rare yellow/black version this was no hardship.

The layout is one of those projects I dabble in when I can be bothered. It also has my daughter's trainset on it so she makes me get it down quite often. I doubt it gets much attention but I have certainly enjoyed putting my collection together and I think I will make back all the money I spent acquiring the parts if I come to sell it on someday.

After rambling on I realise its probably worth me doing a proper buyers guide instead? I'll add it to the list...

RARE CHANCE TO ACQUIRE THE 1000...

2008-04-09T18:01:00.004+01:00

I'm not in the habit of trying to promote peoples ebay items but I must pass comment on this because it doesn't come up too often.

The Speedtrack Grand Prix 1000 was the largest of all the Powertrack sets. This set stands out because it is a 1977 set and seems in pretty fair condition for its age. 1978 versions had four cars but this set has the ever present Porsche 911 & Corvette duo.

The cars are in beautiful condition and are the very rare white wheeled examples. The Corvette even has the stripes on the doors.

There is a ton of track here and okay, while it's not brimming with features it will certainly be a good launchpad for someone to start Powertrack with. You may have to junk the electrics but I suspect without too much fettling this set is a bargain for around £10 + shipping.

BARRIER DREAM...

2008-04-07T16:12:00.007+01:00

I find the standard Armco crash barriers supplied with Powertrack frustrating. Sure, they look good - much like a proper Armco, but the scale is rather large for my tastes.

When I was planning my layout I found that the standard items were going to be rather obtrusive in some key areas, and I really wanted to have brand names on both sides of the barrier.

So, I had some fun creating my own. This allowed me to use both existing 'period' brands and newer, more exciting brands that my daughter will be familiar with - a six year old has no concept of Jagermeister!

I printed the logos out on label paper and then stuck them to Cardboard. It seemed to work well enough provided you pre-bend the cardboard before applying the sticker. A much better result came from using Plastic Card.

Using three or four dabs of superglue it is possible to then stick the barrier to the side of the track. In use, these seem to work very well and resist the flying tails of my wayward Corvettes...

The result is an excellent up to date crash barrier, with logos to suit your tastes and style.

I have four template sheets that I use and I mix and match from these. I have tons of work ahead in finishing my layout so it is all very much work in progress.

TYRED?

2008-04-07T14:03:00.008+01:00

I was contacted last week by a chap called Mike. Mike runs Slotzpartz, who you may have seen on ebay a thousand times. Mike is a big TCR fan and has dabbled enthusiastically with Powertrack.

He stocks lots of parts for Powertrack and holds stock of various HO/OO parts that may work for Powertrack too. Of these, the most sought after items are tyres. The tyres supplied with Powertrack are excellent. The performance is superb and they are more than just a rubber compound.

However, I think it is fair to assume Matchbox hadn't envisaged a thirty year life for these sets so it's no surprise many tyres degrade and perish, depending on where they have been stored.

I have a variety of tyres and find some have turned oily and 'melt' onto the wheel, while others dry out and crack, depending on the compound.

I tried a variety of solutions but Slotzpartz have come up trumps with these 'pre-trimmed' tyres. To put them to the test I used the worst performer in my collection, the humble yellow Escort. The video shows what happens when the tyres harden and lose traction, the car skips and stutters but ultimately doesn't go anywhere.

Fitting the Slotzpartz tyres immediately remedies the problem.

The catch? Well, only one and that depends whether you're a racer or a 'Shelf Queen' King..

The width? Not sure why it isn't possible to cut these tyre full width but I'm guessing they come in finite sizes. It means that the tyres are slimmer than the wheels which looks ok for racing, but looks rather sad for display.

Of course, common sense prevails and surely the best thing here is to race the car with the Slotz tyres and if you're really passionate about it - (and I'm not!), refit the originals for display...

YANKEE DOODLE DANDY!

2008-04-07T13:46:00.002+01:00

Ye-ha! The 30 year old hand painted Corvette turned up this morning and I'm dead chuffed with it! Sure, it looks a bit rustic but it actually looks very appealing in its orange and grey livery.

I was slightly surprised it was more matt than gloss in finish but I think it works well, gloss might have highlighted some less savoury aspects of the original Corvette moulding.

The car was painted '30 years ago' by a chap called Bob, who I suspect just liked Vettes (or else thought that Matchbox had done a piss-poor job of it!).

I thought I would photograph it duelling with the 12V Corvette which is close to being one of my favourite Powertrack cars - these cars are certainly striking. How could Matchbox have just painted them white? Grrr...

Respect the Vette...

CASTROL PORSCHE 936?

2008-04-02T20:49:00.003+01:00

Perhaps I'm a day late for April Fool but this raised one bushy eyebrow the other night. Ebay continues to offload PT-4000 sets by the bucket load and this one was mildly curious because it has GTX written across the back of the Porsche 936.

Now, I immediately assume that someone has put the Castrol GTX logo from the crash barrier on the back of the Porsche but I have a nagging doubt that I have seen this done before.

I'm just slightly curious that maybe there was a version like this? Can anyone confirm or am I just kidding myself?

Maybe I've fallen foul of my own April Fool's joke?

LANECHANGER MONZA UPDATE!

2008-04-02T20:18:00.005+01:00

A big thank you to Darren Holl who (a while ago!) sent me his excellent Monza photos. The photos I added to my feature weren't the best but these are as close to Powertrack porn as I'm likely to get I suppose...

The great thing here is that the Monza 'Number 1' at the top is not lighted. I thought all LC cars were without lights but this proved not to be the case. In 1980 Matchbox introduced lights, but this was only for the UK and certainly not for the US RPS Lanechangers.

The Monza here come with painted green headlights but there are many US examples that have painted silver headlamps.

Monza 'Number 8' is the lighted example and it's slightly interesting that Matchbox changed the car number only... If anyone knows of any chassis upgrades on the 1980 LC cars please let me know.

Lastly is the uber-horny Yellow Monza with the lights. Its the UK LC-103 but hell, I just love the look of it! The photo at the top of this post shows the car in action with the BMW M1. How common were these lighted cars? Any information welcome, but thanks to Darren for these great pix.

THE NEW OLDS...

2008-04-02T19:31:00.008+01:00

Not content to sit on his laurels (or have his time ruthlessly curtailed by DIY!) Craig has again come up with a new bodyshell.

This time its not a remould but a brand new shell, an Oldsmobile 442 no less. Now, although I am a car nut and drive an American car I confess to not knowing the difference between an Oldsmobile and a Snowmobile, but this shell clearly is a 70's muscle car of the Plymouth Barracuda/Dodge Charger mould(!)

My initial thoughts were that it looked large, but in fact is not any bigger than the Police car. The photo shows it oozes detail, it's excellent. No doubt about it Craig has got talent and it's all looking very promising for when he gets around to my Lancia Stratos...

Or any of the 2008 BTTC cars, or the Ferrari 2886GTO, the Porsche 956, the Audi R8, or the Bugatti Veyron, the Lambo Gallardo - the list is endless...

Update: Craig has informed me he has some plastic problems and is trying to source better quality resin at the moment. The Oldsmobile will debut very soon and I'll try to give a review as soon as its ready.

You may have also noticed his 'sub-standard' quality shells being offered for sale; Craig says they are fine but need some work to finish them and prepare them for paint. As some of you wish to do that he may as well sell them on - and why not? If you have any examples of modified shells or other Powertrack Lanechanger mods please let me know..

A COUPLE OF ODDITIES...

2008-03-27T23:01:00.003Z

Well, I've been rather slack of late, mainly coz I have DIY tasks to attend to! Just got a small amount of time to bung this in, which I'm sure you all viewed on ebay too. I don't think its any sort of official Matchbox Product, just a standard TR with its decals removed.

However, it's a departure from the norm and worth a comment because it does look rather nice...

And also this, which I did a Buy It Now for. I don't quite know why I bid for it really, but it's a curious little item and I suppose I was rather drawn to it. The Corvette is not my most revered slotcar but I like the fact someone has customised it and attempted to make it a bit better than the original.

I am also keen to see how good a job was made here as I fully intend to decorate my remould shells too, so hopefully this should encourage me to get on with it...

More to come - including that track feature - but this blog is very much a winter project so please stick with it. Thanks for all your contributions and please keep them coming!

THE ESCORT BUSINESS...

2008-03-18T20:26:00.004Z

Remember Craig? He made me a sample Escort in Orange that I raved about? Well, he's been busy on a Jaguar and just look at this! It's a first off, made off an original Powertrack Plus car.

Black really isn't the best colour to photograph and I've just taken 64 photos of it to get this one, but trust me it doesn't really do it justice. The amazing thing about Craig's versions is not just the superb body detail but the quality of the window and light mouldings, which are exactly as the original. Bid with confidence when it appears...

Meanwhile his Escort programme continues apace, with a black and a white sample winging its way to me. Again, that black is superb. I am thinking I might decorate it with Mampe logos from the old Zakspeed livery or else Texaco like the Eggenberger Ford RS500 cars.

Here is a profile of the Escort, which really doesn't do it justice but rest assured its a very funky model to have.

Craig hopes to develop a Corvette next and possibly a Pontiac GTO. As long as my Lancia Stratos is in there somewhere of course..

SENTRON 9 - Beginning of the end!

2008-03-17T21:16:00.003Z

Okay! It's not Powertrack but boy do I remember pestering my Folks for one of these! Unfortunately, they got me one - our local Newsagent had one on a high shelf and one day it 'disappeared'. Christmas 1980 it was mine. Oh boy, wow!

Let me just say that the only thing good about the Sentron 9 was the box. The artwork was cool and the Polystyrene lid quite titilating. The car though, was dire. I mean it, it was awful.

For starters, the thing ran on 2 PP9 9 volt batteries AND 4 x AA batteries. It weighed a ton!. The plastic body and chassis creaked and groaned under the weight and the innovative 'infrared' control meant the thing couldn't be used in daylight! I had to go everywhere holding my hand over the bloody transmitter.

The remote was useless - think 'MB Bigtrak' without ANY of the fun! The poor Porsche 928 body, all curvy and 70's cool soon got smashed to hell coz it just ignored your commands. Mine got known as the skirting snogger...

The other great memory I have is the chronic understeer - or rather absolutely no steering. It had no grip, no power and weighed a ton. It was nothing to look at and was very expensive - around £19.99 at the time I think!

It's electronics were poor and when I took mine apart for the first time it never really performed properly ever again!

It was a turd, and the reason its here is because it's a reminder that Matchbox didn't always get it right and the losses incurred on developing something as poor as this led to the downfall of Lesney.

It's a shame then that Tamiya got it so right. Such was the dominance of R/C in the early eighties that it soon banished slot car racing from boys bedrooms and their imaginations.

PP-6000 RACE & CHASE 2

2008-03-16T10:22:00.005Z

Well, a big thank you to James who's put his up on ebay! It's not cheap but it does represent a fabulous addition to anyones collection doesn't it?

If you look back at my PP-4000 suggestions I did write how adamant I was that the Silver Vette and New Police Car were supposed to feature in a Powertrack Plus set.

I also possess a pair of 12v throttles with the U-turn facility, but I was unsure whether Dapol had made this modification or Matchbox had.

Well now we know! By way of explanation comes this excellent PP-6000, which not only includes my predictions but also a few surprises. No, there is not my much anticipated crossroads but instead there is a single y-junction!

The concept is brilliant, it creates a siding for our Cop car to lay in wait. However, in practice the cars have to slow to negotiate the curve and accelerate to enter the dead end and effectively crash into the barrier. Hmm, you might think you reverse into the siding but that would mean you were going too slow and hence go round the bend.

No matter, look at the box art! So dramatic and exciting again. The artist who does these images is a class apart and clearly is distinguished in his field. As a graphics guy myself I can vouch for his talent and if anyone can tell me more about this illustrator or his work I would love to hear from you.

The PP-6000 is billed as Race & Chase 2, which is a slight surprise but clearly Matchbox thought Race & Chase was a strong brand too. For the life of me I never saw any of these sets in the shops, at exhibitions, in Catalogues or on ebay (until now) but James assures me he bought it on ebay not too long ago and has fixed it. It had been a lane down owing to a faulty terminal track which he has replaced.

The inclusion of the single Y junction is a limitation to the set layout and Matchbox had one obvious exclusion to the sets layouts (see below).

Other than that this is a class piece of kit. As I say, it's not cheap but I would say it is very rare. If anyone else has seen one of these (in the shops back in 81-82) please let me know.

PP-6000 Comprised:

1 x Police Car

1 x Corvette Stingray

1 x Terminal Track 9" (12v)

1 x Topple Bridge 9"

1 x Y Junction (RH) 15"

1 x 6" Straight

2 x 15" Straight

3 x 9" Straight

4 x 90 degree curve (9")

5(?) x Crash barriers

2 x 12v Hand Controllers with U-turn switches

1 x 12v (16-18v!!) Transformer

5 x Track aprons (no ends)

Bridge supports

Sticker Sheet

Retail price - unknown

A Big Thank You!

2008-03-16T09:31:00.007Z

There you go! A big thanks to all of you out there who have contacted me about this blog, not least because of the huge amount of information I now have. It's fair to say that the biggest gap in my knowledge of Powertrack comes from what I don't know and most of you have sought to redress that.

The biggest discovery thus far is the 1980 UK Powertrack catalogue. As Craig, the kind chap who told me about this said, it's hardly a catalogue as such, more a pamphlet, but what it contains is some pretty good stuff.

Not least, the PT-115 Disco Van, but also the Lanechanger cars which although still rare were (or were supposed to be!) standard UK issue.

There is also the introduction of PT-5000 and PT-8000 so I will be going back and changing the set introduction dates as applicable.

Quite a few of you have emailed about Tyrone Malone and his racing trucks. suffice to say alot of his images seem heavily copyrighted in the good old US of A but do check it out on google...

Alot of you are asking for a track inventory, and that will be coming. Powertrack fan Ben is trying to work out why the country of origin varies on the track and it's an interesting point. if anyone has any ideas let us know please...

Ebay is digging up some fine nuggets and for those of you who have read this blog inside out you will know how passionate I have become about the next item...

For my part is means I have to go back and revisit some of my views on what I've written, but that's all part of having this blog right? Keep your views and ideas coming in and hopefully I can keep this site interesting for a while yet.

Best regards,

Steve

PT-1500 - LESNEY'S SWANSONG

2008-03-07T21:38:00.006Z

Okay, up to now the US & UK sets have been reasonably easy to nail down - and as we have seen Canada holds a few surprises for Speedtrack fans.

But here we have the PT-1500. You may remember I thought this was a central Europe product but it turns out it was made in the UK for the UK as later as 1982.

My solitary ebay bid turned out to be the winning one and I now have it sat in front of me.

The Lancia Beta and Vauxhall Chevette on the box artwork were sketchy marker pen renderings. A small disclaimer on the box lid actually states 'CARS ILLUSTRATED NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF CONTENTS' . I expect Matchbox chucked in every 6v car they had left fairly randomly but this particular set appears with the excellent Fiat Abarth and Triumph TR7.

The vendor swears he bought this set from Woolworths in 1982. In which case it makes it a 'bargain basement' product to sell off Matchbox stock. I suspect it might have been designed to a budget which might explain the poor track contents.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing is the 6v electrics. I suspect Matchbox were flogging the remains of their 6v bits from catalogue mail order returns. By 1982 Matchbox were well into 12v(!) Powertrack Plus and heading for the wall...

Aside from the frankly crap box art the box is half the height of normal sets and the pieces have been cleverly interwoven between a strong Cardboard carcass. no doubt cheap but along way from selling itself. Clearly, these boxes were fully vacuum sealed, unlike regular Powertrack cartons where only the base part of the box was vac-sealed. (This at least enabled you to open the box and then get annoyed that the instructions obscured the view of the other car in the set!)

One final thing is the inclusion of new stickers on the crash barriers. Philips, Porsche, Dunlop and a new Martini logo make an appearance.

PT-1500 comprised:

1 x Fiat Abarth

1 x Triumph TR7

1 x Terminal Track 9"

4 x 90 degree Curve (9")

1 x Straight 9"

4 x Straight 15"

1 x Mains Transformer (6v)

2 x Hand controllers

4 x Crash barriers

I suspect this set probably retailed under £15 in the UK.

PT-115 DISCO VAN

2008-03-07T20:50:00.004Z

Okay, big thanks to Carl Clarke for getting in touch, Carl has a 1980 Powertrack Catalogue. In it is the 'missing link'. It's the PT-115, previously AWOL in my car inventory on the blog.

As predicted, it is a Dodge Van and none the worse for that I might add. It's black with 'groovy seventies boogaloo disco' stripes. u'hu baby, check it out...

What intrigues me is I haven't actually seen this version of the Van yet. Does it exist? Anybody out there got one? It's interesting as it is further evidence of a US Speedtrack car coming over to the UK, yet STILL the Stingray never made it Stateside.

I am a fan of the Dodge van though and this goes straight to the top of my wanted list.

NEW ESCORT - WORK IN PROGRESS!

2008-03-05T20:41:00.005Z

Some of you will no doubt have seen the Escort 'remould' advertised on ebay a few weeks ago. A Powertrack fan and ace model builder, Craig, has been hard at work perfecting his Escort bodyshell mould.

He thinks he's finally got it right and sent me this sample for approval.

Take my word for it that this is absolutely flawless! It may as well have Matchbox stamped on it!

He has even moulded the windows and the light bar. I have fitted my regular Escort to the new bodyshell to prove it fits - spot on!

Poor Craig is very busy with his regular work but is hoping to email me with more details. From the model I have in front of me he clearly is on to a winner.

I'm thinking of decals to go with the cars now... Rothmans Escort? Marlboro TR7? Martini Porsche? Jagermeister VW?

I'll post more details on this fantastic development when I get them, meanwhile I hope these photos get you excited.

ROAD CHAMPS - MONZA V. PORSCHE!

2008-03-02T11:48:00.004Z

Recognise these two? Yes, that's right, its our old Lanechanger buddies, the Porsche 935 and the Chevrolet Monza!

Huge thanks to Goran Hellsin who has contacted me about quite a few things. This blew me away. Goran advises me that a company called Road Champs produced a solitary racing set in 1987-88 called 'Lane Shifters' Just one set was made (4010) and was produced in Hong Kong.

The cars are Lanechanger cars with 'Made in Hong Kong c. Road Champs 1987' stamped on the bottom.

Goran has both these examples and another yellow Monza. He does comment that these were the only vehicles made and clearly no other sets or parts were produced.

These cars also appear on a Chevrolet Monza fan site so clearly they were reasonably widespread.

The cars have both been adapted to run with headlights - quite a feat as Matchbox didn't even seem able to do this (though I suspect that was to keep Powertrack popular in light or Lanechanger's superiority).

However, this may mean the moulds for the excellent Lanechanger cars have probably now fallen by the wayside.

Great stuff Goran - exactly the sort of thing I'd hoped this Blog would be useful for!

POWER CRAZY!

2008-02-28T09:19:00.002Z

Right, I am recovering from an email I received regarding the power output of Counterlane transformers. I am grateful to Ben for clarifying it because I've been working on a huge assumption ever since 1982! Allow me to explain...

The transformer supplied with Powertrack and Speedtrack sets is rated at 6v output. The cars are referred to as 6v cars.

The transformer supplied for Lanechanger sets is rated at 10v output. The cars are never referred to in voltage terms because they never changed. I suspect the USA RPS sets were also 10v if someone can confirm?

When Powertrack Plus came around I was always sure these were 12v. I don't know why, but I had a PP-9000 in 1981 and never questioned it. Sure, the transformer wasn't rated at 12v but that meant there was no drop when two cars were racing. The references I had seen at model shops and the oft quoted Model Engineer Exhibition must have referred to them as 12v cars too because I'm damn sure I would have noticed - and remembered.

Since acquiring Dapol information I too noticed the reference to 18V power output. Alarm bells rang and I would look into it. Ben's email has rather embarrassed me now so let's have look...

I've just checked my Powertrack Plus transformer and its rated at 16-18v output. The box art and instruction manuals for my PP-2000 also make no reference to any input or output voltage whatsoever.

The cars chassis do not have a voltage written on them, neither do the motor or the bulbs. The only reference is the 'HVT' - presumably High Voltage something or other?

The thing is, all the Powertrack Plus items I have seen have been rated at 12v. I think this stems from the fact people have run these cars on Scalextric Micro with no problems.

I should be editing my blog to show 12v as 18v and this would certainly make Powertrack Plus a very powerful system. However, I have a very large layout and run it with the 18v transformer and I get no power drop off or surge when one of the cars go off the track.

I suggest that the cars are rated at 12v but the transformer can work above this to compensate for power demands and enable longer set layouts.

As ever, my thanks to Ben for raising the issue but please let me know your thoughts on this before I change anything.

By the way, there is a service sheet available showing a Powertrack car split apart to show the serviceable parts inside. I saw one once and I'm sure it was supplied with my Race & Chase, the car was likely to have been a Corvette. If anyone has a copy they would like to share please email me.

RACING CAPRI

2008-02-27T20:14:00.002Z

The last Lanechanger car is the excellent Racing Capri. This is better known as the Zakspeed Ford Capri and is a heavily modified group 5 racing car. The Capri is a good choice for a Slot car model and Matchbox again proved to be spot on, albeit on the wrong chassis!

The Capri is known in Europe as LC-105 and in the USA as 10-39-56.

I think it came with both A & B pick ups.

BMW M1

2008-02-27T20:01:00.006Z

Now I'm really not a BMW devotee but there is no doubt Matchbox produced two very fine bodyshells for their slot racing enterprise. The M1 was in real life a failed sportscar that was relelgated to a few one make race series the generally accompanied the European F1 races in 1980. The Matchbox one is even rarer!

To my mind this is a great car that was perhaps better suited to the Powertrack chassis. It has appeared on ebay a few times in the last year and so far appears to be only available in this livery.

Although clearly referenced in the 1979 Speedtrack Catalogue I have a firm belief that most of these went to mainland Europe. Note the French text on the side of tis packaging.

The BMW M1 is LC-106 in Europe and 10-39-55 in the USA.

I believe it was issued with both A and B type pick up shoes.

CHEVROLET MONZA

2008-02-27T18:29:00.004Z

Oh c'mon! Look at this! Isn't this just so chunky and funky? Well, I like it, I love it!

Maybe it's the sumbliminal 'Engerland' footie colours? I don't know. One thing's for sure, it wasn't the real car that lit my fire, far from it I'm afraid.

I really wanted a Lanechanger 1000 when I was little and as much as the head wanted the Porsche my heart wanted the Monza. This Monza, in full red and white. I bought one last year on ebay and I loved it. It is useless to me (for I have no Lanechanger track) and I used it as a desk top toy for a few months. But hey, so many people picked it up and looked at it...

I was always a fan of it's more expensive sister, too. The blue and yellow Monza was the blue eyed blonde and totally out of my league in a set costing £50 plus... It too looks good but I think familiarity (in the US at least) has dulled my affection for it.

But of course, the sexy twins also had a long lost oriental cousin, a foxy babe who slipped back in to the limelight last year. Again, notice on the Monza that the car product numbers stay largely unchanged regardless of body colour.

The red & white Monza was dubbed 'Super Monza' in the UK and was LC-102.

The blue & yellow Monza was tagged 'Monza GT' in the UK and was LC-103.

Both cars were 'Type A'

In the US it is the exact opposite:

The red & white Monza was dubbed 'Monza G.T.' (10-39-51)

The blue & yellow was tagged 'Super Monza' (10-39-53).

In 1980, the Monza was revamped to include headlights. The Yellow Monza replaced LC-103 in the UK but the Red & White version continued as 'No. 8' in lieu of 'No.1'. This was still known as LC-102.

PORSCHE 935 TURBO 'FLATNOSE'

2008-02-27T18:05:00.005Z

The Porsche 935 Turbo is the definitive 70's racing Porsche. Derived for the Group 5 racing era it produced several class wins in Sportscar racing all over the world. The Matchbox version was to my mind one of the best reproductions of this scale. The proportions lend themselves to the chunky wheelbase and track that the real life car had.
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The green and brown version (top) was supplied with the UK LC-1000, but the Martini version (below) was much more prevalent - seemingly the only version to be supplied in the USA.
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The silver/red version (below) appeared in 1980 and also displays the lighted front headlights introduced in that year. I think this is a stunner!

Also unveiled in 1980 is this blue, green & yellow version (below). It is still referred to as an LC-104, so Matchbox replaced the previous versions. This is an odd move when Matchbox were woefully short of alternative cars for Lanechanger. .

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Lastly, this little gem (below) was kindly donated by Eddie. It's yet another variation but check out the box. Yep, it's a Counterlane. The significance of this cannot be ignored. Did Dapol have stocks of Lanechanger cars too or did this unique car find itself in the wrong box?

Note this car is a variation of the Red/Silver Porsche so perhaps these bodyshells were awaiting overspraying in silver when the orders were cancelled or terminated.

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In 1979:

The Porsche 935 (green & brown) was LC-101 in the UK - (10-39-52 in the USA)

The Martini Porsche was LC-104 in the UK - (10-39-50 in the USA)

In 1980:

The Red Silver Porsche was LC-101 in the UK and came with lights.

The Blue/Yellow/Green Porsche was LC-104 in the UK and also came with lights.

Both cars were originally Type B cars.

LANECHANGER & RPS CARS

2008-02-27T11:41:00.007Z

Right, thanks for staying interested Lancechanger fans! Here I get to the cars at last.

From launch, both RPS and Lanechanger featured the excellent Porsche 935 Turbo and the Chevrolet Monza (above).

It's a very curious mix, not least because the Porsche in real life was a thumping great 700bhp monster that won races, while the little Monza was a 700bhp monster that didn't.

To be fair, the Monza did produce results but generally only stateside. One wonders if the Lesney tie-up was a marketing opportunity by General Motors to raise the profile of the Monza. The car did run in Le Mans in '77 and '78 but to no avail - it's international glory denied.

Whatever, the Monza certainly looks the business. I have spent several hours trying to graft a Monza shell on to a Powertrack chassis but forget it, it's not something for the casual modeller. (If you have successfully performed such an operation please let us know!)

In 1978, the US catalogue showed preview renderings of the cars for RPS 2000 & 4000 (above).

The cars operated by having 3 pick up shoe positions. Cars would have a common shoe (the LH) and the RH shoe would either be normal (Car A) or have a club foot (Car B). Matchbox certainly began by calling Porsches Car A and Monzas Car B. When I found out that two Car A's couldn't be raced together I was very disappointed. It made the limited range of cars even more limited.

However, I bought a mint boxed Monza last year and was relieved to find out it was supplied with both A and B type pick up shoes and a pair of spare motor pinions. Matchbox must have corrected this after launch.

In 1979, there were two more additions to the range, a BMW M1 and Zakspeed Ford Capri. There were also more variations of Porsches & Monzas on the way.

DAPOL, EBAY & CHAOS THEORY...

2008-02-27T11:22:00.006Z

Okay, the Dapol theory is set in place but then we have these two ebay beauties. Typical of all the Dapol photography that ever seems to appear the exact titles never photograph very well.

Both sets appear to be the J5 'Super Race & Chase'. The photo on the box front bottom right clearly shows the layout, but the set contents appear to be woefully short.

The polystyrene tray appears in both cases to have no recess available for the banked curve or cross over - unless they are on the underside? In which case the photographer might have made reference to their inclusion.

While I could speculate that these were more likely to be the junior J4 Race & Chase sets, both items are clearly packed with 12v cars, throttles and transformers.

For now, I have to conclude that the set is a made up collection of random parts. The tray is from a J4, the box lid is from a J5 and the seller (or previous seller) has provided the 12v electrics. Further evidence is provided by the fact that the hand controls are not the Race & Chase versions - (the black button on the top is not fitted).

I will be looking at Dapol more closely so I'm sure these curiousities will become clearer as time goes by. Watch this space!

COUNTERLANE CARS - 3

2008-02-27T11:20:00.000Z

COUNTERLANE CARS - 2

2008-02-27T11:18:00.000Z

COUNTERLANE CARS - 1

2008-02-27T11:15:00.001Z

COUNTERLANE CARS

2008-02-27T10:33:00.002Z

The Counterlane cars are re-issues of the Powertrack Plus cars. Broadly speaking, Dapol had significant 12V chassis stock and where possible supplied these cars with the 12v sets.

The 6v Race & Chase set came with the 6v police car from PT-6000. The pursuit car must have been fairly random and possibly explains the existence of various Counterlane 6v cars out there. The red escort, green Saab and white Jaguar are such examples.

As for the 12v cars, it's business as usual but I suppose the biggest surprise is what cars are not featured in the line up. The Stingray (PP-141), Fiat (PP-142), VW (PP-140), Escort (PP-143), Saab (PP-139) for starters. Bizarrely, the Bandag Bandit is not included either, but the Super Boss is titled as the 'Tyrone Bandag Bandit'.

Yes, I know the Saab (PP-139) has appeared on ebay this year in a Counterlane box. However, I have to at least keep things factual and clearly the Saab could have been a Powertrack Plus car that got thrown in a Counterlane box by a collector. Such is the limited availability of this Saab it is early days to conclude its origin.

One other thing to notice on the Dapol cars is the other stated 6V car is the orange & yellow BMW. This could suggest Matchbox had produced several stocks of European PT-6100 sets before their eventual collapse.

COUNTERLANE J5

2008-02-25T20:57:00.003Z

The J5 'Superfast Race N Chase' is a real first. A proper 12V Race & Chase!

The fascination for me lies in the 12V hand controllers. They have a black button on the top face for the U-turn feature. But is this how Dapol bought them from Matchbox or is this Dapols own modification to make the 12V surplus a little more exciting?

If Dapol bought them from Matchbox then Lesney clearly were planning to launch the 12v Race & Chase (the stillborn PP-4000?). If Dapol undertook the work then good for them, they did a great service and have really bought my layout to life...

The set features the 90 degree intesection again, but this time they use the 15" version. This all looks like sensible product planning by Dapol and one wonders if ex-employees of Matchbox were maybe involved in utilising all the old stock?

The set comprised:

2 x 12v 'Lighted cars'
2 x 12v Race & Chase hand controllers
1 x 12v Transformer
1 x 12v Terminal track 9"
4 x 90 Degree curves
4 x 45 Degree banked curve
5 x Straight 9"
1 x Intersection 15"
4 x Track aprons
2 x LH apron ends
1 x RH apron end

The set retailed for £43.12 - an odd sum surely?

COUNTERLANE J4

2008-02-25T20:44:00.003Z

Now things start to get very exciting. Counterlane junked the idea of re-packing existing Powertrack sets and created their own creations.

The J4 U-Turn Race N Chase is a case in point. Interestingly, it was a 6v set and presumably created to use up stocks of 6v electrics. The naff 6V battery box even puts in an appearance!

The 6v cars hinted at in Dapol literature are the yellow/orange BMW and the Police car, though I suspect Dapol would have used whatever cars they had at their disposal.

The J4 featured the 90 degree intersection too, though the 9" section in lieu of the 15" Speedtrack version. Dapol referred to this as the 6V intersection...

The set comprised:

2 x 6v 'Lighted' cars
2 x 6v Race & Chase hand controllers
1 x 6v Grandstand battery box
1 x Terminal track 9"
1 x Straight 9"
1 x Intersection 9"
4 x Straight 6"
6 x 90 Degree curves
6 x Track aprons
4 x LH apron ends
3 x RH apron ends

This set retailed for £34.50

COUNTERLANE J3

2008-02-25T20:36:00.003Z

Okay, the Counterlane J3 is referred to here as a 'PP-3000 - Cross Jump Rally Set'. Which indeed is what it is, except Matchbox never referred to the PP-3000 as that, but the US Powertrack Positraction product was called 'Jump Cross Championship'.

Well, whatever, this is a virtually identical PP-3000 in every way.

Set comprised:

2 x 12v 'Lighted cars'
2 x 12v Hand controllers
1 x 12v Transformer
1 x Terminal straight 9"
1 x Cross jump 24" (3 pieces)
1 x Straight 6"
1 x Crossover track 9"
10 x 90 Degree curve
10 x Crash barriers
Bridge supports

The set retailed for £52.75

COUNTERLANE J2

2008-02-25T20:22:00.003Z

The Counterlane J2 is a blown over Powertrack Le Mans (PT-4000).

Again, it utilises 12v electrics which is what this set needed from day one. Curiously, the set has no 15" straights and the contents do not appear to create the suggested layout. Either this means the contents are wrong or the layout is - who knows?!

Set contents:

2 x 12v 'Lighted cars'
2 x 12v Hand controllers
1 x 12v Transformer
1 x Terminal track 9"
11 x 9" Straight
2 x 6" Straight
12 x 90 Degree curve
12 x Crash barriers
Bridge supports

Retail price: £52.75

COUNTERLANE J1

2008-02-25T20:15:00.004Z

The J1 Counterlane set was essentially a revamped Powertrack Monza (PT-2000).

The major difference is Dapol obviously had stocks of 12V stuff to hand so the set contents were:

2 x 12v Lighted cars (No specific car mentioned).
2 x 12v Hand controllers
1 x 12v Transformers
1 x Terminal track 9"
1 x 9" Straight
2 x 6" Straight
8 x 90 Degree curve
8 x Crash barriers
Bridge supports

The recommended retail price for this set was an astonishing £34.50!

LIFE AFTER LESNEY - COUNTERLANE & DAPOL

2008-02-25T20:02:00.004Z

While Proops were offering bargain basement Powertrack, Dapol certainly had other ideas. Dapol are a well respected Railway modelling company, producing various trains and accesories for the HO rail enthusiast.

I had not heard of them until I saw an ebay add last year offering 40-50 12V Powertrack Plus cars that had been damaged in a fire. It transpires these smoke damaged cars were from stock left over from Dapol.

I had been curious about the emergence of Counterlane branded Powertrack cars on ebay and it was with help from Steve at slot Car Wales that I was pointed in the direction of a Dapol Powertrack set that had just sold on ebay.

By some cunning good luck I have now fleshed out the basis of what Dapol were offering and can tell you all I know for now. I am also aware that there are people out there who know a great deal about these things but have no wish to share it with the rest of us.

LIFE AFTER LESNEY - PROOPS BROTHERS LTD

2008-02-25T18:18:00.008Z

In 1983 I was aware that Matchbox Powertrack was no longer stocked. Being only a lad I remember spending my pocket money in bargain bins at model shops up and down the country on odd bits of track.

I remember a local toy shop had a Lap Counter (PT-221) for sale for £10.99. It never sold in five years! One day I went in and got it for £5. How chuffed was I?

That January '83 I attended the Model Engineers Exhibition in Earls Court, London. There was a company there called Proops Bros, based on Tottenham Court Rd. who sold hardware items. They appeared to have bought a significant amount of Matchbox stock and were selling off sets and cars based on Powertrack Plus.

In addition, they had a hefty amount of Lanechanger items and were supplying sets at ridiculously cheap prices. I got a flyer for their trade stand which is shown at the top. A Lanechanger 'kit' similar to an LC-2000 was made up of the following and retailed for £12-95 + £2.50 postage & packing:

1 x Terminal Track: £1.00 each

5 x 15" Straight: £0.80p each

6 x 90 Degree curve: £1.00 (Pair)

2 x Cars: (£2.00 each)

2 x Hand controllers: £1.00 each

1 x 10V Transformer: £1.00 each

1 x Bridge supports: £0.50p each

A 6V Powertrack layout also retailed for the same price and was pretty similar in content.

A bank curve would set you back £3.50 and the 'Branch track' would cost £2.00 for the pair.

Now, some of this was sold loose but I do remember most of the track was sold in Powertrack packaging (carded blister packs). The 6V cars were sold in the usual Powertrack branded boxes.

At the Exhibition, Proops were offering upgrades to 12V for very little money. 12V transformers, hand controllers and cars were available very cheaply but all loose. Further proof that apart from the Powertrack Plus sets (PP-2000/3000/9000) there were no other branded Powertrack Plus items.

It's astonishing now that these things were stacked high and sold cheap but that's how it was back then. One wonders how long Proops continued with their enterprise...

SPIDERMAN Vs THE HULK RACE & CHASE

2008-02-24T20:49:00.003Z

Okay, my thanks to Mark again for another of his surprises. Again, this is possibly a Canadian variation but this time it is identical to the US Speedtrack release but the Villain Van is replaced with the Hulk Van .

It's kind of inevitable really, but I guess Matchbox had two bites of the cherry. By producing seperate Hulk & Spiderman sets first time round they must have coined it in. Maybe to keep things simple in Canada they combined the two?

Set details as Speedtrack Spiderman Race & Chase, but with the Hulk Van.

SPIDERMAN RACE AND CHASE

2008-02-24T20:30:00.003Z

There are Powertrack experts and there is Mark! Mark has kindly provided this photo of this Spiderman Race & Chase set from his own collection.

The key differences here are not just the provision of the red Spidercar but the fact that this is a traditional PT-6000 layout complete with tip-up bridge.

Owing to the large amount of French on the box I suggest this set was produced for Canada.

There is also a possibility it was sold in the US in 1980. It could have been an exclusive for a high street chain store or catalogue shop?

Spiderman Race & Chase comprised:

1 x Spidercar - Red

1 x Villain Van

6 x 90 Degree curves

4 x 15" Straight

1 x 9" Tip-up bridge

1 x 9" R&C start terminal

6 x Web design aprons

4 x LH end aprons

2 x RH end aprons

2 x R&C hand controllers

1 x Mains powerpack

1 x City backdrop

1 x Spiderman backdrop

4 x Crash barriers

Bridge supports

SPEEDTRACK TURBO RPS 2000

2008-02-23T20:36:00.005Z

This Lanechanger set appeared on eBay this week and is not in any of my catalogues. The RPS range consisted of the 4000 & 6000, the 2000 listed in 1979 was a non turbo set. The seller is in Canada and I reckon this seems to be a find. The box artwork is fairly distinctive and 'turbo' sets in general are fairly hard to come by.

Set wise, the contents appear to be as RPS 2000 although it does look like it utilises two 9" sections of straight track in lieu of the 15" straight.

One particular point of interest is the crash barriers feature sponsoring by both Toyota and Nissan yet Matchbox never produced a version of their racing cars. A Datsun 240Z might have been a good addition to the range.

Set contents:

1 x Martini Porsche

1 x Chevrolet Monza

6 x 90 Degree curve

1 x 15" Start straight

3 x 15" Straight

2 x 9" Straight

2 x Turbo hand controllers

1 x Mains transformer

1 x Control tower

1 x Pit stop

6 x Crash barriers

Bridge supports

Okay - a quick catch up!

2008-02-23T18:43:00.003Z

Following my small blaze of publicity via ebay there is a significant number of you out there who have visited the site and seem to be impressed with the info here.

Thank you all - its still very much a 'work in progress' though with your help there is definitely more going on out there than I can report right away - keep checking here and re-reading some of the pages for more information. Your notes, observations and photos will be included eventually, though please let me know if you want a mention.

Typically, I found a new set on ebay this week - a Lanechanger 2000 RPS. This means I have to enter this on the blog as the next item and its now out of order with everything else! My apologies, but the nature of this blog being a dated entry list of things means I cannot rearrange the order of things. If anyone knows a way around this please let me know...

I was busy on ebay this week, trying to bid for some Dapol stuff, but being very unsuccessful owing partly to my own clumsiness and to the iron hold Gordon Brown has on my finances!

The Dapol stuff is yet to be 'catalogued' here, but if anyone can help - (or rather, wants to help) -please let me know.

Yet again, a Dapol 12V Saab in boring green sold for £32. It sold to another Saabist who's list of recent purchases included everything Saab. One wonders if his 'other half' works for Saab...

By the way, the latest tip off is the Helicopter Chase set did exist! My informant added that he has seen two in existence.

The hunt is on...

Cheers,

Steve

LIGHTED POSITRACTION CARS - 2

2008-02-13T19:51:00.004Z

The Porsche Turbo (163901 - above). Isn't this cool? So cool that Matchbox saw fit to advertise it in all of the three Positraction sets it planned to launch. It's good, and definitely worth tracking down because this is a 'widely' photographed example and must be somewhere...

The companion to the Porsche Turbo in the planned sets was the VW Scirocco T/A (164001 - above). Not sure what the T/A nomenclature suggested, was that a VW racing thing? No matter, this livery is very definitely BMW M colours. Not sure who was doing the marketing, but Matchbox clearly saw racing colours as 'any racing colour' rather than a specific racing colour. My internet searches have revealed an excellent orange Jagermeister livery for the Scirocco... oh well.

Lastly, the oft neglected Ford Escort (164101 - above). Yet again, it sits on the bum end of Matchbox's efforts and gets a black and dun brown finish. Not good, and an uninspiring end to the lil' Escorts US campaign.

LIGHTED POSITRACTION CARS - 1

2008-02-13T18:34:00.005Z

Obviously, the lighted Positraction cars came with lights. Why they all didn't remains a mystery, but clearly Matchbox felt differentiation was worthwhile. The first up is the Saab Turbo (163601 - above). This has a spectacular livery. Not quite as adventurous as the Powertrack Plus version but quite bold non the less. Doubtless this photo has sent Saabists off in a delirium and they are now busy selling shares to fund its purchase...

And the perennial BMW gets a fresh look too (163701 - above). Sort of BMWish, but the silver needed to be white to be truly convincing. Note the Powertrack script on the rear spoiler is the UK Powertrack version, not the planned US script.

And the burly Jay-ge-waargh gets a rude reminder of its BL ownership too. (163801 - above). The Jag is white and dark green, with light green decals. I'm just not enamoured with some of these cars, the liveries are ill conceived - that said, some of them are significantly prettier than the Powertrack Plus versions that were to come.

POSITRACTION CARS...

2008-02-12T20:02:00.000Z

The Positraction range consisted of 8 cars that did not feature lights but did feature the magnet and torquier motors. Curiously, the Porsche 936, Porsche Turbo, TR7 & Corvette had all been lighted vehicles previously, so a bit of a downward move there - and hardly much of a cost saving.

The Matchbox Formula 1 (160101) (above) features a Penske Indycar style scheme. It also freely advertises Matchbox - not something Matchbox thought of doing very much.

The Ferrari F1 (160201), Porsche 936 (160301) and Porsche Turbo (160501) are unchanged, except of course the latter two have no lights, though still have clear headlight apertures.

The Rebel Funny Car (160401) is given a groovy title and groovy livery - check it out baby! (above).

Next up is the Supervette (160601). This looks a sombre livery but silver is definitely what the Corvette needed. Interestingly, this was not superceded by the Stingray, which was destined never to be sold in the USA.

Well, the unsuccessful TR7 wasn't much better in TR8 (160701) guise. This is a very odd livery for the little Brit, but it certainly advertises what it is - even though it was relatively unknown in the USA.

Lastly the Dodge Van gets a proper 'Custom Van' title, (160801). This is definitely on my hit list, it's what a slot car van should be painted like! Bring it on...

POSITRACTION - STILLBIRTH IN 1981...

2008-02-10T18:05:00.001Z

In 1981, the US Market saw the planned demise of the Speedtrack brand. Instead, it was set to be replaced with the Powertrack brand, (logo as above).

The range of existing cars were generally overhauled and tarted up to become something new and exciting.

'The Positraction car, our fastest car ever, brings super speed and handling to Powertrack, AFX and Tyco Slot Racing Systems. This high performance universal track star brings racers more fun and less spin outs on any HO Slot system. Our track gripping magnet and new high torque motor makes the Positraction Car a winner in any class'

...went the blurb.

Interestingly, Matchbox clearly mention its arch rivals in this product area and state the Positraction chassis can be used with these systems.

Positraction consisted of a torquier motor, (having more winds on the armature) and a magnet located next to the crown gear on the rear of the chassis. No mention is made of the 'HVT' logo attached to UK Powertrack Plus cars, or wider Pick-ups, or an increase in voltage to 12V. This suggests that Positraction cars were not the same as Powertrack Plus cars.

The Powertrack cars were divided into three categories: Positraction cars, Lighted Positraction cars and Speedtrack cars.

Speedtrack cars were presumably unchanged and not having Positraction. The cars listed here were the yellow Jaguar (166201), Jagermeister BMW (166301) & Porsche 936 PACER (166101) from the Slipstream set. The Funny car (166707) and Police car (166801) from Race & Chase. Tyrone Malone's Superboss (166501) & Bandag Bandit (166401). And lastly the solitary yellow Ford Escort (166601).

What is apparent is the demise of some old favourites, Elf F1, Texaco F1, Renault Alpine, Spiderman, Gremlin, Pinto, and the Fiat Abarth. It's also worth noting that two years after launching the Corvette Stingray in the UK the Stinger still does not appear stateside.

Sadly, it does not seem that any of this planned initiative actually happened. Positraction chassis appeared in the UK as Powertrack Plus, but none of the revised car colours and styles seem to have materialised.

Photographic examples must exist somehwere though. I would suggest ANY positraction car (and any car with a US Powertrack logo on it) is worth looking out for.

SUPERBOSS PP-158 & BANDAG BANDIT PP-159

2008-02-08T17:47:00.001Z

Okay, final entries to the Powertrack Plus range. The Tyrone Malone vehicles are exactly as described under the 6V entry.

There are no differences, but a big thank you to a contributor who validated my tale of seeing a Superboss in a Matchbox 75 Blister card pack. He correctly states that a Powertrack version of Malone's Superboss appears in the 1984 Matchbox 75 catalogue with Powertrack wheels and pick ups but with the guide pin removed, (below).

This is great stuff and an excellent example of how this site can be useful. Please keep your observations coming and I thank you all for your contributions!

FORD ESCORT PP-143 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-08T17:37:00.000Z

This lovely little Escort is proof that it existed - although I reckon the contributor who sent this photo must have the very car that Matchbox used!

I thought this was as rare as the Abarth, but this is the proof I need that it did indeed exist. The car does actually differ slightly from Matchbox's catalogue example in that the blue Ford oval was light blue on the Matchbox version. The black stripe along the bonnet/hood also continued into the black stripe on the door.

Apart from this, its all looking familiar so keep your eyes peeled. Definitely in my top 10 for collectors favourites - (a list that is ongoing for now!)

FIAT ABARTH PP-142 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-08T17:23:00.001Z

Ok, if you've read this far you will have gathered I am stumbling through all this based on Catalogues, my acquired knowledge and internet auction sites. As this is an on going project and I am prepared to be proved wrong I am going to state categorically that this very Powertrack Plus car does not exist.

There, said it.

Despite being referenced at some length in the Powertrack Plus manual (below), the little Fiat in it's sensational livery seems to be very shy and retiring.

For this very reason, a mint version (or perhaps any version) is at the very top of the Powertrack Collectors wish list.

Forget the Saab, forget the Yellow VeeDub. This is the holy grail...

CHEVROLET STINGRAY PP-141 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-08T17:06:00.001Z

My thanks to a contributor who has passed on this superb photo of the Stingray. (Please feel free to pass on any anecodotal evidence or better photos if you have them).

My experience of the Stingray was that it was quite rare at the time. However, ebay as ever provides evidence contrary to this. The Stingray is unchanged, although the side numerals on this example have a black square around them, while the catalogue version is just a numeral only (below).

VW SCIROCCO PP-140 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-08T16:52:00.000Z

Well, what a cheerful ray of sunshine this VW was! Except you couldn't buy it! Well, I couldn't. No amount of pleading with Model shop owners and stabbing at the photo in my catalogue produced anything more than a 'Na, sorry Son, dunno anyfink baat that one lad'.

My early years of disappointment soon dispelled when this very car appeared on ebay last year, craftily hidden in an old PT-2000 set photograph. I didn't pay over the odds, which is just as well because its rubbish!

The vivid yellow (above) had deteriated over the 25 years since launch to become a dull drab bogey green. Furthermore, my example had clearly been modified by a black felt pen to reduce its value further.

And what value eh? A Mint one sold last month for £82 ($160)!! This is plausible because although I have seen 3 for sale in a year they are not common.

My advice? As with all yellow cars, unless you are going to race it, condition is paramount.

SAAB TURBO PP-139 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-07T20:31:00.000Z

Now, I used to own a Saab and I can vouch that we were considered a strange lot. However, we were not exactly known for being flash with our cash. Ironic then that Saab enthusiasts across the world seem keen to drive prices for these Saabs into the stratosphere.

This particular car is a mystery to me slightly. The version above is the Catalogue version, and as top of my want list back in 1981/2 I looked all over the UK (my Dad travelled!) for it. They were not about, I can tell you.

Imagine my surpise then to see one on ebay earlier this year. The ebay model, (above) is identical but throws up an interesting question. The chequer pattern on the sides appears to be black and white, but the ebay version suggests this is black and blue. I am tempted to suggest the colours of both images are inaccurate and the true colour is light grey. If anybody has one of these please let me know!

The ebay version was a Counterlane boxed example and fetched close to £100 on ebay. It's good money but if it's Counterlane, there must be more...

PORSCHE 936 PP-138 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-07T20:14:00.000Z

The Porsche 936 is little changed here for the Powertrack Plus version. Still white, it does little to expand on the Motorsport heritage of this great Racing car.

Like most Powertrack Plus cars, they were also re-packed and rebranded in Counterlane boxes. The cars themselves differed little and there is little to suggest one is worth more than another.

From my own observations, all the Powertrack Plus cars were sold loose and never came in a Powertrack Plus branded packet. This is a curious anomally in Matchbox's usually excellent packaging.

I was present at the launch of these 12V cars in 1981 and all the cars available then were sold loose.

Intriguingly, the cars available at launch were the TR7 & Porsche from PP-9000, Renault & Porsche 936 from PP-3000 and Jag & BMW from PP-2000. The Police Car & Stingray were also readily available. The Two Racing trucks came along around 6 months later.

Cars conspicuous for their absence were the Escort, Fiat, Scirocco, Corvette & Saab.

I have strong feelings that these were only ever issued by Counterlane.

If anyone can prove this isn't the case please forward photographs.

RENAULT ALPINE PP-137 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-07T19:59:00.000Z

Well, not much to say here except this version very definitely had no air box fitted!

Not a bad livery, and along with the Porsche 936 the pair look fairly convincing blasting around a track - (but not at all convincing doing the cross jump!)

JAGUAR PP-136 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-07T18:56:00.001Z

Okay, maybe I was a bit harsh on the old beemer - this Jag isn't a whole lot better is it? I suppose it looks great as a cheerful toy slot car for kids, which it was. But don't forget matchbox's quality origins and it's reputation for detail.

In real life this was a fire breathing racing car with a throbbing 5.3 litre engine. The 1979 UK Catalogue is littered with images of the creme and dark blue works Jaguars.

But we got this version. I call it the 'Rainbow car' because it looks like it should be sat on a shelf behind Zippy & George...

'Ooh Geoffrey..'

BMW PP-135 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-07T18:40:00.000Z

Perhaps Matchbox fell out with BMW? The gorgeous Jagermeister BMW had been one of the best cars in the Powertrack line up. It oozed drama and charisma.

First came the Orange and Yellow striped variant for the Euro PT-6100. This was very seventies - in a not-cool way.

However, what were Matchbox thinking of to create this version? Its repulsive! Not only is it a crime against aesthetics its also a crime against motorsport fans. On the panel on the right is a BMW that screams a racing livery! We wanted a black one with cool stripes, but instead we got this.

Cream? I'm speechless...

This BMW is also plentiful. According to ebay legend, a company rescued(?) these from a warehouse fire and hundreds of charred and scarred examples are in circulation. Hmm, lovely.

CORVETTE PP-134 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-07T18:31:00.000Z

This Corvette is a belter! I was not really wanting to get one of these but thought it a necessary evil. You may have gathered I'm not a great fan of the Speedtrack item but here, the 12V magnet chassis really controls that loose tail and this 'Vette really flies.

There's no doubt it looks good too - its livery is heavily inspired by the silver Martini sponsored Porsche RSR's of the late seventies. Curious Matchbox didn't put this on the Porsche!

This is a car worth seeking out. Recommended as a race car and a shelf queen.

POLICE CAR PP-133 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-07T18:22:00.001Z

Photo to follow...

The Powertrack Plus Police car is little changed from the Powertrack item. It does sport more US inspired decals but other than that its business as usual.

I am awaiting the arrival of one imminently to photograph - but one advertised on ebay currently suggests the 12V version has flashing lights!

As much as I would hope this was possible I don't think it is at all likely! I'll let you know if mine does, but if anyone can prove this was possible straight out the box please let me know...

Erm...nope, mine don't flash. :(

TRIUMPH TR7 PP-132 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-07T12:51:00.000Z

The TR7 - as mentioned - is the partner to the Red Porsche. What the Porsche gains the TR7 loses. It's cheeky looks ruined by a nasty green paint finish that only a 'right on' toy marketing geek would suggest. It is far removed from a racing livery, and thats a shame as the TR7 is one of Matchbox's staple fast cars.

Aside from the billious green, there are few other markings worth mentioning. It's a real missed opportunity here. And lets not forget the huge number of these things that exist out there. They will outlive us all I think...

PORSCHE TURBO PP-131 (UK ONLY)

2008-02-06T20:40:00.001Z

Okay, not worth spending too much time here except to say this is one of the smartest Powertrack cars ever. Its inclusion in the daddy of all Powertrack sets, the PP-9000 only adds to it's appeal.

As discussed under Porsche Turbo (PT-103) this is a Mark 2 body, a significant improvement on the original Porker. The front and rear bumpers are re-defined, and the front wings flow back in to the body in a coke bottle style - non of the sudden step on the Mark 1.

Matchbox were particularly adventurous with the decals here, and it has a high number of logos adorned on it. Trouble is, the door stickers are particularly prone to peeling, owing to the fact the decal is larger than the door!

The luscious red paint is sprayed over a white shell, so you can get variations in the amount of red paint covering the wheel arches. On the whole, the Porsche works well and sat on the sublime Powertrack Plus 12V chassis it certainly looks phat.

Along with the green TR7, these two cars account for the most common (by far!) cars on ebay. Reasons for this are various, but most likely the Porsche and TR7 were the last bulk order from the supplier.

PORSCHE POLICE CAR (EURO ONLY)

2008-02-06T20:00:00.000Z

This is a real gem - not least because it really is hard to find. The Porsche Police car was only available in the European Race & Chase set, PT-6100. Along with the Orange & Yellow BMW, these two cars would appear to be only available in mainland Europe - possibly only in Germany where Matchbox had a strong foothold.

SUPER BOSS 166501 & BANDAG BANDIT 166401 (US only)

2008-02-05T20:26:00.000Z

Tyrone Malone's Super Boss racing truck is a beautifully detailed product. Released in the US in 6 volt form it was the basis for the Tyrone Malone racing set.

Over in the UK we were more familiar with Toblerone. The Racing truck did not appear until the 1982 Powertrack Plus range. It is unlikely however, that any 12V versions of this truck were released by Matchbox - Counterlane version, anyone?

The Boss is a bit of nightmare on some layouts. Layouts have to be carefully constructed so flyovers are high enough not to interfere. The banked curve and loop are interesting too. The lap counter (PT-221) cannot be used with the racing trucks. I get over this by having the trucks race counter-clockwise, the paddle on the lap counter just folds away on impact.

In addition to the OTT Superboss, Matchbox also made a rival truck, the Bandag Bandit (above). A black and menacing vehicle (Duel, anyone?). This is a great product but unfortunately does not photograph too well.

For collectors, these two versions (above) appear in the 1979 US catalogue and are particularly over detailed. The main feature (of the Superboss) are the aerofoils on the front wings and hood. Curiously, the Bandit does not have these adornments, but the striping decals have been refined for production.

SPIDERMAN CAR 143751 (US ONLY)

2008-02-05T19:57:00.000Z

Well, this car also gets a huge interest in collectors circles. Not for anything concerned with Speedtrack, more the Spiderman affiliation.

(For me, that link means very little - Spiderman was ruined for me with Toby Mcguire, even the foxy Kirsten Dunst can't rescue the franchise!)

However, it is very popular. And there are two versions available. The Spiderman racing set was equipped with the blue version (Top).

For reasons that escape me, Matchbox also released a red version of the car (above). Perhaps Matchbox planned a red versus blue spiderman racing set? The red version also features a silver panel on the bonnet/hood.

Below is shot of a mint Spiderman car in its original Speedtrack carded blister pack. Good examples like this fetch premium money - but nearly always by Spiderman and Marvel fans, who's pockets are clearly deeper - (though not as deep as 'Saabists'!)

THE VAN 143750 (US ONLY)

2008-02-05T19:42:00.000Z

The Van is a great addition to the Speedtrack range. A US only product, the van would have gone down a storm if Powertrack had stayed around for the A-Team.

As it is, the Van first saw service in the much maligned (by me) Hulk racing set. The design is based on an old Dodge design, but clearly has been customised with 70's esque styling additions.

The launch of the Spiderman set later the same year saw a black 'Villain' version of the van, which I assume is the same catalogue number as the Hulk version(?)

The Helicopter chase set (see 'Helicopter', below) also feature a plain black version which is the coolest of the lot, though we can pretty much assume this never got the green light...

Hulk vans fetch good money on ebay which is slightly unfair. It's quite common but must have a cache with us non-US residents as being quite a rarity.

THE HELICOPTER!

2008-02-03T10:36:00.000Z

A real curve ball this one! Did it exist? Yes. Did Matchbox mass produce it? Well, kind of...

The Helicopter Chase set was a Speedtrack surprise for 1979. It was certainly promised to the dealers at the time, as witnessed by the extensive marketing drive in that year. These images are from the 1979 Speedtrack catalogue and the set was reasonaby progressed to production.

However, it does not seem to have seen the light of day. If these sets ever existed, it is surely in very small quantities? No matter, Matchbox certainly did produce the Helicopter vehicle and it is a common 'Skybusters' model, the SB-25 Rescue Helicopter (below).

Quite how the helicopter performed we will probably never know. It's important to remember that because three vehicles are supplied, Matchbox obviously felt the Helicopter was fine for a few minutes, then the novelty wore off. Never mind, further evidence of how compelled someone at Matchbox was to be creative all the time...

SAAB 900 TURBO PT-116 (UK Only)

2008-02-02T12:04:00.001Z

No Powertrack car garners the attention the Saab seems to get in collectors circles. The Saab appears briefly in the 1980 Catalogue but appeared on shelves in tiny numbers.

Back then, the solid green version (top) was prevalent. However, the delights of eBay have also uncovered the rarer metallic green version (below). I have since seen this metallic version in the UK 1980 Catalogue but I still think it is the rarer of the two versions, and the prettier.

Much speculation exists about other versions but Matchbox are unlikely to have bothered overmuch with a version of a car that it made very few examples of. There is a Positraction version and Powertrack Plus version, but the former is unlikely to have been released and the standard 6V car never appeared in the USA.

The Saab is a 900 but it was badged as a just a Saab. In rallying circles, the Saab was successful, but at the time only as a '99' - not a 900. No matter, this was another great rally car and someone at Matchbox was very good at getting interesting and diverse cars on the drawing board.

One thing is very clear though, the Saab was the last Powertrack car body to be designed. The Racing Trucks appeared in the UK after this date, but they were in the US a full 18 months ahead of the Saab.

The Saab never appeared in a racing set - not even as a substitute. Numbers were clearly limited. The other fascinating thing for us enthusiasts is the Saab is numbered as PT-116.

Where is PT-115? And what was it going to be? I have my own thoughts that it was maybe supposed to be a 6V Tyrone Malone 'Superboss' or a Dodge van of somekind? But imagine if it were something new? A Lancia Stratos? An Audi Quattro? A Talbot Sunbeam? A VW Golf?

Perhaps they did release this car? If anyone has any credible evidence of this car can they possibly share it with us?

Note: PT-115 has now been credibly identified! See Blog entry for March 08.

CHEVROLET STINGRAY PT-114 (UK Only)

2008-02-02T11:47:00.000Z

The Corvette Stingray is also referenced in the Funny Car description elsewhere. The UK only car was the car shown above. This car looks particularly ungainly when not mounted on a piece of track, but on the track it looks great - a real shame it doesn't have a racing number on it though.

As mentioned elsewhere, the prototype version (above) is a 'standard' Corvette with the same graphic scheme applied to it. The intriguing aspect is that there must be a version of this much photographed example and therefore, like sundry other quasi-prototype uncovered so far - it would be worth a fair amount of money to collectors.

POLICE CAR PT-113 (UK) 143748 (US)

2008-02-02T10:06:00.000Z

Now, the Police car here is no different to that shown earlier under the prototype police car. However, this is the Matchbox UK example and it really is a tidy design. Scalewise, it is probably the biggest and fattest of all the Powertrack cars and this bulk can make itself known on the track and performing those famous U-turns.

Of course, the Race & Chase stands like a colossus over the Powertrack product range and tends to be the one most people remember. They remember this because of the Police chase aspect and it certainly spawned copy cat sets from Aurora and that infamous 'Dukes Of Hazzard' rip off.

The Police car bought the capability of U-turning to the masses and the bonus of the roof lights were a world apart from previous slot racing sets. However, if I have one grumble it is this:

Why didn't they make the lights flash?

FIAT 131 ABARTH PT-112 (UK) 143752 (US)

2008-02-02T08:56:00.000Z

The Fiat 'Supermirafiori' was king of the Rally world back in 1979, and Matchbox were bang on target when they introduced the chubby little Fiat. I love this Powertrack car, its stocky little proportions make it a most unlikely 'racing' car. I think Matchbox did well to choose it over the much more popular Lancia Stratos.

The light blue Fiat (top) is the 'standard' car. Both US and UK catalogues show versions that are slightly more basic but essentially they didn't change overmuch.

The US prototype car (above) was a mid-blue colour with yellow detailing. This particular colour was not a production blue. It was also issued with a simple number 5 and lacked the other decals shown on the production versions.

The UK Prototype (above) was the familiar light blue finish but only had a single number 35 decal. No other decals were featured.

With the arrival of the PT-8000, Matchbox also introduced a dark blue Fiat, with the same decal detail found on the light blue version. It is this version that seems to be prevalent in the US as a Speedtrack accessory.

As with the TR7 & Escort, the Fiat was also previewed in the PT-6000 instruction booklet. Here it is seen without its glass in a different blue with contrasting black accents. How cool is this?

TRIUMPH TR7 PT-111 (UK) 143753 (US)

2008-02-01T18:45:00.000Z

The Triumph TR7 was another 'triumph' for motorsport fans, it look set to dominate World Rallying in a way the legendary Lancia Stratos did. Much hype and praise was lavished on it at launch. But, (as with most BL sponsored activites) on paper it looked brilliant, but its actual performance was somewhat less so.

No matter, the TR7 was a welcome edition and was first hinted at in the Race & Chase instruction manual (above). This car was also without glass (see Ford Escort) but retained the metallic green of the 1979 Catalogue example (top).

The silver versions appeared first in the USA. The '20' version (above) is the first example but I am unsure as to whether this was actually issued. I firmly believe instead that the '50' version, with black bumpers, side skirts and 'B' Pillar (below) was the first Speedtrack TR7.

This same version first appeared in the UK with the PT-8000 set 'Silverstone' set in 1980.

At the end of 1980, a red trimmed version (below) was supplied with the 1981 'Indianapolis' set. This trim has also become quite popular in the US, with many carded examples now available on ebay.

The TR7 spawned a dreadful Positraction derivative, and the ultra-ubquitious 'Frog Green' Powertrack Plus version, but it is a cheeky addition to the range and good examples in silver should command sensible money.

VW SCIROCCO PT-110 (UK) 143747 (US)

2008-02-01T14:54:00.000Z

The VeeDub is a great addition to the Powertrack lineup - and an unexpected one too. The VW was a Group 5 Touring car racer but pretty much made up the numbers - it did well to get noticed by Powertrack, which suggests there was more to be had from VW trying to market the Scirocco in the US.

The VW was actually one of the earliest cars to arrive from Matchbox, appearing in 1978 at the same time as the prototype Funny car & Police Car. Early cars were more red than orange in trim colour, and the '22' number appeared on the doors, even though are lacking in this photo.

On the arrival of the PT-8000 four lane racing set, Matchbox issued the superb Gold Scirocco. Apart from the kitsch font used on the numerals, this is a fabulous Powertrack car, and is the only version to feature painted rear lights.

The VW is very popular on ebay, but I remember at the time it seemed to be quite hard to obtain. None of my stockists had any, but then I remember all of them complaining that they only got what Matchbox sent them - never what they asked for or what the rep. promised...

Perhaps that was the beginning of the end?

FORD ESCORT PT-109 (UK) 143749 (US)

2008-01-31T21:07:00.000Z

The humble Escort, the king of 70's rallying relegated to chasing a Hulk van around a figure of eight!

Alas! The Escort is definitely a favourite for Powertrack fans and rightly so. The chunky detailing and semi matt paint finish rendered it uber-cool, long before the phrase was invented.

The UK car was identical to the US car, though both appeared at the same time. The Escort was the first of four new cars for Matchbox in 1979. The Fiat, TR7 & VW Scirocco being the others. These four cars were all rally cars and this opened up the appeal of 'F1 & Sportscar' based slot car tracks.

I am still surprised the Escort and Fiat never appeared in a set together but I can tell you this. The Escort regularly appeared as a 'fill in' car, for when stocks were short of others. Both the PT-8000 and PT-6000 were known to include this item. In fact, Woolworths gave away a Ford Escort free with every Race & Chase back in 1980!

The US car was numbered 4 on a white rectangle, while the UK car was number 8 on a white trapezoid. Apart from that, there were a couple of additions;

The yellow Escort (above) was much rarer, featuring black detailing and the important Ford badging. This is a real collectors item and a fine addition to the range, but as with all the yellow Powertrack cars, the bodywork has faded and become fairly transluscent, a real pity in this case.

The Prototype Escort is shown above, and is pretty much stock Escort, though obviously the window plastic is missing. I reckon Matchbox were maybe wondering what colour to do the glass - although black or clear seem obvious, they went for a fetching dark green.

However, rarest of the lot is a red Escort I saw in 1979. Pretty much the same as a regular Escort but having a distinct red and black chequered roof. I saw several of these at a model shop in Reading that has long ceased trading. I remember being fascinated back then because I hadn't seen it before, and I was unlikely to see it since. Rest assured, they're out there somewhere...

POLICE CAR 143748 (US PROTOTYPE)

2008-01-31T19:53:00.000Z

Take a look at this! The prototype Police car for the Speedtrack Race & Chase.

The remarkable thing about this particular car is the fact it looks so unlike the production version. Normally, the prototype Matchbox cars differ slightly, but this is an entirely different vehicle. It looks scratchbuilt from some other sort of HO scale car, with hastily fashioned details like the lights merely tacked on.

The prototype exists for photographic purposes but clearly it is priceless - it would be nice to know if this example is still in existence. Matchbox clearly did a U-turn with this design though.

The production version (above) is much different, but no less dramatic. Clearly American, but widely acceptable owing to the popularity of US cop shows on TV. There is no doubt it has presence but its more urbane, and lacks the 'fast back' nature of the prototype.

FUNNY CAR aka MONZA 143742 (US ONLY)

2008-01-31T18:20:00.000Z

When Race & Chase appeared in the UK the set was equipped with the well known yellow & White Chevrolet Stingray. Now, eagle eyed as I was back then, I noticed that photos in the Argos catalogue and Littlewoods catalogues showed a photo of a car that looked like a Stingray, yet clearly wasn't a Stingray.

While this baffled me then, it was soon forgotten about. Now alas(!) I see the light, because in the US, the Race & Chase was supplied with this chunkier, squarer Chevrolet; the Monza.

Now, the Monza is great, it looks the part and evidently inspires thoughts of Smokey & The Bandit, but a Stingray it wasn't. The real Chevrolet Monza was an uninspiring car and Matchbox were keen to market it as a Funny car, owing to its 'droop snoot' stance. The car had 'Catch me' written on the back and it soon caught the imagination of schoolkids...

The original prototype (above) is shown in the 1978 catalogue and differs significantly. It has a grille for one thing, and spats on the rear wing. The graphics are there, but the Catch Me script is absent. What is apparent is the Matchbox 'm' on the bonnet/hood - the only car that does so.

The box art work for PT-6000 shoes a hybrid Corvette/Stingray/Monza. The box artist, (an Industrial Designer seconded from nearby Ford perhaps?) probably worked from photos of the US Monza, while decisions were being made on supplying a Corvette - or the then new - Stingray.

The funny car underwent a big paint job for the stillborn Positraction, but other than that it is one of the most common cars found on the Speedtrack pages. I like it though, its a hoot!

TEXACO F1 143730 (US ONLY)

2008-01-30T12:54:00.000Z

The Texaco is pretty much as the Elf F1. In fact, they share the same moulding.

Both cars appeared at launch in 1977 but were deleted by 1979. Given the small number of cars available compared to other slot racing systems, this deletion seems to be a tad detrimental to expanding the range of accessories available.

The Texaco looked smart though, which is no small feat given its an uninspiring colour and livery. The car started off with white wheels but soon adopted the traditional grey five spokers.

Again, there is an early prototype version that is virtually identical but with dark grey wheels.

ELF FORMULA 1 143729 (US ONLY)

2008-01-30T12:46:00.000Z

The Elf F1 is a cool car. No doubt about it, 30 years on it looks like a great retro slot car. Yet, imagine back in 1977 you found this in your slot racing set. You would probably think it looked like something from a Christmas cracker.

Like the Sportsman cars, the quality of these mouldings left much to be desired but the overiding impression I have now is that this is a fantastic Speedtrack car.
Although designed to simulate an early seventies F1 car, the Elf (and it's counterpart, the Texaco F1) never made it to Europe, which is a pity as the cars might have given credibility to the Powertrack PT-1000 and its budget price aspirations, freeing up the the F1 cars to provide a bigger UK set in the style of the Speedtrack International set.

The 1977 Speedtrack catalogue shows a prototype Elf, which differs slightly to the production version. The white detailing is almost removed save for the ends of the rear wing. The numerals are white numbers without backing, and the wheels are a dark grey.

GREMLIN SPORTSMAN 143726 (US ONLY)

2008-01-29T12:43:00.000Z

This is the partner for the Pinto Sportsman and it is presented in a very off putting bogey green. The thing you notice with the early Speedtrack cars is they are woefully short on investment. Given Matchbox' roots on detail and authenticity, the Gremlim is a particularly nasty example. The moulded in colour has not aged well and my example is almost transparent...

The Gremlin certainly handles though, fit the 12V chassis with magnet and off it blasts - while this is the case of most Powertrack cars with the Plus Chassis the Gremlin at least looks like it means business, with none of the 'bustle' you get with some full bodied cars like the Escort and Fiat Abarth.

The Sportsman cars are fairly limited, having a shelf life of about 18 months. Good examples should fetch excellent money on ebay.

PINTO SPORTSMAN 143725 (US ONLY)

2008-01-28T12:54:00.000Z

The Pinto is a delightful product to find 30 years on. It came as a total surprise to me that these cars existed and further more that they never reached the UK in one form or another.

However, they were crude devices and - without being elitist - were probably not of the quality expected by Lesney in the UK.

The Pinto is a different moulding to the Gremlin Sportsman, its set partner of 1977. One wonders why they were so similar but different - though this seems to be a Matchbox speciality.

The Sportsman cars were presumably inspired by US dirt racers, but were akin to our UK Hot Rods, which I remember being quite popular here at the time. I think Matchobx missed the opportunity to create a pair of Hot Rods for the UK here.

PORSCHE 936 PT-108 (UK) 143746 (US)

2008-01-28T12:45:00.002Z

The Porsche 936 is a textbook Porsche Le Mans car. Not as famous as the 917 or the later 956 it nevertheless dominated sportcar racing in the mid to late seventies. For Matchbox, it was an obvious slot racing product and their interpretation is spot on.

Works Porsches were festooned with Martini striping, but the Matchbox product makes do with subtle badging and striping to the rear flank. A pity, considering the effect of the striping on the real life car. Care should be taken of the rear fins as the decals peel away easily in this area (below). Examples that have not peeled should be worth more I reckon.

The Porsche went through a few iterations. The first was a vehicle with more Martini striping than usual and really looked the part, having much more of a scale model effect than the regular item.

The other was the Pacer version supplied in the Slipstream set. This was a standard 936 with the Pacer script stuck on both sides.

Given the privateer nature of Porsche racing cars it's a real shame more imagination wasn't invested in other liveries. The Powertrack Plus revision in 1981 was a prime example of this lack of imagination.

RENAULT ALPINE PT-107 (UK) 143745 (US)

2008-01-26T09:46:00.000Z

Here is a Powertrack regular, the Renault Alpine. It is quite a curious entry as it is available in so many variations. The differences are subtle, enough to make you wonder why they bothered..

The standard issue car is in the foreground right. This is common to both US and UK markets and is the only car here shown fitted with an Airbox behind the drivers head.

The later car, (back right) has the same livery but is without the airbox. It was also moulded in colour, while the standard car was spray painted. The latter appears waxy by comparison.

The black yellow Renault is much more faithful to the real racing cars of the seventies but quite scarce in Matchbox circles. There is no reference to this model at all in any period literature. Note the drivers helmet is red for these versions.

The other car is the Powertrack Plus version, more of which later. The last three cars mentioned are all without airboxes. The mouldings clearly have no fill in panel, so when Matchbox decided to mould in colour they also deleted the airbox.

Apart from the production models, check out this prototype from the UK Powertrack instruction manuals of 78/79. This car is significantly different, there is an airbox, but the rear wing is alot smaller. The front headlights are round and there are 4 slots in the front splitter. The grilles over the front wing are smaller and the driver is seated to the left of centre. The cockpit is a squarer profile and there are no cooling slats over the rear bodywork at all. The stripes run white and the drivers helmet is red.

Obviously, this is a pre-production example and could be made out of wood for all I know. If a working sample of this turned up its value would be significant.

JAGUAR XJ5.3 PT-106 (UK) 143740

2008-01-25T17:46:00.000Z

The Jaguar was nowhere near as successful as the BMW in real life, but boy did it have a presence. I saw one of these in action at Silverstone in 1990 and it was a veritable monster. Someone at Lesney was also similarly moved to produce a body as it's a bit of a curiousity.

The big Jag looked the part too, in Access livery and it's contemporary Leyland reference, it was a very exciting addition to the Powertrack range.

The car was available in the US as an accessory, but was only ever packed with the slipstream set. That car was the revolting yellow version. This also had the dorsal adornment of the lap counter activator (below), though it is missing on the box artwork (above).

Apart from the stillborn Positraction version and the PPlus upgrade there are no remarkable variations of this Jaguar, but it remains an exciting Powertrack car.

BMW 3.0 CSL PT-105 (UK) 143741 (US)

2008-01-24T20:03:00.000Z

Long before BMW became synonymous with Touring car racing, they began their domination with this car. Matchbox's car is one of their finest in its stunning Jagermeister livery, and remained largely unchanged in the UK & US guise.

The big curiousity is it was referred to as a BMW 3.0 CSL in the 1978 Powertrack catalogue, but a BMW 320i in the US catalogue of 1978 & 79. I actually think it's a 320i too...

Apart from the excellent Jagermeister version and the Positraction & PPlus versions to follow, there also existed two other versions of note.

The first is the chase car used in European versions of the Race & Chase set, badged PT-6100. This car was orange with yellow detailing.

The other version (above) is that found in the Slipstream set. Essentially the same as the Jagermeister version but also having the dorsal fin upon its roof to activate the lap counter.

McLAREN M23 - PT-102 (UK) 14 37 44 (US)

2008-01-24T12:51:00.000Z

The McLaren is the other F1 Powertrack car and its also a chubby interpretation of the real thing. The real car is very flat but obviously the Powertrack version is hamsterised to fit it all in.

The McLaren was released in the UK as PT-102 and was only ever available in faux Marlboro colours of reddy-orange/white. In the states though, the car was redone completely. Was cigarette advertising on kids toys outlawed then?

The US car was blue, with yellow detailing and not marketed as 'McLaren' at all. Instead, it was clumsily titled 'M-26 Formula 1'

There are few variations of this car other than that though I vaguely remember different drivers helmets may have been provided depending on stock - this characteristic also applied to all the open topped cars, standard for this car on both sides of the Atlantic are a black helmet.

The US Positraction prototype was pretty lurid and mirrored the Penske livery that Matchbox were associated with at the time. This car is probably none existent - see Positraction cars section later.

FERRARI 312T2 - PT-101 (UK) 14 37 43 (US)

2008-01-21T20:12:00.000Z

The Ferrari 312T was synonymous with Formula 1 and Matchbox were keen to use it in it's advertising literature and box artwork. The driver clenching the steering wheel is sat in a Ferrari.

A pity then, that Matchbox in the UK sought to package this in it's smallest set and never use it again. Of course, it looked a little ungainly, having that podgy look that most HO F1 cars have to get over the motor. But crucially, it had no lights, and as Matchbox Powertrack began to trade on that feature it meant these soon became obsolete...

(Although the Truck Racers - conceived much later - also had not lights!)

The UK and late US cars had 'Agip' fuel stickers on the front wing and clearly marked as 'Number 2'. The earliest US cars were less adorned and without a number. Both cars referenced Ferrari though.

Note: No Ferrari came with white wheels...

CHEVROLET CORVETTE PT-104(UK) 14 37 27 (US)

2008-01-21T19:29:00.001Z

The Corvette is the other ubiquitious Powertrack car and it too suffers from the 'under-design' of the Porsche. However, it was never re-made, although you could argue the Corvette Stingray was a beefed up version and should have replaced the Corvette.

I like the Corvette but it doesn't handle especially well. Only when fitted with a 12v PP chassis does it come into it's own and the silver version of this car really flies.

The version at the top is the US Speedtrack car with white wheels. Like the Porsche, in 1978/9 Matchbox junked the white wheels for the typical 5 star grey design common on all other Matchbox slotcars - even Lanechanger.

The grey wheeled version is a staple Powertrack car but I would think white wheeled versions can claim a premium if the rest of the car is in mint condition.

The other big surprise on this car is that the red/blue stripes continue on to the door. This was not a feature of UK Powertrack cars, even though it is clearly shown on the box artwork of PT-2000.

The Corvette here is the common grey wheeled variety. However, what marks this out as a bit special is the 'spangled' number 4 on the bonnet and flanks. This also omits the door striping.

The Corvette generally is car is worth very little. A white wheel version could be worth a little more but the spangled number is purely US versus UK. However, any version with door stripes should command a serious premium.

PORSCHE 911 TURBO PT-103 (UK) 14 37 28 (US)

2008-01-18T20:50:00.000Z

The Porsche is a toy car staple and Slot racing sets are no exception. The very first Porsche created for Speedtrack and PT-2000 was an inferior moulding that looked like a Porsche, but lacked the Matchbox craft that adorned many of the other cars. The Corvette of this period too, also suffered.

The Porsche was modelled loosely on the 934 RSR as raced by the Kremer team in 1974. It was a seriously fast car, but by the time Powertrack came to market the 935 Turbo was coming to the fore and this looked rather dated at launch. However, the rush to market with a slot car clearly meant the Porsche 'would do for now'.

With the UK launch of Powertrack Plus in 1981/2 Matchbox introduced the revised Porsche 911 Turbo, the now familiar red 'Esso' Kremer Porsche found in the Matchbox PP-9000 set. However, the version above is an old Mark 1 Porsche with the Mark 2 graphics applied to it. This photo example a very rare model indeed and hence worth a serious premium over any other.

While the UK got the faux 'Vaillant' livery of European racing scene, the US got a very smart faux 'Gulf' oil scheme. This is a white wheeled example and there are later grey wheeled versions, so a mint white wheeler would command a small premium over normal versions. Interestingly, the front axle widths were narrower on these bodies and the UK front axle does not fit without bushes - this is also true of the Corvette from this period.

THE GARAGE

2008-01-18T20:06:00.000Z

The cars supplied in all the Powertrack & Speedtrack sets were also available independently. Matchbox certainly tried to ensure this was possible, though it seems there distribution was rather sporadic. The great thing about the Internet now is that however rare or random the item it usually ends up on eBay!

Now, eBay is not the be all and end all but it does enable a measure of the popular and not so popular. For collectors and enthusiasts the this guide is intended to be accurate to the extent of my product knowledge and catalogues to hand. It would be unusual if there were not variations and addendums to be found.

'THE GARAGE' cannot be completed quickly so I intend to add pages to the Blog as they are done - as I try to list things in a methodical manner it may be sometime before I get one to Speedtrack & Lanechanger cars...

As some cars and body styles were used across both sides of the Atlantic I will have to 'bundle' all the cars together and state variations as they arrive.

Please bear with me as I compile this guide - it is no doubt subject to various improvements in the coming weeks...

LANECHANGER 2000

2008-01-17T21:00:00.001Z

Lanechanger 2000 was the bigger of the two sets and it featured the ubiquitious but elegant Porsche & Monza pairing once more.

The clip on chicanes could be used in most straight track situations but other than that, in the UK it was fairly expensive and couldn't really justify itself against the competition, not least from Powertrack itself.

Lanechanger 2000 comprised:

1 x Martini Porsche 935 Turbo

1 x Chevrolet Monza

1 x 15" Start straight

9 x 15" Straight track

4 x 9" Straight track

10 x 90 Degree curve

1 x Mains transformer

2 x Hand controllers

3 x Chicanes

Crash barriers - current opinion is some Armco and some Plasticard type

Bridge supports

Track Length: 25ft

Typical selling price: £55

LANECHANGER LC-1000

2008-01-17T20:08:00.002Z

For the UK market, Matchbox dropped the RPS tag and it was called just Lanechanger. There were only two sets ever available in the UK and they differed very little.

Lanchanger 1000 did feature two different cars though. The stunning (for the 70's!) green and brown Porsche 935 and the even more horny white and red Monza. They were no different underneath and still used the same 10V power supply.

The Chicanes were new - a clip on type not available on US RPS. They were yellow plastic affairs with an advertising hoarding fitted across the top.

Lanechanger 1000 comprised:

1 x Porsche 935 Turbo

1 x Chevrolet Monza

6 x 90 Degree curve

5 x 15" Straight

1 x 15" Start straight

2 x Advertising hoardings

1 x Bridge supports

Track length: 13.5 ft

Typical selling price: £34.99

SPEEDTRACK TURBO RPS 6000

2008-01-17T12:47:00.000Z

This is the largest Lanechanger set available but I am not sure if was ever launched...

The big trick of this set is it offered a hump back bridge and a pit stop that was 'off lane'.

This seemed to be a great idea but I have doubts how a slotless car might negotiate a hump back bridge. No matter the coolness of the idea was perhaps lost on the very naff cardboard supports that were employed to make it.

The Lanechanger concept could have really benefitted from significant belief in the product from Matchbox. It seems to me that Matchbox merely put its toe in the market but given the choice it would go with slot racing and Powertrack/Speedtrack.

This is rather a shame because the Lanechanger premise offered all that Powertrack offered with the added - considerable - benefit of changing lanes.

R.I.P.

Turbo RPS-6000 comprised:

1 x Porsche 935 Turbo
1 x Chevrolet Monza
1 x 15" Start track
12 x 90 degree curve
9 x 15" Straight
2 x 9" Straight
1 x Hump Back bridge
1 x Pit Stop Track
1 x Pit garage building

1 x Timing building

1 x Lap counter
1 x Mains Transformer
2 x Hand Controllers
12 x Crash barriers
Bridge supports

Track length:

Typical selling price: unknown.

SPEEDTRACK TURBO RPS 4000

2008-01-16T20:02:00.000Z

The Turbo RPS 4000 was introduced in 1979 and replaced RPS 4000. It was indeed Turbo'ed, in as much as the slam button on the top of the controller gave more welly when pressed. How driveable this was goodness knows...

Whether this went faster than the RPS 4000 remains open to debate, and I am not entirely convinced yet that this set was launched anywhere - opinions and proof welcome...

Set details as RPS 4000

Typical selling price: Unknown.

SPEEDTRACK RPS 4000

2008-01-16T19:48:00.000Z

The RPS 4000 upped the ante considerably for slotless racing. The set was extended and a new sand trap chicane was created.

Again, the Corvette and Porsche dummies appear for a photoshoot (see RPS-2000) but are never seen again.

The sandtrap here features a moulded Funny car trapped in the sand. This is painted Red, while in production versions the car was unpainted - though a splurge of yellow paint was blown over it to imitate sand.

RPS-4000 comprised of:

1 x Porsche 935
1 x Chevrolet Monza
10 x 90 Degree curve
1 x 15" Start straight
4 x 9" Straight
6 x 15" Straight
10 x Crash barriers
1 x Mains Transformer
2 x Hand controllers
1 x Timing building
1 x Pitstop

Track length: 23 ft

Typical selling price: $90/£50

SPEEDTRACK RPS 2000

2008-01-16T18:32:00.000Z

RPS 2000 is the entry level Lanechanger set. Very basic and cost wise about the same price as a mid price Powertrack set.

This early 1978 photo is interesting because the crash barriers are a trial type and did not see production. Furthermore, the Porsche appears to be regular Matchbox 75 series car - with a tacked on rear spoiler, no wonder it's hiding behind the barrier. The Corvette was never a Lanechanger car but here is the Powertrack version complete with lights. Lanechanger cars, for all their sophistication and 10 volts do not have lights. I have to say the Corvette looks great here and it did eventually become a Powertrack Plus car in this guise - 4 years later!

The set featured in the 1979 catalogue has the Martini Porsche 935 and the Blue/Yellow Chevrolet Monza. Whether this was actually the case is open to offers, as this pairing is offered in all the US RPS sets.

RPS-2000 comprised:

1 x Porsche 935

1 x Chevrolet Monza

6 x 90 degree curve

5 x 15" Straight

1 x 15" Start Straight

1 x Mains transformer

2 x Hand controller

6 x Crash barriers

Bridge supports

1 x Timing building

1 x Pit garage

Track length: 13.5 ft

Typical selling price $50 - $60

LANECHANGER & LANECHANGER RPS

2008-01-16T18:27:00.000Z

Lanechanger first appeared in 1978. This was Matchbox's response to the impending TCR onslaught. It was a good package but never quite caught on in the volume Powertrack & Speedtrack did.

There are reasons for this, not least the paltry range of cars available. Admittedly, one was the stunning Porsche 935 Turbo in faux Martini guise - this was the headline racing car of the late seventies after all. The other car was the Chevrolet Monza, which frankly was not at all popular and can barely support itself on a google image search. However, it did look the mutt's nuts and in blue and yellow it was very smart.

In the UK, only two sets were available. One was a longer layout than the other but that was the only real difference.

In the US Lanechanger was named RPS. This stood for Rack & Pinion Steering. Actually, this was pretty nifty. The cars operated without a slot and had three power strips in the track. Car 'A' had pick up shoes that picked up power from LH and Middle slots, car 'B' picked up power from RH and middle slots.

Originally, Car 'A' was always the Monza and Car 'B' was the Porsche. However, later versions of the cars came with both types of pick ups so it didn't matter which car was which.

By clicking the button on top of the hand controller (the same type as Race & Chase sets) you could jog the gear and literally steer the car to the next lane.

I haven't sampled whether this works at all in practice but the I have read elsewhere that it does and it does it very well. On straights, a car in the right lane will move to the left, on curves the car will only overtake on the outside. Hmm, not sure how all this works yet but will no doubt be told by Lanechanger fans soon enough...

For me the Lanechanger sets offered plenty of eye candy. Being the seventies, I know I was torn between the PT-6000 Race & Chase or the LC-1000 Lanechanger. The cars in LC-1000 were uber-cool. However, Father Christmas decided it was to be the Race & chase.

Lanechanger was a ten volt system. The track (being slotless with three rails) was also not interchangeable with Powertrack or Speedtrack. The car bodies had very large front wheel cut outs, so you could not easily put a LC car on a Powertrack chassis - it looked odd. However, with some modelling filler and some considerable time you can graft an LC car onto a Powertrack chassis - as long as you were confident it will not be abused in racing...

Elsewhere, it was business as usual - same useless US packaging, excellent UK packaging. Same crash barriers and bridge supports.

Latterly, Matchbox did introduce more versions of the Monza and Porsche as well as a BMW M1 and Zakspeed Capri. Track wise, there were only two lengths of straight track and only one type of corner so scope was limited. In terms of accessories there was very little, but the RPS 6000 offered some scope from the norm...

In 1980 Matchbox dropped Lanechanger. Perhaps Ideal had consolidated their position with TCR, perhaps Lanechanger couldn't compete with Powertack/Speedtrack. Maybe Lanechanger didn't work so well in practice, perhaps the cars were too clever and unreliable. Whatever the reason it had a very short shelf life. There are a surprising number of RPS sets on Ebay and it must have has some success, maybe I will procure one in the name of research...

Watch this space...

WORLD CLASS RACING

2008-01-16T12:49:00.000Z

Hmm, this is a poor prototype for the excellent PP-9000 loop the loop. Poor, because the track seems to have been shortened just to suit the photograph! The absence of two 15" straights before and after the banked curve will have made this very frustrating and ultimately boring.

Everything else is here, though the loop is coloured silver/black on the outside - it changed to a very smart red/black on the PP-9000.

The cars are probably not the intended vehicles, but the Porsche & VW are shown again. I suspect - along with the Escort - these were the only 'Positraction' available for the photo shoot. (See 'Car garage' for full details of the stillborn Positraction cars).

Finally, a few things to notice on these final three US Powertrack sets; The hand controllers are all Race & chase type yet do not have an obvious secondary function. The connectors to the track terminal are the same as ordinary Powertrack/Speedtrack. UK Powertrack Plus had different hand controller and transformer connectors entirely.

The World Class Racing set comprised:

1 x Porsche 911 Turbo
1 x VW Scirocco
1 x Loop - (4 parts)

4 x Banked 45 degree 9" curve
8 x 90 degree 9" curve
2 x 15" Straight
1 x 9" Terminal track
3 x 9" Straight
1 x Mains transformer
2 x Hand controllers
5 x Bridge supports
2 x Sticker sheets
8 x Crash barriers

Track length: 18 ft

Typical selling price: Unknown.

JUMP CROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

2008-01-15T20:54:00.000Z

The Jump Cross Championship is the precursor for the PP-3000. It is all but identical, introducing the 24" long flying jump and crossover.

The only significant thing to this set is the Porsche 911 which is repainted a fetching silver, though it is not the new Porsche moulding introduced on Powertrack Plus.

Yet again, this set did not get launched, it remains a prototype for photo purposes. One wonders if it appeared at trade shows of the time but I used to attend the Model Engineers show at Earls Court and the Ideal Home show in this period and these sets did not appear there.

One curious thing is the exclusion of the 'laser' track stickers. No bad thing really but they probably suited this set more than some others.

Set contents as PP-3000 so:

1 x Porsche 911 Turbo
1 x VW Scirocco
1 x 9" Terminal track
10 x 90 degree 9" corners
1 x 24" flying jump
1 x 9" Crossover
1 x Mains transformer
2 Hand controllers
10 Crash barriers
3 Bridge supports

Track length:

Typical selling price: unknown.

PRO-8 CHALLENGE

2008-01-15T20:26:00.000Z

This is the first of Matchbox's rebranded Speedtrack sets for the USA. Called Powertrack, the main thrust of the product was to include faster cars with 12 volts. See elsewhere for more details of what was changed but the main thing is this set does not exist...

The cars are a fabulous VW Scirocco - its painted in BMW racing colours! The other is the Escort in a rather gloomy black and brick red colour that might have looked better in the flesh. Might have.

The track left a lot to be desired for 'high speed racing action'. At under 10 ft it is one of the smallest Powertrack sets ever made. The start line featured new graphics, but it was no improvement on the original start line.

Also check out the bridge supports - first outing of the new design found in Powertrack Plus.

The hand controllers are the Race & chase type but presumably this was for cost grounds to standardise product. Maybe you could reverse current to race against your opponent literally?

As a curiousity there is much of interest here, but as a racing set it is ill conceived. Better was to come.

Pro-8 Challenge comprised:

1 x Ford Escort
1 x VW Scirocco
6 x 90 degree 9" curve
1 x 9" Terminal track
1 x 9" Straight
2 x 15" Straight
2 x Bridge supports
6 x Crash barriers

Track length: 10 ft.

Typical selling price: Never launched.

SLIPSTREAM RACING

2008-01-15T19:59:00.000Z

Slipstream racing was a unique concept for a slot racing set. The Pacer car would act as a mobile chicane and slow a car down for half a lap. It would then cross over to the other side to annoy the other car. The object being to beat the Pace car to the switch track to avoid being slowed down.

The switch track allowed a slow moving Pace car to cross over to the other lane. A faster travelling car would go straight on. What happens when the poor car stuck behind the Pace car also switches to the other track?? Answers please...

The BMW & Jaguar are my old favourites from PT-3000 and a rare opportunity for a UK spec car to make it across the Atlantic. Of course, it couldn't be straightforward. The cars were fitted with a dorsal fin made of plastic which was supposed to trigger the Lap Counter. These were unspeakably naff afterthoughts and rightly absent from this set photo. One other travesty was painting the Jaguar yellow - eugh!

The Lap counter was the paddle type affair also seen in the Lanechanger set, RPS 6000. Interestingly, the track terminal supplied shows the power take off for the UK Lap counter (PT-221) but the one supplied in this set has no power requirement whatsoever. Strange...

The only other thing to mention is the Pace car itself. A Porsche 936 Le Mans car no less! A most unlikely Pace car and a company purporting to understand model motor racing systems might have instead offered a Porsche 911, or Corvette perhaps? My own choice would have been a Pace car variant of the Police car, with flashing lights...

This set doubtless offered an exciting variation of slot car racing - an element of strategy for once.

Slipstream Racing comprised:

1 x Jaguar XJ5.3

1 x BMW 3.0 CSL

1 x Porsche 935 Pace Car

1 x 9" Cross track

1 x 9" Terminal track

8 x 90 Degree 9" curve

8 x 9" Straight

1 x Mains transformer

2 x Hand controllers

1 x Lap counter

9 x Crash barriers

Bridge supports

2 x Sticker sheet

Track length: 15 ft

Typical selling price: unknown