[woodcote]

       

This has to be the iconic Batmobile, hasn’t it? It was produced for the wonderful 1966 TV series, starring Adam West as Bruce Wayne - a last-minute reworking of the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, hand-crafted by Ghia in Italy and handily owned by legendary Hollywood designer George Barris...



Like the real car, the Scalextric Batmobile is massive and looks sensational. There are no hidden gadgets and Batman is riding solo – Robin is busy elsewhere. The Batmobile is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2021 – that’s January to March.

       

Holy Mackerel Batman - they’re doing KITT too?! The co-star of Knight Rider – alongside David Hasselhoff - Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) was a massively futuristic car for the time. It’s a customised 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am and still looks great today – although the tech inside is gloriously ‘retro’ for modern viewers. Mind you, it took Apple and Amazon three decades to bring us Siri and Alexa – and neither of them quite matches up to KITT.



The Scalextric model will be available at the end of the year. The only pictures available at the moment are 3D renderings, but they give us a good idea of what to expect. The model doesn’t speak, but it does have the red LED light at the front that moves just like on the real car. The Scalextric model has a standard short-can motor in sidewinder orientation and is Digital Plug Ready.

And there’s more new tooling!

   

After last year’s DB5 and Vantage V8, Bond is back with his 1977 ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ Lotus Esprit S1. No gadgets on this one – it’s a model of before and after the appearance of ‘Wet Nellie’ - the submarine that the Esprit turns into during the film.



The Esprit was the handiwork of Giorgetto Giugiaro – one of the greatest Italian car designers. The Esprit was the first of Guigaro’s angular ‘folded paper’ designs that also included the DeLorean DMC, BMW M1, Lancia Delta and the VW Golf Mk1. Scalextric also have the very desirable 1978 Esprit S2 World Championship Commemorative Model in the catalogue…

       

The S2 in an update with intake ducts behind the rear quarter windows, a small front spoiler and different rear lights. Sometimes known as the JPS Esprit – there was never any JPS branding – the cigarette company had parted with Team Lotus at the end of the season. Reports from the Scalextric team are that their Esprit is a lovely slot car to drive – nicely proportioned and hugs the road. The Bond Esprit S1 will be available during the summer, with the S2 road car coming later in the year.

   

Still on the Bond theme, the Vantage V8 returns in a re-worked ‘The Living Daylights’ version – complete with skis! A new 1:64 scale Vantage V8 has also been produced for a second Micro Scalextric Bond 007 set, which includes the original DB5 – BMT216A.

Also returning is the DeLorean – in a revised ‘Back to the Future 2’ version…

       

The Trotter’s Independent Trading Reliant Regal Supervan returns as a solo boxed car with unique Only Fools and Horses ‘Fortieth Anniversary’ packaging…

       


The DeLorean and Regal are both scheduled for the spring.

Ready for more race cars?