[woodcote]

Brian - yep, that's something Scalextric said a couple of years ago - that they would use the authentic cigarette and alcohol sponsors on classic cars, depending on licensing arrangements with the car manufacturer, the sponsor and whoever else has to be involved in these often complex negotiations.

The situation with the M23 is that McLaren don't allow any cigarette sponsorship on models of their cars.

Yes, some smaller manufacturers completely ignore licensing issues, but Hornby play by the book. I understand that some of the most laborious licensing negotiations in the 2021 catalogue involved the tiny Martini logos on the roundels of the 1973 Spa 24 hour cars. Martini are tough cookies, but the Scalextric team wanted the cars to look right.