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Let’s look at the classic saloon cars that are prominent in this year’s catalogue...

       

New in the wonderful Group 1 and early Group A series in this awesome Bastos-sponsored TWR Rover Vitesse / SD1 – winner of the 1986 Donington 500 Kms, in the hands of Win Percy and Tom Walkinshaw. The same livery is also run today in historic saloon races. The 1980s Scalextric model of the Rover is a favourite of my teenage years – and there are plenty of very special liveries to look forward to on this new version. The 2022 Vitesse is powered by an inline S-can, just like the Capri, XJ-S, BMW E30 and Sierra.

The Rover has been much requested – as has Andy Rouse’s 1988 BTCC Kaliber Sierra RS500…

       

Another re-livery is Mark Sumpter’s Lotus Cortina, prepared by Jordan Racing for historic events…

   

A new car which will appeal to both Mini fans and followers of the 70s & 80s saloon car range is the Mini 1275GT. Not as famous as its Cooper S predecessor, but pretty handy on track – and on rally stages. The first model is the 1978 British Saloon Car Championship winning car of Richard Longman…

       

Swiftune recreated Longman’s 1978 car in 2013 for Goodwood’s 72nd Members’ Meeting. Up against 3.0-litre Capris, Chevrolet Camaros, V8 Rover SD1s and V6 Alfettas, Nick Swift’s driving was simply amazing...



Utilising the same chassis and rear-end is another 70s Mini – the Miglia…

       

Scalextric ‘Brand Ambassador’ Andrew Jordan won the 2021 Mini Miglia Challenge in this Motul-sponsored car. He explains the appeal of the Miglia…

We compete in the headline series, which truly pushes the envelope of classic Mini performance, with highly tuned 1275cc engines, slick Dunlop racing tyres and Öhlins motorsport dampers. Our racing Mini can average quite a fast top speed on the straights, although it’s the incredible cornering speeds that really sets it apart. The Mini Miglia series dates backs to 1970, but is more popular now than ever, with large grids and incredibly close racing from the front to the back. We tuned the engine, and it now delivers a power output in excess of 130bhp. In combination with the light overall weight of the car, a good dose of racing pleasure is guaranteed.

There’s certainly plenty of scope for loads of fabulous classic and modern liveries on the Miglia – and potential for a superb club racing class. Both Minis are small, so are fitted with the FF-050 slim-can motor and are not Digital Plug Ready.

Finally in this category is a brand new 1965 Mustang in Alan Mann colours – a real highlight of the catalogue. It oozes horsepower and history...

       

Mann developed the Mustang for European racing, testing two pre-production cars at Goodwood and then entering both the 1964 Tour de France and the Spa-Sofia-Liège. By the following year, the Alan Mann Racing Mustangs were fully race-ready and finished 1-2-3 at the Tour de France. These Mustangs raced successfully around Europe – and then reappeared as historic racers in 2005, restored by Mann and original AMR mechanic Brian Lewis. After Mann passed away in 2012, his sons Tom and Henry took up the AMR reigns and the Mustang modelled by Scalextric was driven by Steve Soper and Henry Mann in 2017, often battling for wins with another AMR Mustang owned and raced by Craig Davies...



The Scalextric model has the usual Trans-Am sidewinder and full interior format. A second livery – that of Bill Shepherd’s historic racer – is also in the catalogue for 2022…