[BAracer]

Yes please.

[woodcote]

Let’s get those Advent Calendar teasers out of the way...

Okay, we knew there was a new Porsche coming in 2021 and this is it. The Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0 is a true classic and it was raced everywhere in the 1970s and early 80s - all the big endurance races, numerous GT and touring car series, American Trans-Am and some rallies too. It is still a fixture in historic circuit racing and rallying. I’m sure we’ll be seeing quite a few Porsche Carreras in future catalogues – maybe the odd rally version? - but these first two liveries are excellent choices.

   

The Jägermeister-sponsored Kremer Racing car took part in the 1975 Monza 1000kms. Driven by Helmut Kelleners and Hans Heyer, the #76 Porsche qualified well in the GT3.0 class, but retired from the race with engine failure. The car was repainted in its more familar green Vaillant colours for the rest of the 1975 season, finishing ninth in the Le Mans 24 hours – Porsche 911 Carreras dominating the GTS and GT classes at that year’s race.

   

The second livery is Al Holbert’s 1974 Trans-Am version of the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR, with that big chunky chin spoiler. The 1974 Trans-Am season was a pale shadow of its former self, with only three races. Holbert won the opening 200 mile event at Lime Rock. Peter Gregg – in another 911 Carrera – won the final race at Elkhart Lake to wrap up the championship. Holbert finished fourth.

The Scalextric Porsche is powered by a standard short-can motor in an in-line configuration. As on the real car, the rear wheels and tyres are massively wide. The Kremer car has working front and rear lights, the Trans-Am car has just rear lights. The Porsche is Digital Plug Ready (DPR) so it can easily be converted for digital racing, using the C8515 Digital Plug. Both cars are scheduled for summer/early autumn.

   

And the Jaguar is an XJS… The first version is the Group A XJS race car, which was highly-competitive in the European Touring Car Championship between 1982 and 1984, picking up plenty of race wins – and Tom Walkinshaw winning the drivers championship in 1984. The XJS also notched up victories at the 1984 Spa 24 hours and the 1985 James Hardie 1000 at Mount Panorama in Australia.

The livery in the catalogue is of the Tom Walkinshaw, Chuck Nicholson & Win Percy car that took pole at the Spa 24 hours race in 1982, but the failed to finish. This car is due in the spring. The Scalextric XJS is powered by a standard in-line short-can motor. The car is narrow, with similar dimensions to last year’s Capri – a nice match, I reckon.

   

There’s also an XJS police car in the 2021 catalogue. The Scalextric model is equipped with a flashing blue light, no siren, but has a full-detail interior. The 3.6-litre XJS was used by a number of UK police forces, especially for motorway speed enforcement. Due in the summer / early autumn. I reckon we can expect more cool racing and road car liveries. And wasn’t the XJS also in the ‘New Avengers’ and ‘Return of The Saint’?

More new tooling anyone?

   

A popular request is for Scalextric to add the Plymouth Barracuda to their Trans-Am range – and here it is! The real Barracuda was one of the most eye-catching cars on the 1970 Trans-Am grid. Dan Gurney and Carol Shelby's All American Racers team developed a couple for a shot at the title. Swede Savage and Gurney were scheduled to drive a car each – Scalextric choosing the Dan Gurney car for this first release. When factory funding was cut, Savage became the team's sole driver. The car’s best result was a second place at Road America - the AAR Barracudas did not return in 1971.

   

A European Hemicuda version is also in the catalogue. This is a model of the Wolf Levi’s Racing Team ‘Cuda that raced at the 1973 Spa 24 hours. Driven by Pierre-Yves Bertinchamps & Yves Deprez, the massive 7-litre ‘Cuda qualified fifteenth and finished twenty-seventh.

These new cars are fitted with a sidewinder motor and full interior to match the other models in the Trans-Am range – something that Simon was at pains to point out after the criticism from club racers over the in-line AMC Javelin. The first prototypes of the car have recently been tested and are reported to be pleasingly quick with and without magnets. The ‘Cuda is big and nicely planted – and is likely to be a serious contender in Scalextric Trans-Am races. The Dan Gurney Barracuda is due to be released in the summer / early autumn and the Chrysler Hemicuda is expected at the end of the year.

There are a lot of new classic cars this year, so I’ll take a quick break and be right back…

[woodcote]

       

More new tooling and yet another Camaro in the Scalextric range – absolutely no complaints from me! The 1979 Z/28 is probably my favourite as there was one that drove past my house at least twice a day when I was growing up. I can still hear and feel the sound of that V8…

This final evolution of the second generation Camaro was a great-looking car on the race track – in North America and especially in Europe. The Scalextric model fits into the Trans-Am range and is fitted with a sidewinder short-can motor and a full interior to match the other Camaros, Boss Mustangs, Dodge Challengers and the new Barracuda.

The first of the racing liveries is the classic Bastos-sponsored Luigi Racing Z/28 shared by Alain Cudini and Jean Xhenceval at the 1980 Spa 24 hours. A Z/28 painted in this livery has reappeared in historic racing in recent years – most notably in the Gerry Marshall Trophy at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting. The car is owned by former McLaren sales and marketing director David Clark.

   

There’s also an awesome street car in the catalogue. The silver livery Scalextric have chosen is a classic for this car - the orange and red stripes and Z28 logo commonplace on plenty of prized examples. Both new Camaros are due summer / early autumn.

More Camaros anyone?

   


Scalextric have picked a fabulous subject for the re-livery of their 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28: the car driven by James Hunt and Richard Lloyd at the rather traumatic and tragic 1973 Spa 24 hours. Although the Scalextric Camaro is not the exact Group 1 model that raced at Spa, it’s close enough. Plus James Hunt is driving – with a fully-detailed helmet – which makes it a very special car and one that’s high on my wish list. It is due in the spring.

   

I have to admit to being a little underwhelmed by the first two Chevrolet Camaro IROC cars released last year. However, in the Duracell colours of Scott Sharp’s Camaro – winner of the SCCA Trans Am championship in 1991 – I think Scalextric have brought out the best of this American racing classic. It is a very competitive slot car too, by all accounts… The IROC Camaro is scheduled for a spring release.

Shall we get that final Advent Calendar teaser out of the way?

   

The Scalextric Escorts are getting a bit long-in-the-tooth, but they are extremely popular! This Castrol-sponsored Ford Escort Mk2 is another great choice - appearing in the Gerry Marshall Trophy at the 76th Goodwood Members’ Meeting in 2018, driven by Kerry Michael & Mark Blundell.

   

This rather nice Mk1 is a model of a car prepared by Andy Pipe Racing for the 2020 Modified Ford Series 2020. The series harks back to the wonderful 70s and 80s Super Saloon (“Superloon”) racing. If you bought the Teamslot Martini RS2000 X-Pack before Christmas, the Mk1 is a must-buy – the two Kent-based cars race against each other regularly.

   

Don’t forget, the 2020-1 Scalextric Club car is also an Escort – the Chevron-sponsored Mk1 raced by John Fitzpatrick and Yvette Fontaine at the 1969 Spa 24 hours. You might have noticed a few Spa 24 hour cars in the catalogue this year – I’ve counted six. By the way, the 2021-2 Scalextric Club car will be announced towards the end May – probably the usual UK Slot Car Festival weekend, although the event seems unlikely to happen in May this year.

Two new Capri liveries come next…

   

The first – due out in the spring – is the Esso-sponsored car of Vince Woodman, Jonathan Buncombe & Peter Clark, which came third in the 1981 Spa 24 hours. Woodman also drove the Esso car in the British Saloon Car Championship and had the honour of scoring the final BSCC victories for the Capri in 1982.

   

The second car is the classic red Gordon Spice Racing Capri raced by Spice in the 1979 BSCC season, winning six of the twelve rounds. As you can imagine, Gordon is pretty excited Scalextric are doing this car. We’ll have to wait until the end of the year to get our hands on the red Capri. The Capri was probably my favourite model in the 2020 catalogue, so I’ll have my eye on both of these.

And let’s wrap up the last of the re-liveries for this category…

   

This year’s Mini is the Broadspeed Mini Cooper S 970 that John Fitzpatrick raced in the 1965 British Saloon Car Championship. The Mini is scheduled for a summer / early autumn release.

   

Scalextric have pulled a stunning historic racer out of the hat with Adrian Newey’s Jaguar E-Type. Newey is a regular at the Goodwood Revival Festival and his Jag features a fairly subtle Red Bull logo on each side. Scalextric worked with Adrian in developing the model, which will be available in the summer / early autumn.

   

A perfect rival for the E-Type Jaguar is this white-gold Aston Martin DB5. Modelled on the car driven by Martin Stephenson in the Aston Martin Owners Club event at Brands Hatch in June 2019, it is expected in the next couple of months. Like the Mini and the E-Type Jag, the DB5 is not Digital Plug Ready (DPR) and requires the C7005 Retro-fit chip for a digital conversion.

   

A classic GT car with an interesting history is the NART Chevrolet Corvette L88 from Le Mans in 1972. Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team ran a pair of 365 GTB Daytonas in GT and a 246 Dino in GTS, but were asked by the Florida-based English Racing Team if their fourth entry could be ‘borrowed’ the Corvette that had won GT honours at Daytona and Sebring. Chinetti agreed, on the condition the Corvette carried a Ferrari logo on the side... The NART Ferrari Daytonas finished sixth and ninth, the Corvette – driven by Bob Johnson and Dave Heinz – a distant fifteenth. The NART Corvette is a spring release.

   

Last, but not least, is this classic Marlboro-sponsored BMW E30 M3 from the 1991 DTM. Driven by Dutch racer Cor Euser, the BMW was an also-ran in that year’s championship, but it does look fabulous in Marlboro colours. This is a first quarter release.

Anyone for some classic Gulf cars?

[964rh]

Love the XJS Police car, would love a Saint version too (with the Saint mascot on the bonnet like my old Corgi model)

[woodcote]

   


If you have any of the Fly or NSR Gulf Porsche 917 models, this is an absolute must-have model. Currently in the ROFCO Gulf Collection, this is the team minibus that ferried John Wyer’s employees at Le Mans and other endurance races in 1970 and 1971.


   

Scalextric have reworked last year’s James Bond V8 and added a muscular front spoiler and new racing wheels. This is a real racing livery, prepared by Aston Martin dealer and restorer Rikki Cann and driven by Riki himself at numerous events around the UK. This livery was seen on the car during 2019.

   

A third new Gulf Edition car is this Ford Sierra RS500 that Richard Millar drove with some success in Classic Touring Car Racing Club events during the 2010s. The car was originally driven by DJ & TV presenter Mike Smith in the 1989 and 90 BTCC seasons. Richard is a classic car restorer based in East Sussex – at the old Berwick Service Station, to be precise – and his son Aston competes in the Ginetta Junior championship, sponsored by Scalextric. The Gulf VW minibus, Aston Martin V8 and Sierra are all scheduled for release over the summer.

   


You might have seen this Reliant Regal van racing in the Scalextric Drag Race Championship video before Christmas. The Gulf edition is super-cute and has all the surprisingly good road-holding and rapid pace of the Trotter version. There are working front and rear lights, but the Regal is not Digital Plug Ready – you’ll need the C7005 Retro-Fit chip to convert the van for digital action. The Gulf edition is expected in the next month or two.

Next up will be this year’s TV and Movie cars…

[Mileage712]

   
• C4246 Chevrolet Corvette C8R - 24hrs Daytona 2020 - Catsburg Garcia & Taylor– NEW TOOL
• C4240 Chevrolet Corvette C8R - 24hrs Daytona 2020 - Fassler Gavin & Milner – NEW TOOL
• C4242 Mercedes AMG GT3 - British GT 2020 - De Haan & KuJala – MODIFED TOOLING
• C4264 Ginetta G60-LT-P1 - Silverstone 4 Hours 2019
• C4218 R-Motorsport Aston Martin GT3 Vantage – Bathurst 12 Hours 2020
• C4233 Aston Martin GT3 Vantage - TF Sport - GT Open 2020
• C4221 Ford Mustang GT4 - Academy Motorsport 2020
• C4213 Ford GT GTE – LeMans 2019 – Number 67
• C4211 Porsche 911 RSR 3.0 - Jagermeister Kremer Racing – NEW TOOL
• C4241 Porsche 911 RSR 3.0 - Trans AM 1974 - Al Holbert – NEW TOOL
• C4215 Chevrolet Corvette L88 - LeMans 1972 – NART
• C4232 Jaguar E-Type - Goodwood Revival - Adrian Newey
• C4220 Chevrolet Camaro IROC - SCCA Trans-AM - Number 33
• C4166 Aston Martin DB5 - White Gold - AMOC Brands Hatch 2019
• C4210 Honda Civic Type-R NGTC - Jake Hill 2020
• C4225 BMW 330i M-Sport BTCC 2020 - Colin Turkington
• C4235 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 - 1980 Spa 24hrs – NEW TOOL
• C4261 Jaguar XJS – Spa 24Hrs 1982 – Walkinshaw, Nicholson & Percy – NEW TOOL
• C4219 Plymouth Barracuda - Trans Am 1970 - Dan Gurney – NEW TOOL
• C4247 Chrysler Hemicuda - Spa 24 Hours 1973 - Bertinchamps & Deprez – NEW TOOL
• C4216 Chevrolet Camaro - 1973 Spa 24hrs - James Hunt & Richard Lloyd
• C4208 Ford Escort MK2 - Castrol Edition - Goodwood Members Meeting
• C4222 Ford Capri MKIII - Spa 24hrs 1981 - Woodman, Buncombe & Clark
• C4238 Morris Mini Cooper S – Broadspeed
• C4250 Ford Capri MKIII - Gordon Spice Racing
• C4237 Ford Escort MK1 - Andy Pipe Racing
• C4168 BMW E30 M3 – 1991 DTM – Cor Euser
• C4165 BMW 330i M-Sport - Police Car
• C4224 Jaguar XJS - Police Edition – NEW TOOL
• C4253 Lotus Esprit S2 - World Championship Commemorative Model – NEW TOOL
• C4227 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 – Silver – NEW TOOL
• C4209 Aston Martin V8 - Gulf Edition - Rikki Cann Racing
• C4217 VW T1b Microbus - ROFGO Gulf Collection - JW Automotive
• C4231 Ford Sierra RS500 - Gulf Edition - Richard Millar
• C4193 Reliant Regal Van - Gulf Edition
• C4189A McLaren M23 & 312T & Tyrrell P34 - 1976 British GP Triple Pack
• C4230 Formula E - DS Techeetah – Antonio Felix Da Costa 2019-2020 Champion – NEW TOOL
• C4285 Formula E - Mahindra Racing – Alexander Sims – NEW TOOL
• C4234 Lotus 97T - Portugese GP 1985 - Ayrton Senna – NEW TOOL
• C4251 Lotus 99T - Monaco GP 1987 - Ayrton Senna – NEW TOOL
• C4245 Tyrrell P34 - 1977 Belgian Grand Prix
• C4195 Lotus 25 - British GT 1962 - Jim Clark
• C4212 Pagani Huayra Roadster BC – Yellow – NEW TOOL
• C4248 Pagani Huayra Roadster BC Drago Viola Edition – NEW TOOL
• C4170 Scalextric Rasio C20 - Red

[Scuderia_Turini]

No doubt there will be a "Group 44" version of the XJ-S, the odd "Heritage" version of the I-Pace seemed a bit random in isolation.

Leo

[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?

[woodcote]

The big highlight in the modern GT range is a brand new car – the Corvette C8R – but there’s also a complete face-lift for the Mercedes AMG GT3 and some super liveries on all of the cars that were new to the catalogue last year.

   

It’s a while since we had a modern Corvette in the Scalextric catalogue – the GT2 C6R was the last, released back in 2011. The C8R – developed by Pratt & Miller - debuted at the 2020 Daytona 24 hour race last January and the two Scalextric models are the Corvette Racing cars from this race.

       

The Corvette C8R follows the standard Scalextric GT layout of an inline short-can motor, a tray interior and magnatraction. It is Digital Plug Ready (DPR) and can be easily converted to digital with the C8515 Digital Plug. The silver C8R will be the first car to be released – scheduled for the third quarter of 2021 – with the yellow car following at the end of the year.

       

Scalextric have updated their popular Mercedes-AMG GT3 model to match the 2020 evolution of the real racing car. The most noticeable change from the original 2016 version is the front radiator grille, which gives the car a fabulous new look. Scalextric decided a completely new body shell was required and new tooling has been produced. The chassis remains the same, so the same top-rate handling and performance is guaranteed. The first livery on the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo is the very striking RAM Racing car driven by Sam De Haan and Patrick Kujala in the 2020 British GT Championship. The car is scheduled for release in the summer / early autumn.

   

Another exciting release for GT fans is the Castrol-sponsored R-Motorsport Aston Martin GT3 Vantage that was the eye-candy of the 2020 Bathurst 12 hours. Regular driver Jake Dennis was joined by two Aussie superstars - IndyCar legend Scott Dixon and V8 Supercar champ Rick Kelly. The Scalextric Vantage GT3 was one of the highlights of the 2020 catalogue and has already proved a very quick GT car on the track.

   

The Castrol car is joined in the 2021 catalogue by the attractive red TF Sport Vantage GT3 raced in the 2020 International GT Open series by Salih Yoluç and Charlie Eastwood. Joined by Jonny Adam, the TF team won the LM GTE Am class at the 2020 Le Mans 24 hours, running the same livery on their Vantage GTE. Both Aston Martins are scheduled for a third quarter release.

Another new livery on a new car is the sole Mustang GT4 to run in the 2020 British GT Championship…

       

The Academy Motorsports car looks plain grey at a first glance, but is actually an intricate design of dozens of mustang horse logos. Another 2021 Mustang release is a set…

       

I am rather excited to see drifting back in the Scalextric catalogue - it’s yet another game-play option and is an enormous amount of fun. The new Drift 360 set includes two Ford Mustangs, adapted with a new chassis, guide and electronics to allow 360-degree rotation and lots of drifting action onto the borders that surround the entire track. The new-style powerbase has also been re-tooled so it sits the other side of a border piece. Although the liveries are fictitious, the sponsors on the Mustangs are real – a new theme for Scalextric. The set is scheduled for a spring release.

       

Much to my delight, the Ginetta G60-LT-P1Le Mans Prototype is being released in its Team LNT 2019-20 WEC livery. Although their season ultimately fizzled out in disappointing fashion, this livery will always be a memorable one. The Scalextric car performs well on track and is a good compromise between high detail (cockpit, working lights etc) and the robustness of the super resistant cars. The car will be available in the summer/early autumn.

       

Another World Endurance Championship car is the Ford GT GTE from the 2019 Le Mans 24 hour race. This was the final appearance for the works Ford GTEs at La Sarthe – and they turned up with some wonderful ‘Heritage’ liveries celebrating the four wins for the GT40 between 1966 and 1969 and the fiftieth anniversary win in 2016 for the Ford GTE. The red 1967 throwback car - driven by Harry Tinknell, Andy Priaulx and Jonathan Bomarito – was the top ford, finishing fourth in LM GTE Pro.

The Scalextric car is a great-looker, although it divides opinion with its F1 slim-can motor. This car will have officially-licenced ACO Le Mans 24 hour packaging. It is likely this will be the last of the Scalextric Ford GTEs and it has a spring release date.

We still have some BTCC and modern street cars to look at, but I’ll take a quick break…

[BAracer]

All very nice...