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This new Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR was unveiled in the Scalextric catalogue back in January and there was quite a buzz around it. A classic Porsche racing car, the 3.0 RSR competed both sides of the Atlantic and will give Scalextric fans a nice range of liveries - the first being the Jägermeister-sponsored Kremer Racing car that raced at 1975 Monza 1000 Kms and Al Holbert’s 1974 Trans-Am entry. Scalextric kindly sent me a pre-production sample of the Kremer car to have a look at...

       

It's certainly a very striking livery! Looking beyond the bright orange and focussing down on the model itself, I had a few questions... First, all the dimensions are nicely 1:32 scale - 137mm long, a wheelbase of 70mm and rear track of 58mm. Those rear wheels and tyres are massive at 13.5mm! Maintaining the accuracy of the wheels means there was no room for the preferred sidewinder motor - but the combination of inline S-can Mabuchi and the big tyres is the right choice, I think. That means a tray interior, but there is a decent amount of detail, with a seat back and decorated driver's helmet...

   

You can see from that picture that there are some compromises made between producing a highly-detailed model and a robust slot racer - most obviously the lack of a vent between the front quarter panel and the door. I understand that makes the car nice and solid, but there's not even a painted approximation or moulded recess. A bit of paint on the vent behind the door would have improved the look too. Another slight disappointment I had was the motor cover wasn't quite as tactile as I had hoped for - the grille could have been a bit more pronounced. It's the same with the wheels - not as much detail as the similar wheels on the recent XJS.

   

I did wonder about the stance too. Looking at period photographs of 3.0 RSRs, the rear wing and line from front lights to rear wing are correct, but the gap between front wheels and arch does give a strong suggestion the nose is lifted up. And the curve of the rear wheel arch is just a little too flat. A few criticisms, but overall I do like it - and it looks great on the track...

   

We'll see how it goes in a minute. But first, I'll look underneath and inside...


       

Underneath, you can see those big tyres and a neat Porsche crest cut-out over the motor. Inside, it's a standard modern Digital Plug ready (DPR) layout with inline S-Can, 9:27 gear ratio, Easy-Change guide and lights front and back. The front valance is attached to the chassis. With different 'chins' on different cars, this is understandable for ease of manufacturing and assembly. However, loosening the front screws doesn't do much in terms of body float. Looking closely, it would be quite easy to remove the valance (it isn't moulded to the chassis) and glue it to the main part of the body.

One thing Scalextric seem to be getting spot on recently is the front axle height. The front tyres sit about a millimetre off my set-up block, so when I replace the standard braid plate with racing braid 'SCX-style', the tyres just touch the surface. Gone are the days of front wheels lifting the guide half way out of the slot. Another good thing is no deep flange around the body posts - which helps body float. Even with the front valance attached the the chassis, loosening the single rear screw was reasonably effective.

       

On track the Porsche is truly sensational! Okay, I was running with the traction magnet fitted - but this is how most people will use these cars. On my DIY magnet gauge, I measured 45g downforce across the rear axle - fairly average for recent Scalextric releases. The combination of magnet and big tyres could have made a dull 'stuck-down' car, but what I found was a car that could be pushed hard and when the limits of adhesion were exceeded, the Porsche's tail slides were easy to control. In fact, I could get this car to power slide like no other Scalextric car has done for ages - enormous fun!

It being a sample that needed to be returned, I didn't take out the magnet - but I have heard from the Scalextric team that they have removed the mag from one of their cars and it is sensational fun to drive... this from a team member who is a collector and fan of Fly Classics.

Concentrating on getting some good lap times rather than spectacular power slides, I did a test run of two minutes - giving me 28 laps and a fast time of 4:09 seconds. That's right up there will some of the best-handling Scalextric cars.

In conclusion, any grips about the lack of detail on the car were blown away by the track performance. I reckon Scalextric have produced a cracking racing car - one that's going to be popular with home racers and with clubs and racing groups who have classes for Scalextric cars. I can't wait to see what other liveries will be released in the future.

Both the orange Kremer and blue Trans-Am car will be released later in the year. They are available to pre-order at all your regular Scalextric retailers.

[rallyhub]

Again a great report, Andy.
Nice livery of the Carrera 3.0 RSR, but the rear side windows look a bit strange to me.
They should lift at the rear at the bottom side.The B-pillars are a bit too short to my opinion.


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