[Kevan]

I've just come back from a nice meal in town.

According to google lens (I started using it only a few days ago, it's more useful than I thought it would be):

This image captures a moment during the French Supertouring Championship in the early 2000s, showcasing the unique "silhouette" cars that competed in the series. 

• The silver and yellow car in the foreground is a Peugeot 406 Silhouette, which won the championship in both 2002 and 2004. 
  
  
  
• These cars were highly modified, featuring intricate tube chassis, blistered arches, and aggressive aerodynamics. 
  
  
  
• They often utilized a rear-mounted engine setup, with the Peugeot 406 model specifically packing a 3-liter V6 engine. 
  
  
  
• The championship allowed for extreme modifications, making the cars visually distinct from their road-going counterparts. 
  

A quick youtube search...

[Graham]

Testing Day 2 "Volvo versus Volvo"
it's been nip and tuck between the 2 cars all day, with the Red Saloon version taking an early lead with the ballast added, and now it's quite stable. The Estate version needed more care with the positioning of the ballast and a change of crown gear, but later on it was around 0.1sec faster than the Saloon version. Then mysteriously the time crept up and I ended the day with the Saloon version having the advantage again.
The SCX saloon version has a clear 4mm back axle width advantage, and its going to be difficult to better that with the Estate, but the estate is still 2grams lighter, so see what I can do during next week.

[Kevan]

2g lighter means nothing if it's slower 

[Graham]

2g lighter means nothing if it's slower 

I know I am clutching at straws here, but I just want it to work, so I will persevere for a while until I know it’s a hopeless case for the Estate.   At least it got to the testing stage before going back on the shelf 

[Kevan]

If it was mine I'd keep adding weight until lap times get worse.

[Graham]

If it was mine I'd keep adding weight until lap times get worse.

Yes I am doing that, but running out of space for the weight. Got a set of golf clubs in the back of the estate 

[Kevan]

Maybe you need the caddy in there too 

[Graham]

So Testing Day 3 of "Volvo versus Volvo"
And yes the caddy strapped to the chassis worked, so with only a 1gram excess weight over the Saloon, the Estate miraculously appears to have the edge by a wopping 0.3 sec off the lap time. It does now seem a little slow on a cold start due to carrying the load, so I will try changing the Slot it motor to a NSR 20k.

Incidentally I put together a Modern Class Honda Civic for my clubmate Steve Ruscillo, with the Scalextric 3d chassis they gave away free with the car at the time, and without any real tuning that makes a good time of around 0.2 secs faster than the Volvo Estate. But now not really that much difference.

I have received the Olifer 3d chassis for the Ford Falcon which I will fit with a Anglewinder motor.

[Kevan]

I do enjoy other builders progress, is anyone else out there developing anything interesting for this proxy?

I know what Andy is working on but not sure about Ed, I think he's keeping it secret now that he's capable of building class leading proxy cars 
...no pressure Ed 

[Red Dragon Slotracing]

   

First proxy for a long time, but I have a real soft spot for 90s-modern touring cars.

Here’s my Scaley Passat.  Hoping to do some test runs tomorrow at Llantrisant Slot Car Club, video to follow.