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Here we are - the moment all Scalextric fans have been waiting for... The unveiling of Scalextric's 2022 catalogue

The catalogue has just been launched on the Scalextric website, and brand manager Simon Owen is kindly talking me through the new range. It looks fantastic – with lots of new tooling and some inspired choices for new cars. There aren’t many re-liveries this year, but what there are will certainly hit the spot.

I’ll be typing full-gas this afternoon, giving you an in-depth report of the new products, what's inside them and some of the background of the cars they're modelled on. I'll be starting a little later than advertised, at 1pm. Apologies for the delay.

Before we get to the exciting stuff, just a reminder of the huge impact the pandemic has had on global manufacturing this past 18 months – including delays and rising costs. It will be a while longer before everything gets back on an even keel. As I'm sure you all know, quite a few 2021 Scalextric cars are still to arrive – all of them have been carried over into the 2022 catalogue. The cars may have been delayed, but they haven't been cancelled.

See you at 1.00pm...

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The cover of the 2022 catalogue gives a very good taste of what’s inside. There’s certainly ‘something for everyone’ with a strong focus on nostalgia with retro buildings, cars and sets – harking back to the heyday of the brand. That seems a conscious strategy developed since 2017 by the new owners and management team – and one that’s popular with long-standing collectors and those returning to Scalextric during the pandemic.

Let’s start with the sets and buildings…

       

There are two new flagship sets, priced at £159.99 – both with a very 80s retro style in terms of their contents and packaging. The first is a movie set – with Back to the Future and Knight Rider combined. The cars in the set are the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future 2 and KITT. The second set is a fabulous Grand Prix release with the two Senna Lotus cars…

       

The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice the clip-on barriers. These are a re-working of the 1980s crash barriers – now available in two lengths and come complete with sponsor stickers, either retro 80s or modern day. The barriers will be standard in the high-end sets and also sold separately – one pack is enough for both the outside and inside of a full 180-degrees of Radius 2 curves.

Two sets that have been ‘refreshed’ with barriers and new cars are the ARC Air ‘ World GT’ and ARC Pro ‘Platinum GT’...

       

Both cars in the ARC Air set are new – there’s a new set-only R-Motorsport livery on the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, plus a newly-tooled Porsche 911 GT3R with a set-only livery of the G-Cat Racing car from the 2021 British GT Championship. The ARC Pro set sees the Bentley and AMG GT3 replaced by a AMG GT3 Evo in RAM Racing’s 2021 livery, plus the yellow works Corvette C8R. The ARC Air set cars remain super-resistant with black windows and working lights. All four cars in the Platinum set are fully high-detail models.

A third updated set is ‘Police Chase’…

   

This moves the set from the American deep South of the previous version to the UK motorway system – featuring a BMW 330i patrol car and a red Corvette C8R road car. The borders and barriers have gone from this set, but otherwise it’s the same – including super-resistant cars that have black windows. The BMW has flashing roof lights and a siren. All the new sets are scheduled for a summer/early autumn release, so definitely prioritised for the hugely-important Christmas market.

And now those buildings…

       

These are both a nostalgic step back and a completely new departure for Scalextric. The manufacturing process is the same as for the popular – and rather excellent – Hornby Skaledale OO range of buildings and trackside accessories. The are made from cast resin and come fully-assembled, hand-finished and painted – ready to place on your layout. The Classic Building range is proper 1:32 scale, so they are big.

The first two releases – the Control Tower and Grandstand – are based on the original designs first seen in the 1960 Triang-Scalextric catalogue and sold right through to the 80s. These have the classic period advertising from the 1950s Goodwood buildings that Triang used for inspiration. The Control Tower has a RRP of £49.99 and the Grandstand £59.99. Depending how popular these are, the range can be developed in the future – as was the case with Skaledale.

There are no Scalextric figures in the 2022 catalogue to go with these buildings – but I’m sure 3DP entrepreneurs will get busy adding 50s and 60s themed spectators to their lists of creations. That would certainly work for a layout recreating that era – or for something more Goodwood Revival-ish.

And there are a lot of new cars that will go nicely with that retro theme...

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Shall we start with single-seaters? There are only two, but the first is one of the stand-out cars in the catalogue…

       

Nigel Mansell’s 1986 British Grand Prix winning Williams FW11 is a perfect running mate for the delayed Senna Lotus 98T and a very nice tribute to Sir Frank. Mansell described Brands in 1986 as ‘the race of my life’. It was certainly an emotional roller coaster – starting with Frank Williams’ visit to the track following his near-fatal road accident only four months earlier. Mansell’s drive shaft broke just after the start, but he gained a reprieve when the race was red-flagged – Jacques Laffite’s F1 career cut short in a first corner pile-up. Mansell took his time after the restart and gave Brands a truly memorable final Grand Prix. You can enjoy Clive James’ dry humour in this review of the weekend:



It would have been nice to see the Williams included in the ‘Grand Prix’ set, but I’m guessing Scalextric are being sensible, covering their bases to ensure the very attractive set will be available for retailers in plenty of time for Christmas. Sets and Christmas have to be the absolute #1 priority.

A second single-seater is a new livery on the Spark2 Formula-E model…

       

This one is a brand new 2022 season livery, featuring Jake Dennis – the stand-out rookie of last year. The British driver finishing the season third overall with wins in Valencia and London and was in with a good chance of the title right up to the final race in Berlin. There’s a change of livery at Andretti Motorsport for 2022 – the BMW blue, purple, black and white is replaced by the equally striking deep red and black of new sponsor Avalanche. Unlike the 2021 Scalextric Formula-E releases, it looks like this car will get the standard plastic case and prominent Formula-E branding.

Not a single-seater, but most definitely Formula One themed is this Lamborghini Countach pace car…

       

The Countach is new tooling, although was previewed on the Hornby: A Model World TV programme last year. This livery was kept under wraps until today – and is a brilliant surprise. Pace cars are rather popular, especially if they’re authentic. This Countach saw service at the 1983 Monaco Grand Prix, won in damp conditions by Keke Rosberg. The Lamborgini has flashing roof lights and is scheduled for September.

TV and Movies next, I think…

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Oh yes, Scalextric have brought us one of the all time great movie cars in 1:32 scale...



The Scalextric Bluesmobile comes complete with the massive loudspeaker on roof and assorted detritus on the dashboard. Both Jake and Elwood are in the car – no repeat of last year’s Batman-and-no-Robin drama… Because the car is incredibly long and rather high, a new case has been created for it. Inside, there’s a sidewinder motor and full interior – so it will make an ideal Trans-Am club racer for those who like to own the road.

Back in 1980, my younger self staggered out of the legendary Grays State cinema and declared The Blues Brothers to be the best movie of all time – 42 years later, I’m not sure I was wrong…



For Your Eyes Only was another film I saw at the State...

       

Not in the same league as The Blues Brothers, but the Esprit Turbo was a pretty cool Bond car. Painted in Copper Fire Metallic with gold stripes and logos, the car stood out nicely against the snow of the Cortina resort in Italy (the location of the original Pink Panther film). A second Esprit Turbo – in white, with red detailing – was also used and blown up early in the film. That left Bond with a Citroën 2CV as transport... The Scalextric S2 is a different body to the white S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me – and it has 007’s skis on the back.

I didn’t see Back to the Future 3 at the cinema, but I have watched it quite a few times on TV since...

       

The Scalextric Back to the Future 3 DeLorean is a different model to the first two in the series – being based on the time machine Marty and 1950s Doc rebuilt back in 1955. There’s a revised front and plenty of unique detailing – including white-walled tyres. The time machine is destroyed at the end of the final film, so that’s presumably the last of the Scalextric models. They certainly make a very fine trio of slot cars for fans of the trilogy.

And now on to the small screen and hugely popular series that I’ve never watched…

       

The Corgi Mr Bean diecast collection has transfered over to Scalextric with two models – a 1977 Mini 1000 Mk4 as it appeared in ‘Do-It-Yourself Mr Bean’ and the blue Reliant Regal Supervan that is apparently Mr Bean’s nemesis throughout the series. The Mini also appeared at the 2009 Goodwood Revival...



Rowan Atkinson had been a regular competitor at the Revival since its inception, but never driving a car from an armchair on the roof, using a rope to turn the steering wheel and a broom to work the pedals – at least, that was how it was supposed to look. Mr Bean fans will absolutely love it. As they will love the opportunity to pair it with the blue Regal Supervan. Like all the Movie & TV cars, the Mr Bean models have colourful and fully-licensed packaging.

What next?

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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…

   

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Continuing on the classic theme, there’s another very exciting new release for 2022 – a Cobra 289 that will appear open-topped in the 1964 Targa Florio twin-pack and with a hard top for Bill Shepherd’s historic racer.

   

The Cobra shouldn’t need much introduction. In a nutshell: Caroll Shelby drops a big American V8 into a tiny British sportscar – and changes the world forever. The 1963 MKII 4.7-litre 289 AC Cobra is the right model for Scalextric to produce – it was raced worldwide and is instantly recognisable to Goodwood Revival devotees. The Scalextric Cobra has a front-mounted S-Can like the E-Type Jag, so is not Digital Plug Ready – but should be equally fun to drive.

Shelby took the 289 Cobras to Sicily in 1984 for their first big race on a European stage. It was an odd year, with GT cars dominating the entry list – and the race. The sound of the V8s thrilled the local spectators and with five Cobras entered, they didn’t have too wait too long for one to come round the 72km Piccolo circuit.

       

At half-distance, it looked like Dan Gurney’s Cobra (#146) would finish second in the race and first in the GT class for Shelby. However, suspension trouble and “minor collisions with the scenery” as Autocar put it at the time, meant all the Cobras dropped back. That handed the top two spots of the podium to Porsche 904s, then a pair of Alfa TZ in third and fourth, with Gurney and Jerry Grant the top Cobra in eighth. The entire top ten were GT cars. The other car in the twin pack – the #148 of Masten Gregory and Innes Ireland – was one of the Cobras that crashed out.

       

The sound of the Cobras is also a thrill for the crowds at the Goodwood Revival – and they are utterly brilliant to watch. Bill Shepherd’s metallic green Cobra COB289, which he drives with Romain Dumas, is one of the front-runners in the one-hour RAC TT Celebration race each year. This is a great video of some Cobra shenanigans from 2019...



The Cobra is a difficult act to follow, but to round off the classic and historic racing themes, Scalextric have dug out very nice authentic Gulf liveries for their Porsche 911 RSR 3.0 and Mini Cooper S…

       

The Porsche is prepared by Heritage Motorsports in Clearwater, Florida. Heritage owner David Hinton is also president of the Historic Sportscar Racing group, which organises events across North America, including the Monterey Reunion and Sebring Classic 12 Hour – where the Gulf car regularly competes. In December 2021, it was driven to third place in class at Sebring by owner Fred Schulte and Aaron Nash.

The Gulf Mini Cooper S was raced in the 2018 Goodwood Revival St Mary’s Trophy by Nick Riley & touring car legend Gabriele Tarquini. Starting from the back of the grid, the little 1965 Cooper S finished the two-leg race in sixteenth – fourth of the seven Minis. You only see the Mini very briefly, but this is a great reminder of the magic of the St Mary’s Trophy...



Gulf liveries also appear on a modern Pagani Huayra BC Roadster hypercar and a weathered version of the Aston Martin DBR9 that won the GT1 class at the 2008 Le Mans 24 Hours – and is now in the ROFCO collection (https://www.rofgo.com/collection/aston-martin-dbr9-009/)…

       

Staying with big oil companies… Castrol has proved another popular theme for Scalextric in recent years, so there’s a very classy Castrol VW T1b panel van for 2022...

   

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It’s probably time to wrap up the 1:32 scale stuff – and I’ll start with some supercars…

   

The new Countach appears as a white road car – with the ‘S’ bodywork and rear wing. How many teenagers had a poster of a Countach on their wall in the early 80s? I certainly did. Perfect to chase down a speeding Countach is the Police Car version of the new Rover SD1/Vitesse…

       

The Rover is high-detail – flashing roof lights but no siren. The image Scalextric have included in the catalogue is of a Sussex Police patrol car. However, I reckon Scalextric should also produce the legendary ACL863W for their TV range…



A more recent Lamborghini is the Centenario…

   

This cool blue livery is an addition to the mid-priced Super-Resistant range, as is the Gulf-liveried Pagani Huayra Roadster BC already mentioned…

   

It’s reasonably slim pickings for fans of modern racing series, but I’m pretty happy with a new car each for BTCC and GT – plus the delayed 2021 cars, of course. That backlog includes two liveries on the brand new Corvette C8R, the re-worked AMG GT3 Evo in 2020 RAM Racing colours, plus the red TF Sport Aston Martin and the 2020 Turkington BMW 330i. That last one is expected very soon.

   

The new BTCC car is the Honda Civic Type R FK8, which will appear in two liveries – the Halfords Racing Honda of three-time champion Gordon Shedden and the BTC Racing car of rookie Jade Edwards…

       

The new Scalextric Honda is the same inline S-Can configuration as used in the rest of their BTCC range. The BMW 330i gets a new livery, recreating Adam Morgan’s 2021 Ciceley Motorsport car…

   

For GT racing, the new tooling is a fully-licensed Porsche 911 GT3R – the latest shape of this legendary car…

   

The first model features the eye-catching Canadian Pfaff Motorsports 911 that won the GTD class at the 2021 Sebring 12 Hours…

       

Scalextric have decided to model the 2019 GT3R shape as opposed to the GTE 2019 RSR. Their previous Porsche GT body was the 2013-17 RSR, which did limit the liveries available somewhat. The GT3 shape allows Scalextric choose from a vast number of fabulous cars that race in numerous GT series around the world. A second livery is included in the ARC Air World GT set…

   

That’s the G-Cat Racing Porsche from the 2021 British GT Championship, driven by Shamus Jennings & Greg Caton – as mentioned right back at the start of this preview. I am sure there will be many more GT3R liveries to come.

That’s almost it for 1:32. There’s the small matter of Australian issue cars that will be announced separately by the distributor down-under, sometime soon-ish. These Aussie-themed cars have been pretty special in recent years, but we’ll have to see if they can beat the stunning Bathurst Jaguar XJ-S from 2021. I also expect the 2023 Scalextric Club Car to be announced in May, hopefully at the UK Slot Car Festival.

Next, there's exciting 1:64 Micro Scalextric news...

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Last – but certainly not least – is Micro Scalextric.

The 1:64 scale system continues to develop after a complete re-design for 2019. The first two years focused almost entirely on younger racers – with the promise that older HO enthusiasts would have their own treats, if the new range proved successful.

Although we’ve already had two James Bond sets with very cool Aston Martin and Jaguar cars, I am delighted to report that there’s new tooling for three more ‘real’ cars in the 2022 catalogue – a Lamborghini Huracán Evo, a Porsche 911 Turbo and the Formula-E Spark2...

       

These will be available in two new sets – ‘Super Speed Race’ and ‘Formula E’ – both scheduled for the summer. The Formula-E liveries will be Sébastien Buemi’s Nissan and Oliver Turvey’s NIO. Both sets share a ‘racing’ layout with a lap counter and no loops. They are battery powered (a mains upgrade pack is available) and have a RRP of £64.99.

   

There’s also a return of the big double-loop Micro Scalextric set – renamed ‘The Race for Gotham’ and features Batman and Joker cars. The RRP for this is £74.99 and the scheduled release is also for the summer. Like the other new sets, it is battery powered to make it ready to use for customers worldwide – wherever AA batteries are available. Don’t forget, these 1:64 scale sets are the best-sellers in the entire Scalextric range.

       

An orange Huracán and a white Porsche will be sold as individually-packaged cars, plus the previously available Warner Brothers individual cars remain in the catalogue – a new batch being manufactured for 2022.

And that – I think – is your lot.  I hope you've enjoyed the extra content, rather than just having pictures and listings. Huge thanks to Simon and the whole team at Scalextric for helping me to prepare this preview for SlotRacer Online. I also want to congratulate them for an exciting catalogue in these difficult times – and wish them luck getting everything manufactured and delivered in the next twelve months. However, a lot of that is probably out of their hands...

You can expect to see more photographs of prototypes and pre-production samples on SlotRacer during the year.

[Anthony B]

Andy - HUGE respect and compliments for your unbelievable news work - really fantastic!!

[BAracer]

I'll take a TWR Vitesse, 911GT3, the Cobra hardtop and a Honda BTCC please.