Onwards & Upwards
1965
It would be true to say that at this time, many people considered VIP slot cars to be the best out-of-the-box racers on the market. The same couldn't be said for their painted metal track. Although it had served its purpose admirably in being cheap to produce and easy to assemble, it was also easy to damage, the common negative in the center of the metal track which involved changing the polarity of the cars if you changed lane, meant the system lacked some of the flexibility of other makes, and the protruding "sleepers" meant that used conventionally you could only have a two-lane circuit. There was also criticism from some quarters about the realism of the painted surface although this particular concern could equally be levied at just about any other brand of track!
In 1965, at the Brighton Toy Fair, for the third time in less than ten years, Victory announced a completely revised track system.
VIPTRAK
VIPTRAK
VIPTRAK was entirely the invention of Fred Francis. Because it was flexible and cheap to produce, he remained faithful to the rubber track surface that he'd originated with Scalextric but the compound was much more sophisticated to make it both hard-wearing and high grip with a patterned non-slip surface "for ultra-quick getaways." Like Scalextric track, the new system allowed controllers and power to be plugged into any straight section (these also happened to be identical in length to Scalextric).
Other notable features were the power rails whose design ensured perfect electrical connection at every joint and which were also flexible enough to allow the track to be curved slightly so that you could recreate a smoothly rounded hilltop or dip without kinking, and the patented method of locking the track sections together with integral clips.
In due recognition of the work of Fred Francis, the new track, sets and track fittings were all given the prefix FR denoting Francis Raceway!
Three different sets were offered initially; FR1100 - a basic oval with two F1 cars, FR1700 a figure of eight with two F1 cars and FR1700 Sports which had an MGA & Healey but otherwise the same contents as the FR1700.
Viper Model Club
Also announced at the toy fair was the VIPER model club which Victory owners could join for the modest sum of 2s 6d. For this you got an enameled badge and a subscription to what was hoped to be a quarterly newsletter - The VIPER Gazette. The first issue of which appeared some time in August.
VIPER Gazette
Further Additions
Also around August, the Club Special cars were fitted with a hotter armature for more speed and a new 32 tooth contrate changing the gear ratio from 4:1 to 3.5:1. A 34 Tooth contrate was also made available (along with the 32 tooth and original 36 tooth) as a spare part. A second lower resistance (15 Ohm compared to the original 33 Ohm) Varispeed controller was added to the better match the new more powerful motor.
One further change that appeared this year was a minor alteration to the guide blade. The leading edge was now made fully enclosed to provide a more secure location for the mini-brushes.
1966
VIPLINK Suspension
"A unique and revolutionary feature" was the promise made by Victory prior to the launch of its 1966 range. This was to be VIPLINK independent, steerable front suspension, a clever, attractive design from John Steadman who had recently rejoined the company. Moulded in black nylon, the unit was made up from 10 separate components which very simply clipped together and could be 'sprung' by the addition of a small elastic band. While the performance benefits may have been negligible, it was a great piece of design and was greeted with enthusiasm from the trade and public alike.
VIPLINK
Initially the suspension was only fitted to the two new cars which were added to the line-up at the same time. These were the R66 Formula 1 Honda and the R67 Indianapolis Lotus 38 with which Jim Clark had won such a memorable victory in 1965. Another notable feature introduced with these models were much wider 'balloon tyres' which were much more in keeping with the larger cross section tyres which were by then the norm on real racing cars. The prototype Honda shown at the Toy Fair included rear suspension detail, but this was not included with the production version.
R66 Formula 1 Honda
R67 Indianapolis Lotus 38
Moving to the Raceway Works
On October 20th 1966 Victory finally made the move from the old Barfax works to a new building which they aptly christened The Raceway Works at a new industrial estate in Woodbridge Meadows, Guildford. With careful planning the transfer of assembly lines, production, plant machinery and stock was spread over four days including the weekend and the whole operation was accomplished with the loss of one days production.
R98 guide blade
Best Buy
With the best cars and arguably the best track in the business, this successful year was topped off when two of the company's sets were declared "Best Buy" in a head to head comparison in the December issue of the Consumer Association's highly respected Which magazine. Very much to the discomfort of several Tri-ang sales executives whose Scalextric brand leader only attained the same status in the review of the simplest sets where Victory hadn't entered!
Which? Magazine
1967
Fred Francis Leaves Victory
An unfortunate consequence of the company's success was the rejection by the main shareholder of Fred Francis' attempts to buy out his holding in the company. The owner was a wealthy industrialist without any other connections in toy manufacturing and Victory was a pretty small fish in his portfolio. When Ivor Spence had first introduced him to the company, it was in the belief that this would not carry any strings in relation to its long-term direction but his feelings had obviously changed as word of things like the Which report got back to him.
Fred's success in the toy business and in business in general meant he was probably the ideal person to take Victory on to continued success, however the owner now had his own ideas and understandably Fred decided he could no longer continue in his role as director without the freedom to direct, and so with some regret, he left the company.
Ivor Spence, still General Manager at this time then had to stand back while one or two key roles in the company were filled by what he referred to as "young high flyers" employed in the belief that Victory could somehow dominate the mass market rather than filling the small niche in which its products had happily fallen. Although I'm sure these chaps had the best of intentions, they were bought in from outside the industry and it doesn't appear that they made any significant contribution other than niggling many of the staff who until then had been very happy working for this small friendly company. This was significant in the long term because - unknown at the time, their failings to take Victory's turnover to new heights would ultimately decide the fate of the company.
To the world in general, things carried on unchanged and Victory continued the steady development of its product range. The 1967 Brighton Toy Fair bought further improvements to the Club Special cars with a third reworking of the motor armature. All the Club Special F1 cars were fitted with the Viplink suspension and doughnut tyres and it was decided to drop the Lotus 18 from the range because of its unique steering unit.
Club Specials Mk3
Porsche Carrera 6
The fair also saw the introduction of a new sports car in the shape of a Porsche Carrera 6. This was offered in three different configurations; the standard model R68, the Club Special version R68S and as a new VIPkit with RX1000 motor! All three versions included doughnut tyres and Viplink suspension.
Porsche Carrera 6
The kit version was based around an all-new adjustable brass chassis with ball-race rear axle bearings. This and the RX1000 motor were both developed in-house by John Steadman especially for the kit. The chassis and motor were available separately but the kit version of the Porsche used a different mounting post on the front of the body which was cut off on the standard cars so it wasn't possible to use this chassis with any of normal VIP bodies. This version is very hard to find today.
RX1000 Motor
Stock Car Racing!
The final release for 1967 came in November and though few would say these were Victory's most attractive models, it certainly attracted a lot of press for its unique characteristics.
Stock Cars
Stock Car Racing was a cheap form of motorsport which had begun in the 1950's racing otherwise scrap road cars around a small oval circuit. Unlike most other forms of motorsport, physical contact was permitted - even encouraged, and as the sport progressed, cars became more specialized and strengthened with very robust chassis, roll over cages and 'industrial strength' front and rear bumpers.
To emulate this rough and tumble style of racing, Victory successfully designed a method using AC current by which two cars could be driven in one lane with independent control of each car. Each car was also fitted with a device on the rear bumper which when hit would release a powerful spring beneath the car, launching it into the air and off the track.
Spring
By using a single crossover section in an oval layout, you had in effect a single lane track where you could eagerly pursue your opponent round and round until you successfully tagged his bumper and launched him into oblivion.
Stock Cars
The cars weren't pretty, but they were very strong and they generally have survived very well to their years of abuse.
Stock Cars
Individually boxed cars were sold through the VIPER club, but these weren't included on the normal price list and presumably were never available in the shops in this form. An SC101 'conversion set' was listed in 1968 containing two cars and the special connector unit but this never progressed beyond a Toy Fair display pack.