Part 5
as gathered by Dennis David

The Boom Years
In 1963 the Wall Street Journal estimated the value of the model car racing market at 100 million dollars. The Boom Years of slot car racing lasted barely two years from 1966-1968, and was never to approach that level of popularity again. During those two years you could visit any medium-size town and there would probably be a slot car raceway where you could buy cars and parts from companies like K&B, Russkit, Riggen, Classic, Dynamic, Mura and Champion. In front you would probably find a dozen bikes haphazardly parked while inside you would hear the scream of high pitched motors, the sound of laughing voices and later the smell of Oil of Wintergreen, used as a tire additive. In America it was like a wave that had crested and washed over the country, gone but not forgotten for many of those that had grown up during that time, a lifetime love of the hobby would survive Vietnam, college, marriage and kids.

In 1959, 34 year old Jim Russell, a local accountant and management consultant was looking for something to do on a weekend when a friend introduced him to a novel new hobby called slot car racing. Russ, as everyone calls him, was hooked. Then, in early 1963 while refinishing a coffee table, some Behr varnish spilled on one of Jim's cars. He didn't notice until after it dried but the effect was dramatic. Ever the entrepreneur, Jim decided to market his discovery as a way to improve and protect the finish of models and a new product and company were born.

Russkit was incorporated in November of 1963 but its first product, Russ-Cote, actually hit the shelves in the summer of that year. Russell had quit his job in April to concentrate on getting a product line together for the new company so he started selling out of his car while he put together the financing and organization for the enterprise. The timing couldn't have been better as interest in slot cars was just starting to climb. After manufacturing styrene body kits to use on Strombecker chassis, Russell introduced his own car kits featuring injected bodies.

Working with Hank Rose and attorney Russell secured a six-month exclusive sales deal with Mabuchi giving them enough time to market their newly labeled Russkit 22 motor. When the Russkit 23 came out the company still had a large inventory of 22s at the warehouse. Russell's wife came up with the idea of why not packaging two motors together. Russell quickly had his racer/developer Mike Morrissey create the 'Black Widow' which just happened to have a four-wheel-drive chassis using a Russkit 22 powering each axle.In little time the oversupply of old motors was solved. Besides their parts and car kits, Russkit is also famous for a tool in building cars, a chassis jig, the 'Adjusto-Jig' sold in the thousands. Hobby salesman came up with a pistol-grip controller design that proved to be a definite improvement over Russkit's thumb-actuated models. Russell seeing the opportunity produced the controller which would become the company's greatest success, eventually selling the controller business over to Parma when the company wound down. Russell would continue in the slot car business working for

Brooklyn native Lewis Glaser started a California plastics company, Precision Specialties, just weeks before the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack. In the 1930s and 40s, “serious” models were made of wood. That began to change in the early 1950s, when Precision Specialties enjoyed huge success with “Highway Pioneers” plastic car kits. Glaser changed his company’s name to Revell Inc. They had entered the slot car business producing components including a aluminum chassis, wheels tires and gears for scratch builders. Soon the company began issuing 1/32 and 1/24 kits, initially using injection-moulded bodies as well as well regarded home racing set including track, considered by some as the best ever produced. Having Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth under contract they naturally released 'Rat-Fink' and 'Mister Gasser' slot cars. Eventually they got into the commercial track business where they served customers throughout the world and opening a raceway in Los Angeles with six tracks of their own design that would serve as their showroom.

Another company in the plastic kit business that sought to cash in on the slot car craze was Monogram. Bob Reder and Jack Besser who had worked together at Comet Model Airplane & Supply Co. in Chicago started their own company in 1945 producing simple die-cut balsa wood ships. The first Monogram car kit was the Hot Shot jet car kit in 1948, powered by a CO2 cartridge. In 1964 they produced their first series of high quality slot cars consisting of two 1/32 kits and seven 1/24 scale kits. The 1/24 scale kits used recycled static model bodies attached to a 3-piece brass chassis. Later Monogram would also produce a home racing set including their own high-quality track. In 1967 Monogram issued a three car series of thingies, one of which, The Assassin used a stamped aluminum chassis and a sidewinder Mabuchi FT36D motor and a vacuum formed body designed by auto stylist, Tom Daniel. In 1968 Monogram stopped producing slot cars and only issued static model kits.

While producing slot cars, Monogram recognized the fact that groups of enthusiasts were gathering to race their model cars, so they made sure they also supported slot car racers with a fairly complete line of racing parts and accessories under the Tiger brand. The 'Tiger' line of 1:24 and 1:32 racing parts included everything from machined aluminum wheels with better tires to 'hot' motors (like the Tiger 100 and Tiger 200 can motors) and complete aluminum and brass frames. During the late 1960s, Monogram and Revell were rivals for the scale model market but in 1986, after declining profitability in a new era of video games and cable television, Monogram now owned by Odyssey Partners of New York was merged with Revell and folded into Monogram Models of Morton Grove, Illinois.

A company that specialized in model airplane accessories since the 1940s, Robert 'Hi' Johnson and Dynamic entered the field of slot car racing accessories in 1963 gaining fame with their die-cast aluminum DynaMite adjustable slot car chassis. By 1964, they entered into a joint venture with AMT, the plastic model kit manufacturer. This collaboration allowed Dynamic to have the use of AMT 'purple' Mabuchi-sourced motors as well as access to the AMT injected moulded line of bodies. One of their most popular cars were root-beer colored Bandit first issued in late 1965 and the black bodied Super Bandit which used a rewound and balanced 'Green Hornet' motor produced under contract by Mura and also included a Cox inspired 'quick change' guide flag. In 1969, Dynamic would have their own professional racing team composed of Bruce Erickson and Jack Garcia who had by then worked for Johnson for over twenty years. AMT dropped the partnership with Dynamic in 1970, however Dynamic continued building slot cars and accessories. With interest in HO scale cars and tracks at it’s peak, Dynamic quickly shifted gears and refocused all R&D efforts on a new HO design. After some internal debate, it was decided that the new HO racer would be based on the Dynamic anglewinder design. The cars were marketed as DynaBrutes. Tragically company principal Hi Johnson was killed in a hang-glider accident in 1979.

Riggen led by its namesake Al Riggen and his business partner, Dick 'Magoo' Megugorac began by making wheels and tires to supply the burgeoning slot car market. By 1966, they hired designer Gordon Brimhall and under the JAD brand, produced RTR models in the 1/24 scale. By 1967, the company produced a new brass chassis in both 1/24 and 1/32 scale were issued, and in 1968 an angle-winder version of the 1/24 scale chassis, powered by the Mabuchi FT26 motor, provided the base for a vast array of models. In addition to the larger scales, Riggen in 1970 with the help of Philippe de Lespinay would become heavily involved in HO, just in time it seems as sales of the larger scales withered.

K&B, at the beginning of the slot car boom was already a well-known company in the airplane model business that went into slot car racing in a big way in 1964, producing beautiful and well engineered kits. By 1965, a second series was issued featuring improved motors and new body styles. In 1966, K&B joined the busy crowd of the vacuum formed body RTR cars, their most famous (and elusive) being their own version of the Batmobile that featured a functional disc brake and a roof light. K&B after the 1968 collapse survived as a model airplane engine manufacturer.

Sam Bergman, heir to a Kansas oil fortune, founded Classic Industries in Culver City, California. He dove into the slot racing business by producing the first true 1/24 scale RTR car, a John Power designed futuristic racer called the 'Manta Ray' which was loosely patterned after the famous Dean Jeffries show car. The car was immensely successful with a production of over one million units. Classic became known for producing some of the wildest slot cars available and their popularity required the company to keep their production lines working 24 hours a day. The third Classic model issued was the equally iconic Asp. A lime green ready to race car designed by former GM designer Robert Cadaret it featured molded silicone tires over magnesium wheels, a gray anodized sandwich chassis with ISO drop arm configuration, and a Classic CM160 motor. In order to placate more traditionalists the box also contained chassis parts and a clear body to build a 1/32 scale Maserati 250F. In 1967 Classic produced a 'competition' version. Their Gamma Ray slot car featured a functional disk brake. it was part of the last series of Classic slot cars before their demise.

The greatest name in vintage slot cars was Cox. The company was founded by L.M. 'Leroy' Cox of Santa Anna, California in 1945. Cox Manufacturing whose main lines involved the production of miniature gas-powered internal combustion engines along with control line model aircraft, created in 1947 the Thimble Drome Champion, the car that helped start the tether car craze before slot cars. In 1964 they joined the new slot car business with some high quality kits initially featuring die cast magnesium chassis and realistically detailed bodies. With their box art and attention to detail they are now much sought-after toys which they produced until 1969. The Ferrari 158 F1 assembled in Hong Kong for the American company was the first RTR model marketed by Cox. When Cox issued the orange low-slung slot car known as 'La Cucaracha' or, 'the cockroach', it created a small revolution in the slot car world. The car was fast, out-handled most of its production competitors. Still it is the Can-Am Chaparral which is what the company is most famous for. In 1965 they would sign a sponsorship deal with Jim Hall's Chaparral sports car team, which would carry the new slot car manufacturer's famous red emblem on all future race cars during the season.

The Rise of the Factory Teams
In 1964 Phil Varchetta who was Strombecker's PR man started one of the first factory sponsored teams that raced 1/32 scale almost exclusively at various tracks in the Greater Chicago area, two to three times a week. The team members were not paid but did receive free track time and parts. The team members were also issued bowling shirts with Strombecker Racing Team embroidered on the back. One of it's members, Bobby Arvidson was said to have never lost a 1/32 scale race.

The following year Jim Russell hired four local hot shoes from Southern California; Mike Morrissey, Rick Durkee, Ron Quintana Len Vucci and formed the legendary Team Russkit. The racers had their expenses paid as well as any parts required to build and maintain their cars. Team Russkit would go on a 30 day nationwide tour which had a tremendous effect on the development of professional slot car racing in America. The first thing Team Russkit discovered is that they were not as far ahead of everyone as they thought! In Car Model, February 1966, pg 24, Mike Morrissey writes, 'To begin with, everywhere we went, we were surprised at how fast cars are going. From Las Vegas to Long Island, we found cars almost as fast as ours, and in Detroit... well, I'll come to that later.' Detroit was the home of The Groove Raceway and there things did not go exactly as planned according to Morrissey:

'We didn't have much trouble going as fast as anyone else except in one place, The Groove, in Royal Oak, Michigan. It was here that we got clobbered, whipped, and obliterated. I mean, they could have saved themselves some time by simply beating us with hammers and throwing us outa the joint! You see, it was at The Groove that we learned all about 'supertraction' tracks... the hard way. We had heard about these midwest track surfaces, but we'd never realized just how sticky they were. They use a high-gloss paint that is nearly shiny. Then after the track is broken in and builds up a little tire goop on the paint surface, it becomes so sticky that you can't believe it! Anyway, our cars are built for normal surfaces and are, as I said, very light. They wouldn't slide or drift at all, but instead would just do snap rolls. The locals' cars weigh 5 to 6 ounces or more. They use flat brass plate about 1/8' thick for frames, those 'Silastic' tires, and a variety of motors. The flat plates give a very low center of gravity, which kills the flipping tendency, and the weight stabilizes them. To get all that mass down the straights, they use hairy motors like Dyno-Chargers, Rams, and wildly rewound Pittmans and Mabuchis. To stop they use up to 6 volts of power brakes. We'll be back that way, though, and next time we'll be properly armed! Maybe we can put up a decent fight.'

A year later Team Russkit returned and that year they beat the locals at their own game. A sense of equilibrium had returned to the slot car racing scene. If you can imagine what it must have been like going up against a group of hired guns in factory blazers no less. Russkit was soon followed by teams from Cobra, Dyna-Rewind, Champion and Mura, with Team Champion of Chamblee, GA finally supplanting Russkit as the toppremier professional slot car team with Bob Cozine and John Cukras as their top racers.

In the United States, the American Model Car Racing Congress announced a contest with $100,000 in prizes, and Strombecker organized a nation-wide contest for young drivers, with the grand prize being a Plymouth Barracuda, $5,000 Pepsi-Cola Scholarship and trip to Paris for the World Title. John Cukras of Teams Champion, Mura and Riggen amongst others was rumored to benefit from an income of $50,000 a year. East Coast racer Howie Ursaner, a champion at 14 along with Sandy Gross formed slot car's legendary 'Gold Dust Twins', racing for Team Cobra.

Slot Cars Pioneers of the 60s

The name Jose Rodriguez Jr. holds a special place in slot car history. Rodriguez was an industrial designer/draftsman by trade and did some consulting work for the slot car manufacturers including Atlas, plus writing for most of the major magazines, one of which, Car Model he helped co-found. As a writer he brought the world of slot cars alive for many of his readers and . Rodriguez was also one of the scale enthusiasts behind the North American Miniature Racing Association (NAMRA), which was active primarily in the Northeast. Known as an excellent car builder, his cars won many Concours awards. Somewhat miraculously his only known surviving slot car racing box, dating from 1967-68 was found in a swap meet in New York City by slot car enthusiast Albert Bisaccia in 1998. It was eventually acquired on behalf of the Marconi Automotive Museum for Kids in Tustin, California. The box itself was custom built by Hoffman for Rodriguez and is substantially smaller than their standard boxes at the time.

A number of early slot car racers have come from the aeronautics and automotive industries. Charles “Pete” Hagenbuch graduated from West Virginia University in 1956, and earned an MAE degree from the Chrysler Institute of Engineering in 1958 before working as a Chrysler engine development engineer from 1958 to 1987. Hagenbuch wrote a column for Car Model magazine amongst others where he would expand on his views regarding the future direction of slot cars. Hagenbuch's main interest was in club racing and scratchbuilding cars in 1/32 scale. Initially Hagenbuch's material of choice for bodies was fiberglass and it was only after a more scale appearing clear bodies appeared would Hagenbuch consider this new material which he had previously referred to as 'blob' bodies.

Tom Malone, wrote a column for Car Model magazine where he served as the technical editor, called 'Tom Malone Answers your Racing Questions'. In the column he answered questions from young boys all over the United States and beyond. The questions would run the gamut but were always answered politely. Malone was a proponent of an arm winding configuration that he titled 'The Malone Torquer'. While not a racer himself Malone liked to discuss his theories, backed by graphs, on the physics of slot cars, many of which have later been debunked. That being said the tone of his column gave us the feeling that what we were doing was important enough to write and talk about in a serious almost scientific manner and for a young boy this was enough.

A Brief Look at Chassis Development
The following brief look encompasses the 'Golden Years' of commercial slot car racing at the commercial level. During the second half of the 60's several important racing series were sponsored by Rod & Custom, Car Model and Model Car Science magazines.