[Riley Elf]

I'm about to embark on making some American-style Midget Racers for use on a home oval track.

What a shame they didn't make the journey across the Atlantic, although they did seem to make it to the Antipodes.

There seems to have been a thriving Stock car scene providing stadium racing based on Ford Populars amongst others in the UK, and whilst not as glamourous as the Midgets, they might make an interesting spectacle as slot racers.

Has anyone any experience of building some of these?

David.

 

[Ember]

They most certainly did make it down here, and helped launch the careers of some very famous drivers.

There have been a few made and shown on the forum. Try the scratchbuilt forum for some samples.

Embs

 

[couserslot]

Hi David
I do not know about 1950's British Stock cars but will these 1960's ones do? I picked these up a couple of months ago and had taken the pictures to add to the Toads and Princesses thread but I have enough Toads to keep the thread going for at least a couple of years ( and I even have 1 or 2 Princesses ) anyway all of the cars are scratch built with piano wire chassis early Scalextric motors and Loop braid pin guides topped off with Airfix bodies

If nothing else they are definately unusual
john

 

[justDave]

John's cars look like old SlotStox models. This is a active strand of slot car racing today - see the Slot Car Map which shows clubs across the country. At Wellingborough we have an oval SlotStox track with racing on a couple of Saturdays each month - check the link below for more information and photos.

David

 

[Julian_Boolean]

Is this of any use?

http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/694296/st...oxhall-ipswich/

http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/693833/st...g-1962-ipswich/

http://www.1960s-spedeworth.co.uk/ipswich.htm

And a picture here

http://www.nailseatimes.co.uk:8080/news/ki...lyPageLayout.ot

but the article is a bit odd

 

[dgersh]

Those are great John, thanks for posting the pics. Somewhere between the dirt track racers and Demolition Derby, as we'd say in the States...

Don

 

[tomwysom]

Aha!!

Try this one:

oldstox.com

 

[Riley Elf]

Thanks for all the helpful posts.

Lovely mini stockers, John,but I had in mind the pre-mini generation, before extravagant roll cages and such; when the guys still wore shirts and ties under their boiler suits.

Julian Boolean you've hit the nail on the head with all the Ford Pops. They may not be beautiful but they have a certain period charm.

I guess they look a bit like what are sometimes referred to as "Jalopies",but I suspect that the various resin bodies of American prototypes would be too big.

... Unless anyone knows different.

If no-one has modelled this generation of stock cars, does anyone have a scale drawing of a Ford Popular, that they would be prepared to post?

Regards to all,

David.

 

[Julian_Boolean]

QUOTE (Riley Elf @ 24 Aug 2011, 16:10) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>when the guys still wore shirts and ties under their boiler suits.

I doubt if anyone has ever worn a shirt and tie whilst racing at Foxhall Stadium, most of the people I know who raced there don't own a shirt and tie, nevermind race in one, Stock Car racing is most definitely not "Gentlemans Racing"

 

[Riley Elf]

Depends what you mean by "gentlemen", Julian.

Of course this isn't/wasn't racing for the "Toffs".

But some of us are just about able to remember the world when men in most trades, and even those in unskilled work turned up in collar and tie,even if they took them off whilst actually working.

Megadeth T-shirts and the ubiquitous polo shirts are really a quite recent phenomenon.

I also remember transport Caffs, where the proprietors sported a neat line in yellowish-grey vests - these seem to have disappeared along with the shirts and ties!

David.

 

[tomwysom]

Is this o.k.?
c/o Blueprints.com

Cheers

 

[Riley Elf]

Yes, thank you. It's exactly right.

Knowing the wheelbase(Wikipedia) it should be straightforward to produce scale outlines from which to make a casting blank.(Note the easy confidence of the completely ignorant!)

But I've got these midgets to sort out first.

David.