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A follow-up to the excellent post about tuning the SRC 908. In general, do you find the motors of the SRC line of cars on par with the older Fly Classics? I realize there are variabilities within the two makes so it might be difficult to generalize but your thoughts would still be appreciated. Our group runs a class of tuned Fly Classics on routed tracks. Just wondering if SRC would be competitive without a motor swap?

I hadn't thought of that. I know the old Fly cars got faster and faster over time. I have one older Fly car that will run off and leave a few Slot.its I have. I have always said that if you keep a Fly car long enough, you will throw rocks at Slot.its.

I've found my SRC cars to be comparable to Fly Classics, no-mag. Magged, SRC seems to be quicker because they use a bar magnet, where a lot of the Fly Classics used a button. But their motors aren't stupid-fast, and overall, they're very much like a modern Fly Classic. The Alfas start with a pretty good tire compound, and they are quite quick no-mag -- quicker than most Fly Classics on their stock tires. But cars like the 907s seem to run much like the older Fly cars.

That's right, and I forgot to mention the old Fly tires, which were odd, however good looking. Some of them actually disintegrate over time, I understand, though it hasn't happened to me. To make an old Fly run right you must put proper tires on, trim off the excess motor shaft, run in the gears, and eliminate the front axle nonsense (or lack of front axle nonsense) as it happens. There are lots of tuning tips like this, but these are what you might call "essential".

I don't remember if Kurt has driven it, but I have one old white Lola T70 with a green stripe that he could beat just about anyone with, no matter what they were running on a home track. I always wanted to see what he'd do with it, I just can't remember if it ever got done.

Actually, we've had several Fly Classics around here that could beat up on Slot.It cars, even using the stock Fly tires. They could be better with aftermarket tires, no doubt, but it's really surprising what properly trued Fly tires can do. Decently tuned 917 LHs and 512 CLs can be unbelievably fast. :)

To be fair, it's been a while since we've destroyed Slot.Its with stock Fly cars. The more recent Slot.Its with their lighter bodies and better tires are pretty tough to beat.

Fly Classics were great 'underdog cars', that would surprise you with a little bit of work. SRC cars have a very similar quality to them, and that's why SRC is one of my favorite car makers right now. :)

That would be a disappointment. :(

Good information here and some bad...hoping they don't go under. I will be getting a 908 soon or even the Capri. And yes some of the Fly Classics especially the 917s scoot when tuned right. My local club are magnet racers and yes with an extra bar magnet in the back they are great with silicones!

There is an interview on Slot Car today with Luis Pachón, General Manager of SRC about the future direction of the company. Looks like no resin cars will be produced, only plastic and those will be limited to 1,020 units each. New models including a Lola T600, a Matra 670 B and a Porsche 914 are expected to arrive sometime in April give or take a month.

http://www.slotcar-today.com/en/notices ... y-2738.php

Cool, thanks for that link. Straight from the horse's mouth. :)

Lola T600. yes, please.

Guess it depends on what we see in the future. Focusing on the collector can be good or bad. I hope they produce models that run decently as well as look great.

Trying to keep up with what goes on in Spain is something I gave up on a long time ago. From model choices to company names and changes, it is like the slot car equivalent of Forrest Gump's box of chocolates: You never know what you are going to get :)

Most times we end up with some models we never expected and in some cases they end up being ones we really enjoy. I'll be looking forward to seeing the first new models from them and hope they succeed in making both the racer and pure collector happy.

Not to get off subject but well over a decade ago I had several bad experiences buying from retailers in Spain.

The first transaction gone bad was a subscription to Mini Auto magazine for which I paid a hefty premium in order to get a limited edition Fly Corvette C5R. The magazine billed my credit card the higher price but I never received the slot car. I sent several emails (in both Spanish and English) requesting that either the car be shipped or the difference be credited back to my account. My emails went unanswered and I finally gave up.

The second incident (or third and fourth depending how you view this) involved the newly tooled Sloter Ferrari 312. At the time there was a lot of hype about this car and it was looking like it would not be available to distributors in the US. It was still a few years before Slot.It would announce their plans for a 312. I placed an order for a pair (the #2 and #6 cars) through one retailer and got absolutely no confirmation of my order. So, I placed a second order through another Spanish retailer for the same two cars. Again, no confirmation. I placed a third order with yet another Spanish retailer and this time got confirmation. Some time later, I received six cars - two from each of the three retailers. All three retailers raped me on shipping charges. On one order the shipping charges were more than the total cost of the two cars!

Back then foreign exchange rates were favorable to the dollar. That hasn't been the case since about the turn of the century. I haven't purchased anything directly from Spain since and because of these experiences dealing with Spaniards I never will again.

BTW, the Sloter Ferrari, if you have not driven one is a stellar performer. I put a pair of Paul Gage tires on mine and it clocks times competitive with my Slot.It classics. Fun little car.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming....