Frequently Asked Questions
Q What is the difference between Scalextric and slot cars?
A There is none, Scalextric is a brand name for a Slot car racing system, there are others including Ninco, Fly, lot-it etc. As the first system in the UK, Scalextric became a household name for slot cars, in much the same way that many people call a vacuum cleaner a hoover even when it is made by another company.
Q What is a digital system?
A Original slot car systems worked by supplying power through a hand controller to a track. Pressing the lever on the hand controller applied more power to that track and speeded the car up. This meant that only 1 car could travel on that track, and the performance of it was fixed by the motor and gearing built into it. The advent of digital control meant that the track become permanently set to full power, whilst each car has a miniature computer chip inside which speeds up or slows down the car depending on the signals sent from the controller. This allows multiple cars to run on the same track, and features like fuel consumption to be built into the race, if your car runs out of fuel it stops, whilst other cars on the same track continue to operate. In a formula 1 race, the system can simulate wet conditions and slow the cars down until they have visited the pit lane and changed to wet weather tyres (simulated of course, you don’t actually change tyres.)
Q How many people can play at once?
On our analogue systems we have 4 lane track allowing 4 players at once. The digital systems allow upto 8 players simultaneously.
Copyright © Jason Moody & Emmerson Moody 2009-2010
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