A Brief History of Scalextric
Scalextric is a brand name for a range of slot car racing sets. The brand is owned and distributed by Hornby. Scalex was the first incarnation of the slot racing system which was invented in 1952 by Fred Francis. Scalex was a range of toy racing cars with a clockwork motor which was activated by pulling a chord out of the steering wheel. In 1957 he substituted the clockwork motors for electric motors and Scalex-electric became Scalextric which he sold through his firm Minimodels Ltd.
The original Scalextric track (Mark 1) was made from rubber with electrical connectors, and held together with separate metal clips. This track had white lines between the lanes.
In 1958 Fred Francis sold the Minimodels company to Lines Brothers (who operated as Tri-ang) which thrived through the 1960s.
In 1962 with the Mark 2 Scalextric, the material became plastic, electrical connections were wider and the track was held together by two spoon-shaped pins and sockets moulded into each end. Converter pieces were available to link the two types. It is now known as Classic or vintage track.
In 1964 Tri-ang was merged with Hornby to form Tri-ang Hornby and the tinplate bodies were replaced with plastic bodies.
In the 1970s Tri-ang was disbanded and the company focused on Slot Cars and Railways.
In 1996 Micro Scalextric was introduced. A Brief History of Scalextric
Scalextric Sport was introduced in 2001, another plastic track, but with a smoother surface. The track connectors are square. Converter pieces C8222 are available to link Sport to Classic track.
Scalextric Sport Digital (SSD) was introduced in 2004, Scalextric Digital is compatible with Sport. It allows up to 6 cars on a 2 lane track at any given time, with each car fully controllable either by the user or by a computer. In late 2010 Scalextric released a revised six-car digital powerbase, C7042. This powerbase includes a separate screen which aids set up and also displays race information such as lap times. Also includes features such as yellow flag options for dealing with crashed cars, ghost cars to race against which can run and change lanes automatically, and the ability to race in analogue mode for older models that have not been converted to digital.
Scalextric Start was released in 2010 which aimed to be a basic track for children but at the same size as Scalextric Sport. It had only one type of straight and corner. The cars included in the sets were fantasy models to reduce manufacturers' licensing costs. A converter track piece C8525 is available to allow cars to cross from Start track to Sport and back again. These are quite rare.
A Brief History of Scalextric. ASR 2026.