PowerSlot Nissan's and pod setup info

News from Power Slot to show this afternoon.

Beardog Racing Lotus 34

The Beardog Racing Lotus 34 has been a labour of love. Finding the reference has taken many hours of research and surfing Slotforum and the web. Again only 50 will be produced, complete with decals to assemble either the car as it is now in the Parnelli Jones museum, or as it raced in the1964 Indianapolis 500.

Colin Chapman built three Lotus 34's for the Indianapolis 500 in 1964, each one had the same specifications, Engine: V8, dual overhead camshafts per bank, fuel injected, 255ci. 475bhp at 8,250rpm; Gearbox: ZF two-speed, Suspension: four wheel independent; Chassis: offset to left of centerline by 2 3/8 inches; Brakes: four wheel disc. Single seat speedway racing car. All three were entered by the works team. All three cars were used in practice.

Team Lotus, showed up in 1963 with the then-new (and very controversial!) 15" Firestone tires, but for 1964, Colin Chapman (over the objections of Ford!) brought Dunlop to the Speedway, apparently for the contingency money, depending on whose account you read. Dunlop apparently did not figure on the sustained high speeds of Indy, especially when compared to their normal venue of road racing, and supplied tires with treads that were either too thick, too soft, or both.

The car modeled is the car that Jim Clark raced at the 1964 Indianapolis 500, earning the pole position with a speed 159.337 which was 7 mph faster than the lap record. During the race Jim had severe problems with the Dunlop tyres and only completed 44 laps. His car experienced tread "chunking" midway into the event, which quickly developed into the tread peeling off the tire, the resultant imbalance and extreme vibration breaking the left side rear suspension, and ending his race prematurely.

Beardog kits are available with everything you need to build a very unusual Slot Car. All components are ala carte, Body kit, 4 different motor choices, Chassis kit, Wheels and world renowned Ortman Tyres are all available, so that the customer can build a fast competitive racing slot-car, or a beautiful shelf queen with a full length driver and interior.

BODY KIT COMPONENTS:Resin Parts: Body, Driver figure, Driver head, Seat and Dashboard, Engine Intake manifolds and Exhaust, Gearbox Transaxle, 4 Wheel Inserts.White Metal parts : Fuel fillers, Steering wheel, Engine Transistor Box, Roll Bar, 8 fuel Injection Trumpets,Polycarbonate Windscreen, and a comprehensive Decal sheet featuring two styles of race numbers, for practice, race and as the car appears now, Instruments Dials, Rivet Details, Dutz Fasteners, Seatbelts, Lotus Decals, Racing Stripe, and full sponsor decals.

Each body kit comes complete with full color history and photos of all three Lotus 34's.

THE CHASSIS KIT: Spring Steel Chassis kit with assembly guide, Drill blank 3/32” Rear axle, Rear axle Oilite Bearings, 16G piano wire front axle and brass tubing for front wheel retainers, Guide flag, Pick up braids, Silicon leadwire and ferrules, Precision Crown Gear, and Optional Rear Axle Ballrace Set.63 with the then-new (and very controversial!) 15" Firestone tires, but for 1964, Colin Chapman (over the objections of Ford!) brought Dunlop to the Speedway, apparently for

MOTOR PACKS: No less than 4 motor pack options are available from mild to wild.

WHEELS AND TYRES: Superb quality aluminium wheels and world renowned Ortman Tyres.

FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE BY CONTACTING CHRIS WRIGHT AT: beardogracing@comcast.net or visiting www.beardogracing.net

ANDY BROWN-SEARLE AT abSlotsport@aol.com or visiting www.abslotsport.com

SCX Reese's CoT Nascar gallery link

See photos of the new SCX Reese's Kevin Harvick CoT at this link.

USF1 video

USF1 launched!

USF1 will launch in only a few hours, who will be the sponsor? Who will drive for this team? All will be answered soon...

New Slot It Porsche on the way soon

Photos from Slot It of the latest Porsche 962 that will be available soon.

Slotcar-Episode 2

A bit more madness from "Slotcar"... love the ride with Denny!

Independent Volvo Specialists in Coventry

Are there any independent Volvo specialist garages in Coventry?

I have been trying to find one for sometime but without any success. My old Volvo S40 is giving me a headache. The remote doesn't work and opening the car manually with the keys sets off the alarm and the hazard lights start blinking. Unlike other cars, there is no way to manually shut off the alarm from inside the car. I know my old Proton car had a button that you could press to shut off the alarm.

Searching on the net reveals that other S40 owners have had similar problems but unfortunately there were no solutions. I tried a few garages but they were not able to help me.

A friend suggested VRS who call themselves "UK’s leading MOT and auto repair experts". However, when I told them my problem, the guy on the line replied that they had diagnostics solutions for every brand apart from Volvo.

In the end it look like I have to go to TMS Volvo Coventry - the official distributor here in Coventry. Of course they would be the best people to help me but the problem is that like all "authorised" garages, they will charge me a lot. A call to their service centre confirmed it: "It will be £80 to run the diagnostics". You should note that this £80 is only for the diagnostics and don't cover the actual repair costs.

Now the car is parked there in front of my house, practically useless while I wait for my pay to come in.

I do regret buying the Volvo and should have gone with a Ford Mondeo instead. Cheaper and easier to repair.

Arrgh!

Slot car photography-link to tutorial

So I've posted a tutorial about taking slot car photos at this link. Think macro, tripod, white balance... and practice.

Hummer H3 gallery

See a gallery of photos on SCXWorldWide of the new SCX Hummer H3.

VICTORIAN BUSHFIRE APPEAL-Armchair Racer Australia

From this page on the Armchair Racer website:

The tragic loss of life and property in Victoria following the worst bushfires in our history has affected us all.

In our first step to support the national relief effort, Armchair Racer would like to auction two rare slot cars and all the proceeds will go directly to The Salvation Army Bushfire Appeal. Furthermore we will cover all shipping costs to the winners, no matter the location.

Both are new and supplied in the original boxes. Details of the cars:

Car 1 is an Orange Warsteiner Porsche 956KH produced by Slot.it. This car was manufactured in 2008 for the Slot.it European Championship and only 50 were produced.

This is the first ‘fantasy’ livery produced by Slot.it and is in the Slot.it colours. In typical Slot.it style this is a magnificent looking slot car and without doubt will perform brilliantly on the track.

Car 2 is a little older. This Limited Edition TVR was manufactured in 2002 by Scalextric for the members of the Australian Scalextric Racing and Collectors Club (ASRCC). Only 250 units were produced and the Scalextric part number is C2452. The car being offered is #197 and will be supplied with the original certificate.

Rather than place these cars on any online auction site we are asking you to place your bid directly to us to avoid any unnecessary 3rd party fees.

This page will be updated daily – usually around 8.30pm Sydney time and also randomly if and when required – with the highest bid receive to date. The highest bidders first name and location will be also advised. If two bids are received with the same $ value we will accept the first bid as the winniing bid.

Both auctions commenced Tuesday 17 February 5.00pm and will end Monday 2 March at 9.15pm and the winners names and the winning bids will be advised by 9.30pm.

Payment may be made either to Armchair Racer and we will forward the proceeds to The Salvation Army or you may make your payment directly to www.salvos.org.au.
If choosing the second option we must receive a copy of your receipt before we ship your car.

Good luck and thank you in advance for supporting this cause.

Bids are to be emailed to cathy@armchairracer.com.au. Simply advise if you are bidding on Car 1 or Car 2 and place your bid in A$. Please also include your name and location.

New Slot It Group C Jag's and chassis piece

A new chassis suspension piece to show today form Slot It. This is a very cool little sprung suspension piece that will fit any Slot It car. This is not a magnetic system, rather only springs and small adjustable bump-stops.
A pair of prototype Jaguar's shown at Nurnberg's Toyfair.

New BRM Porsche 917 prototype photos

Photos of the new BRM 1/24 Porsche 917k.

New Renault Mégane Coupé.

The economy is really bad and car sales have fallen drastically in the UK. However, some companies are still launching new cars and some of them are really hot - like this new Renault Mégane Coupé.



Prices start from £14,485 OTR for the Expression.

BMW Concept 5 Series Gand Turismo

You might recall that I blogged about the new BMW concept. Well, I found out that it's called the BMW Concept 5 Series Gand Turismo.

Here's the first footage of the car:

Slot It Chaparral 2E prototype photos

A bunch of photos I shot during the recent toyfair in Nurnberg of the Slot It Chaparral 2E. Notice the big fat tires on the rear of this car. Slot It will have another winner on their hands I think with this car.

Porsche Carrera GT Vs Wrightspeed X1 Electric car

Wrightspeed X1 Specs

• 3-phase AC induction motor, 236hp at the motor shaft
• 182 ft lbs torque at the motor shaft, from 0 rpm to 6,000 rpm
• 13,300 rpm rev limit
• weight 1,536 lbs
• no clutch, single gear ratio 8.25:1
. 25kw/hr Li-ion battery pack.

Ferrari 360 Spider - 400Bhp / 3197lb
Porsche Carrera GT - 605Bhp / 3043lb
Wrighspeed X1 - 220Bhp / 1536lb

Volvo Electric Car ReCharge Concept hybrid In-Wheel Motor EV

Volvo Electric Car ReCharge Concept hybrid In-Wheel Motor EV

Only about 15% of the energy from the fuel you put in your tank gets used to move your car down the road or run useful accessories, such as air conditioning. The rest of the energy is lost to engine and drive line inefficiencies and idling. Therefore, the potential to improve fuel efficiency with advanced technologies is enormous. With an Electric Car it costs just $2.00 per 100kms with MUCH more performance than with petrol at $20.00 per 100kms.

Volvo ReCharge Concept hybrid EV with 4 wheel motors Electric Car vehicle. Electric motors are rated for 100,000 hours or 6 MILLION Kms before they need servicing.

Eliica Electric Car Vs Porsche 911 Turbo

Eliica Electric Car Vs Porsche 911 Turbo. 8 Wheel drive, 60Kw (80 Hp) per wheel motor, 470Kw (640Hp) TOTAL, 2400 kg (5291 lbs),
Li-Ion Battery pack, Top Speed 370 km/h (230 mph)

Electric Car in-wheel motor Siemens eCorner

Only about 15% of the energy from the fuel you put in your tank gets used to move your car down the road or run useful accessories, such as air conditioning. The rest of the energy is lost to engine and driveline inefficiencies and idling. Therefore, the potential to improve fuel efficiency with advanced technologies is enormous. With an Electric Car it costs just $1.00 per 100kms with MUCH more performance than with petrol at $20.00 per 100kms.

350 hp Corvette Vs Tzero Electric Car AND LOSES!

ELECTRIC VEHICLE 0-60 3.6 Seconds for $0.01 per mile! Beat that! Tzero Lead acid battery Electric Sports car beats a 5.7 V8 Corvette easily.

Dodge Viper 500 hp Vs Tzero Electric Car - See Who Wins

Dodge Viper V10 500 hp Vs Tzero EV Electric car. Electric Car Electric Vehicle Drag race

The tzero is the Forerunner to the Tesla Roadster.

Viper = 510 hp, 3380 lb,
tzero = 225 hp, 1970 lb,

Viper = 0-60: 3.9sec
tzero = 0-60: 3.6sec

Viper = 326hp/ton
tzero = 250hp/ton

Electric Car FASTER THAN A FERRARI ENZO 0-60 3.07 sec!

Electric Car FASTER THAN A FERRARI ENZO 0-60 3.07 sec! In-Car of ELECTRIC 0-60mph 3.07 sec - Wrightspeed Electric car vs Ferrari. Ariel Atom converted to Ev by Wrightspeed. 165KW 3 phase AC induction motor with 25 kWhr Lithium Ion battery pack.

• 3-phase AC induction motor, 236hp at the motor shaft
• 182 ft lbs torque at the motor shaft, from 0 rpm to 6,000 rpm
• 13,300 rpm rev limit
• weight 1,536 lbs
• no clutch, single gear ratio 8.25:1

Ferrari 360 Spider - 400Bhp/3197lb - 250bhp-ton
Porsche Carrera GT - 605Bhp/3043lb - 400bhp-ton

Wrighspeed X1 - 220Bhp / 1536lb - 300bhp-ton
Ariel Atom 300 - 300Bhp / 1005lb - 600bhp-ton

DS Test Bench and new controller

DS is coming out with a revolutionary controller. It's based on the new MRRC controller and is quite a surprising thing that DS has done. The features are listed in the photo but something that struck me was that it's probably the next step in this hobby being a solid sport. You can adjust the sensitivity, braking, everything that you've come to expect in a high end controller for serious competition. But most importantly...telemetry, it keeps a record of all the settings on the controller and the braking and throttle position for each lap. So if you're someone that either needs a starting point to know where to start to set up your controller (the system and software provided with the controller give you that info) or whether you're fine tuning your lap times and need to see exactly where you might be able to pick up a bit of time on the track. Is this information needed for slot racing? Strictly speaking, no. But, if you're serious about racing, this controller can give you that extra bit of information that could make a difference. It's a progression, an evolution.

The controller is connected to a laptop via a wifi connection that connects to both a PC and MAC (thank goodness for a MAC too!) via a USB antenna. The controller will connect to the USB antenna and the antenna will support many controllers so a club (or individual) will only have to buy 1 antenna to support use of up to 20 (I'm pretty sure that's the number) controllers.

The DS Testing Bench does just about everything that you could want it to do to help you set up a car for racing. Magnetic downforce, rpm testing, a bench for setting up your car. A prototype was on display at the toyfair in Nurnberg and hopefully soon we'll see this unique bench for sale.

New Sloting Plus wheels

New Sloting Plus blue wheels to show today. Ref# 45015, #45016 and #45017

• 45015 Europa Wheel 15x8.5mm Blue Alloy with 2.5mm grub screw 1.2gm to fit 3/32 axles
• 45016 Europa Wheel 16x8.5mm Blue Alloy with 2.5mm grub screw 1.2gm to fit 3/32 axles
• 45017 Europa Wheel 17x8.5mm Blue Alloy with 2.5mm grub screw 1.2gm to fit 3/32 axles

Thanks to Sloting Plus for the news.

NSR news from Germany

Photos of some new NSR Porsche's and a GT40 kit to show today from the Toyfair in Nurnberg. The Martini twin pack will be available near Christmas and surely will be popular with Porsche and Martini deco collectors.

The GT40 kit was on display in the NSR booth and should give fans of that classic body a great chance to create their own unique NSR GT40 decorated car.

This was the first time I got to really eyeball the NSR Porsches (though I saw them at IHobby in Chicago a while ago) and these are really quite nicely detailed models.