This is a SCX Bonaventure Speedway Track, it’s been installed on a table with ornamental grass, trees, a lake, buildings, and even a Ferris wheel. SCX is the Spanish equivalent of Scalextric and most of their tracks, cars, and controllers are interchangeable.
Interestingly in Spain, SCX owns the Scalextric trademark and their products are sold under that name in the country, whereas Scalextric cars are sold under the “Superslot” brand. In all other countries SCX cars are sold under the SCX brand, and due to their compatibility with Scalextric equipment they’ve become quite popular.
SCX and Scalextric kits are usually interchangeable, which means you’ll have a vast array of cars to choose from.
The Scalextric concept was invented in England by engineer B. Fred Francis, he developed a track with an electric sold in the middle, then added a pick up and an electric motor to the Scalex model cars being manufactured by Minimodels Ltd.
Each track typically consists of two slots, though more are sometimes used. Each driver then gets a hand held controller that allows them to control their car’s speed. The cars travel around the track thanks to the slots keeping them on the road, but if you attempt to corner too fast the car will crash off the circuit.
The handheld controllers have a throttle trigger that allows each driver to modulate the speed of their car – too slow and you’ll lose, too fast and your car will come off the track in the corners.
The vast majority of Scalextric and SCX circuits are set up temporarily on bedroom or livingroom floors, then packed away when the family is finished with them. Some are given more permanent accommodations, much like intricate model railways, with buildings, grass, trees, and more to add to the realism.
The SCX Bonaventure Speedway Track you see here is one of those latter examples, it’s been painstakingly built to a high-level of detail and it measures in at a sizable 32″ × 162″ × 73.5″ or 81cm x 411cm x 187cm.
If you’d like to see more or register to bid you can visit the listing here on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to be offered for auction with no reserve in late September.
Images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
