This table-sized slot car raceway was built in 2023 with a distinct SoCal-theme. It was modeled on the canyon roads throughout Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains in Southern California, with a three-lane layout – and it was all painstakingly hand-painted.
The track measures in at 12′ long by 6′ wide, making it substantial by anyone’s standards, at the front there are three sets of controls, and it can be plugged into any standard 120 volt outlet. Alternatively it could use a 220+ volt outlet if you have a suitable converter on hand.
This tabletop slot car track measures in at 12′ long by 6′ wide, it was made earlier this year in California by Jarel Built.
A Brief History Of Slot Car Racing
The roots of slot cars can be traced back surprisingly far, all the way back to 1912 when the Lionel Corporation introduced a product called the “Automobile and Speedway Outfit.” It consisted of electrically-powered cars that ran on a groove, or slot, in a track. While these early models lacked the sophistication of modern slot cars, they laid the foundation for what was to come.
The true evolution of slot cars began in the 1950s with the introduction of Scalextric by Minimodels Ltd, still the most iconic name in the slot car industry by a significant margin. Scalextric kits included plastic sections of race track, typically with parallel slots for racing two cars. These race track sections could be assembled in an almost infinite variety of ways, allowing broad customization.
As the 20th century rolled on the popularity of remote controlled R/C cars surged, as a result the interest in slot cars waned. More recently slot cars having been finding their feet again and enjoying a renaissance, with some building large-scale tracks with intricate modeling.
Above Video: This short films shows the track in action, with cars racing around and through the tunnel, and even a couple of (minor) crashes.
The slot car track you see here is the largest one we’ve ever featured on Silodrome, it’s a three-lane design with a distinctly 1960s flavor. It comes with a set of three Ninco slot cars that are all period correct, including Jaguar XKEs (E-Types) and a Shelby Cobra.
The track has a replica of the Rock Store diner on Mulholland Highway featuring patrons seated at a picnic area as well as motorcyclists. it also has a Union 76 flag, a start/finish line, and traffic cones as well as hand-painted road markings.
The full track is now up for sale on Bring a Trailer out of Gardena, California and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
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.
