Scalextric have just released the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR driven by Fangio and Moss at Le Mans in 1955. Detail levels look impressive (spoke wheels, exhaust, bonnet vent, dash detail, tire decals, etc.) although I'm not that impressed with the driver figure which looks too toy-like and doesn't do the Fangio/Moss 300 justice!
The 300SLR comes with front and rear lights and I'm happy to report the lights have a realistic brightness level, what you would expect from a 1955 car.
A little history on the 300SLR from Scalextric: 'The 300 SL by chief of construction Nallinger and engineer Uhlenhaut was continuously further developed. In SLR form it came very close to being a Grand Prix car for the road, adopting for instance the ultra-thin "Electron" (an aluminum-magnesium alloy) material for its light-weight skin and the desmodromic operated valves in the engine from the W196 Grand Prix car.
For high-speed races like the Le Mans 24 hours endurance race Mercedes developed a special trick for the 300 SLR. It had an additional "air-brake" behind the cockpit to reduce wear on the traditional brakes. At the end of long straights on which a very high top speed was reached the air-brake was activated. The panel behind the driver was mechanically erected while braking, (see picture below) increasing drag to a maximum and causing the car to slow down much faster. After the braking was done the panel folded neatly into place again, and the SLR returned to its air-cheating slippery shaped self to accelerate out of the corner as fast as possible.'
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Motor: Mabuchi SP: 18k rpm
- Gear ratio: 9:27
- Chassis: Front Mounted In-line Motor; Rear 2 wheel drive
- Magnet: Rectangular 2.5 mm
- Downforce: 190 gm
- Overall length: 135 mm
- Wheelbase: 74 mm
- Axle/Hub width: 49 mm Front; 50 mm Rear
- Tyre diameter/width: 22(ext), 14(int) x 6 mm Front; 23(ext), 14(int) x 7 mm Rear
- Weight: Car 74 gm
So the obvious question has to be, is the air brake adjustable on the 300SLR? We'll have to wait for it's release to answer that one.
You can read more on the Scalextric Website Here
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