Let’s face it. In the hypercompetitive world that is Formula 1 racing, even the most skilled drivers stand a snowball’s chance in hell of getting a seat. In that rarefied air, it takes not only talent, but connections, timing, and money—lots and lots of money. Standing on the podium in Monaco? Ha. We’d be happy just to get seats to the race in the same time zone. But there is a way for the less well-heeled and totally connectionless to get their F1 on, while helping out a worthy charity at the same time.
-This story started when former racing driver and current F1 commentator Martin Brundle was challenged to design a dream circuit slot-car track, incorporating as many elements of the 20 F1 circuits on the 2015 schedule as possible. Assembled by the experts at Scalextric, the completed track consists of 177 pieces and measures nearly 148 feet in length. Brundle elaborates: “I immediately wanted a figure of ‘8’ like our beloved Suzuka, and could only dream of driving a series of corners such as scaling the mountain up to turn one in Austin before falling through the ‘Senna S’ of Brazil and towards Silverstone’s fearsome Copse corner. And that’s just a small section.” Additional sections woven into the track’s layout include Casino Square from Monaco, The Wall of Champions from the Canadian Grand Prix, and the Ascari Chicane from Monza, Italy.
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-With the F1 season winding down, Hornby Hobbies, Scalextric’s parent company, has decided to put the track up for auction to benefit the BBC Children in Need charity, which provides grants to projects in the U.K. that focus on children and young people who are disadvantaged.
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- Green Hell in Your Basement! $300K Slot-Car Track Offered By Neiman Marcus -
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- Digital Slot Cars Tested: Carrera, SCX, Scalextric -
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Although the catalog listing is a little vague, the set appears to be in good condition and ready for scale-racing action. The perfect complement to any living room, we can’t think of a better reason to dump all that old furniture that’s been cluttering up the house. Be warned: Given the exclusivity of this set, there’s a good chance the price might run up against the cost of running a real race car.
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-The track will be auctioned by CCA (Classic Car Auctions) of the U.K. during the upcoming CarFest South Classic Car Auction, August 28 and 29 in Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire. For bidding information and more details on the track itself, go here. Gentlemen, start your bidding paddles.
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