These reviews are done on my custom Carrera 1/24 Exclusiv road course layout.  

Test Drive Results - Ten Lap Sprint:

* Data may include some minor wrecks during the course of the trial run...

Test Drive Observations:

Scalextric makes an impact on the 1/32 scene again with this new Cadillac Norsthar LMP slot car.  Cadillac has returned to Le Mans in 2000 after about nearly 50 years hiatus.  You can check out the GM:  LeMans Experience Live Site for more details on the Cadillac and the race itself.  This car that Scalextric has just released is the replica of the car that placed 20th in the race.  It is highly detailed inside and out and shows that Scalextric can do a very nice 1/32 scale slot car if they want to.

The exterior of the car is great looking with clearly printed markings and decals.  The finish on the car itself is very smooth and looks similar to the clear gloss-coat that FLY has on their 1/32 slot cars.  The outside itself looks like something what FLY would do and Scalextric did a good job here.  The back part of the body is design that when you remove the three screws in the rear, you can take off the panel and have easy access to the gears, axle, etc.  It is nice that Scalextric did this so you can easily swap gears, make changes, etc. without the hassle of removing the entire body (correction:  You only need to remove the one screw to take the rear panel off - thanks Scott for pointing this out).  They also up the ante again in the 1/32 slot car world by using a LED system that features always on amber-color driving lights.  These look very nice and a photo just does not do it justice.  It was also surprised at how they even gave us some brake rotor detail on the chrome wheels with drilled brake rotors and not just plain rotors - WOW!!!  These would look good on other 1/32 scale slot cars :)  It would be nice to see a Ford Mustang Cobra R with these wheels and the brake rotor detail.  Scalextric gets very high scores here with the exterior of the slot car.

They are using their tried and true inline set-up with Mabuchi S style endbell drive motor similar to what they use in their other cars.  The chassis does have a neodymium magnet added right after the motor for aided traction.  The slick tires are a solid rubber type compound with the stickiness of silicone.  You won't have any trouble with dirt as long as you keep you track clean.  Remember to wipe off your track before running especially if you have cats or a cat :)  For some wider track systems , you might need to more the guide flag braid out a bit for better contact.

I honestly didn't expect much of this car but I figured with this newer chassis design similar to FLY and with the nicely done body and the add traction magnet similar to what FLY uses would give it some potential.  The car started very smoothly from the start without any major signs of the magnet bogging it down.  You can have a little bit of fun driving this car but you have to pay attention to it rounding the turns and when you floor it for the long straights.  I found out that the way Scalextric designs their guide-flag set-up that it does not allow for much sliding or spinning out especially on wider tracks like my 1/24 Carrera course.  Don't get me wrong, the car does hold the track very well but it has the tendency to jump out of the slot by understeering or oversteer if you push it too hard.  I think if I can replace the guide with a deeper unit such as an Artin 1/32 unit or maybe Carrera 1/32.  As-is out of the box the car does drive very well and you will like it if you don't mind "driving" the car.  This is not for the folks who want a car that will hold the track and not leave you drive it.

This car gets a highly recommended 4 1/2 out of 5 tires and would have gotten 5 tires if not for the way they have they guide flag designed.  They mostly design the cars to run on their Scalextric brand of 1/32 slot car track that has a narrower slot and rail system than others.  Similar to what Carrera is doing for their new line of cars for 2000, Scalextric should design their guide-flag system for other tracks and to allow for a bit more sliding.  Still a nice car overall with great detailing, love the amber lights up front, and the way it hugs the track...let's see some more nice cars maybe a Honda Accord racer?

Slot Car Garage Review Rating:  4 1/2 out of 5 tires!!!  SCG Best Buy

Back to the main reviews section for a complete listing or take a look at some listed below.

Partial Reviews Archive:

1. 1/32 FLY Porsche 908/3 Gulf #12  

2. 1/32 Carrera 1965 Ford Mustang GT-350

3. 1/32 Carrera 1967 Corvette 427 Stingray

4. 1/32 BUM Go-Kart Slot Car

5. Hot Wheels Slot Car Racing CD-ROM

6. HO Thunderjet Brass Front Wheel Sets

7. Carrera 1/32 Mercedes 300 SLR - 1955 and Carrera 1/24 Mercedes W125

8. Carrera Evolution 1/32 Audi R8R and BMW V12 Le Mans '99 slot cars including 1/24 BMW V12.

9. 1/32 FLY Panoz LMP-1 Roadster
10. 1/32 Ninco Go-Kart

11. 1/32 Pro-Track Spider Chassis with 1978 Firebird Trans Am model kit body

12. 1/32 FLY Porsche 917K Martini #22

Other Reviews Features:

1. Return to Main Reviews Section - Read more of my personal reviews and others of related slot car items including cars, sets, parts, etc. regarding all the scales (1/24, 1/32, HO)

2. Slot Car Test Drive Results - Current data from testing on my Carrera 1/24 Exclusiv track.  Includes results from 1/24 and 1/32 scale slot cars.  This is a run-down of the various slot cars I tested with their average, best lap times and the total time it took the car to complete the ten lap run.

3. Old Slot Car Test Drive Results - This is an archive of the various slot cars I tested with their average, best lap times and the total time it took the car to complete the ten lap run listed from when I had my Riggen 1/32 layout.

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