New Zealand Slot Car Racing history and pictures wanted from the 1960's and 70's

[Gerard Richards]

I'm looking at writing a piece on the early days of Slot Car Racing in New Zealand from the 1960's and 1970's. This was the first golden age of Slot Car Racing and I was involved in it with a group of young school mates. Coming from Auckland, we had two great commercial raceways that I recall well, as we ran our cars on them many times. "Pit Stop" was upstairs off Queen Street where the old "Regent/Plaza"? Theatre was and later "McDonalds" replaced it. This was haloed ground to us. It was a somewhat dimly lit mecca, that had three big wooden tracks. The atmosphere was fantastic, with great pictures on the wall including a beautifully painted picture of Graham Hill's 1966 Indy winning Lola. In the flood lit glass cases at the counter were all manner of exquisite looking slot cars for sale.

We also raced at Martin's Toy Shops, Custom's Street track that featured a complete loop, and if your car wasn't quick enough it would fall from the top of the spiral...

"Pit Stop" was the meeting ground though and it was run by a young guy I recall, who was very cool and drove a Holden Monaro, which just about made him capable of walking on water from a young boys perspective then. We were also into all the wonderful slot car kits available at the time from legendary makers such as Monogram, Cox and the great Japanese ones like Tokyo Plamo. There was also a very vibrant Kiwi slot car gear industry at the time, with various manufacturers such as "Checkpoint" and Royal and several others.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has photograhs of this era, particulary of the commercial raceways in New Zealand and of the cars and equipment available at the time. My name is Gerard Richards and I can be reached by e-mail on mailto:?subject=&body= I also look forward to anyone posting anything interesting on this thread if they have it. Thanks

[Roger Dowding]

Gerard, remember Martin Toys and Hobbies well, used to get my Dinky Toys and Hornby Railway things from them, didn't do the slot car thing, but remember the track.. I worked in Customs St, 1966-68, and prior to that used to get the bus from New Lynn to the city, go to Martins on a Friday evening then get a ride home with my father who worked at Briscoe's just after 6;00 pm when the pub closed !!.
Sorry no photos .. but will follow the story with great interest ..

[John McKechnie]

Gerard- used to hang out there also- and here was one at Lower Onehunga-1967/ 68 near where Herb Morgans Tyres is.
Once again, no pix but memories of excitement when someone had a rewound 26D motor

[Milan Fistonic]

Went to both tracks you mentioned as well as another very large track up on Great North Road, Newton - just along from the Testing Station. My local track was in an old shop on Great North Road in Kelston.

A couple of shots of my Custaxie.

[Oldfart]

I lived in Matamata, we had a club in a farm house on Taihoa North Rd. The owners had built a new house, so the old house had some walls ripped out and a HUGE track made. A good lap time was nearly 15 seconds. The main straight was long enough for a 1/24 scale drag strip with slow down room.
Also a very big commercial track in Rotorua. That had a big banking and if you weren't fast enough the back end slid down the banking and locked up the slot guide. Amohau St I think.
I took a bus with a suitcase with some clothes and a handful of cars for a trip to Auckland and visited every commercial track I could. Must have been about 1965/66. Customs St, Queen St, one near old Papatoetoe/Hunters Corner, one at New Lynn. I seem to remember more, but can't think where.
I bought a whole lot of cars (maybe 30 odd?) in Oz when the scene was shrinking, and cleared Customs declaring that I had a whole lot of "toy cars" to declare. I made enough to buy my first car with the profit, and paid no duty
Sorry, no photos.

[Bruce302]

I remember using the slot car track in the basement at "Playland" on Lower Queen St, Auckland, opposite the GPO as it was then, I blew 7 shillings in one afternoon.
It was a seedy penny arcade in a strip of low rent shops that included greasy spoon diners and other general retail shops, Once they were pulled down and the new Air NZ building and "Downtown" shopping Centre were built the area was transformed.
But I digress...

[John McKechnie]

Was that next to that fleapit, rat infested dump- OXFORD THEATRE.
That area had real character- you could buy gags for a shilling- couple of bits of metal that when you dropped them it sounded like glass breaking.
Place went down hill after that place was replaced.....still not interesting even now.

[Bruce302]

I think it may have been John, The whole area was nasty, it was the end of the era and everything was run down.

B.

[SPman]

Went to both tracks you mentioned as well as another very large track up on Great North Road, Newton - just along from the Testing Station. My local track was in an old shop on Great North Road in Kelston.

A couple of shots of my Custaxie.

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I had one of those..brass tube chassis and my first attempt to rewind a motor. I think I bought the body at Martins.We ussd to race at the place up on New North Road...l.h.side just down from Ponsonby Rd intersection....whoops....just read your post....probably the same place you mentioned. That'd be 1967-68. Gave it up to pay for more flying hours at Dairy Flat.........

[Gerard Richards]

Thanks fella's for all your great personal memories from the legendary first great era of slot car racing. I knew there were quite a number of tracks sprinkled around Auckland, but wasn't aware there were so many during those fabulous times. Also great to hear about tracks that operated in other centres as well.

Oldfart mentioned a big track operating in Rotorua, which was interesting as I have a memory of visiting a track there in the mid 1980's when I was a travelling salesperson, which was still operating as a commercial venue. I wonder if this was the same one. It might have been the longest running commercial operation in the country.

However the owner of longest running honour remains the Henderson Miniture Motor Racing Club, which began in a Railway Building next to the tracks in Henderson in 1964, and continues to this day in the same location. I briefly raced some contemporary off the shelf slot cars there a couple of years ago.

Thanks Milan for the pictures of your Custaxie, which I remember seeing in the flesh many years ago on a visit to your wonderful collection of motor racing treasures. Its great to see a early surviving example of the NZ Slot Car racing industry still intact. I also still have a "Checkpoint" clear plastic body '69 Camaro car in Dennis Marwood colours from that era in my now abbrievated collection. I also have another early Kiwi relic, an "RSL Classic" 1964 Porsche 904GT, which was a fairly low grade entry sort of car, that I was given in 1970... A slot car expert tells me this was an Atlas chassis that was manufactured under licence in NZ.

It would seem that there was very little documented of this period of early NZ slot car racing, but it is certainly great to hear all intriquing memories of some fairly marginal operations

[Ross Hollings]

Not to forget the track in the basement of the Auckland Car Club in Stoddard Rd. Went for a few years until they developed the basement into a lounge. Built by a team lead by Doug Wentworth.I had a Jack Nazer [yellow slant nose Anglia] lookalike,built by Doug Wentworth.
Good track,had a lot of fun there.

[Milan Fistonic]

Not sure if these will of any use to you Gerard but if have just found my old box of slot car bits and pieces.

This was the shopping list I sent to my sister in Sydney and the invoice for what she bought to bring over.

The Russkit McLaren scratch build kit

The Cox Ford GT that the dog chewed up just after I had assembled the body.

[Milan Fistonic]

My first slot car

[nigel watts]

I lived in Matamata, we had a club in a farm house on Taihoa North Rd. The owners had built a new house, so the old house had some walls ripped out and a HUGE track made. A good lap time was nearly 15 seconds. The main straight was long enough for a 1/24 scale drag strip with slow down room.
Also a very big commercial track in Rotorua. That had a big banking and if you weren't fast enough the back end slid down the banking and locked up the slot guide. Amohau St I think.
I took a bus with a suitcase with some clothes and a handful of cars for a trip to Auckland and visited every commercial track I could. Must have been about 1965/66. Customs St, Queen St, one near old Papatoetoe/Hunters Corner, one at New Lynn. I seem to remember more, but can't think where.
I bought a whole lot of cars (maybe 30 odd?) in Oz when the scene was shrinking, and cleared Customs declaring that I had a whole lot of "toy cars" to declare. I made enough to buy my first car with the profit, and paid no duty
Sorry, no photos.

I lived in Morrinsville in 1965 and we used to go over to a farm in Matamata to go slot car racing. Can't remember the address but maybe the same track although I don't remember being as big as the one you've described. Great fun.

[Gerard Richards]

Great to see those wonderful pictures Milan. Amazing you still have those wonderful Revell, Cox and Russkit boxes. I don't remember there being many American slot car kits around during the years of 1968 through to 1972, when we were huge fans of slot racing. Was wondering was that why you organised your sister in Sydney to try and source the Cox and Russkit cars? I had mainly Japanese kits which included an early Tamiya built up slot racer with a 1956 Lancia Ferrari Formula body. I still have the much modified chassis, but alas the Ferrari body is long gone. I'm advised like a lot of these early slot cars, they're worth a princely sum these days if they're complete.

Recently I bought an unassembled "Paul Linderburg" 1961 Ferrari Formula kit, manufactured in 1964. Paid $200 for it, and it was by no means a top shelf offering like Cox, Revell or Monogram. Couldn't resist the opportunity of buying a relic of the slot car past...

Certainly was a blast from the past seeing those "Checkpoint" assessories labels and also the distribution through the Auckland Slot Car Centre of the legendary "Pit Stop" in the Regent Theatre Buildings. Brought back some pretty "groovy" memories. Thanks again Milan

[bry3500]

These are from Nelson Photo news

[bry3500]

And Gisborne Photo news

[duncan fox]

During my teenage years I raced slots with a group we formed at Rongotai Collage Wellington. International raceways was a beautiful fast 6 lane track In fact IIRC they had two tracks? just opposite the Town Hall and that and the other more sleezy one in behind James Smiths just up from ModelCraft and Hobbies were where we raced weekly. International raceways always seemed to hold the premier events, the other track was a more casual public hire one from memory. Great times were had. Later on RC gas cars with Bill Leckies group and then eventually the big stuff.

[45DCOE]

I remember the 8 lane track at Rongotai College I help load it up from the Boys Brigade in Wainuiomata around 1971. Previously we use to race at Le Mans, the dodgy place upstairs off Manners Street in Wellington which was 1/32 scale. There was another 1/32 track and drag strip called Malibu Raceways in High Street Lower Hutt run by Trevor eve who use to race a 1650cc Allcomer Anglia. Then International Raceways set up two 1/24 tracks in Wakefield Street and a further track in High Street Lower Hutt. It was the death of the two commercial 1/32 tracks in Wellington.

Still have some remnants of the early 1/32 a 1/24 era.

[Gerard Richards]

My blue and gold '67 Shelby Mustang. Yes it is a slot car, based on Pioneer blank slot car kit. The number 35 is hand painted and the hand ain't as steady as it was 40 years ago, but end result looks okay. Takes me back to my boyhood each time I lay eyes on it.