Scalextric cars have come a long way since their humble beginnings over half a century ago. Today, the slot car manufacturer, whose brand is as synonymous with its line of business as Hoover is with vacuum cleaners, is a flourishing business with new technological advances and licensed products ensuring it stays at the forefront of the slot car industry.
Experience Level
Scalextric sets today are very diverse and offer several technological innovations to improve driver enjoyment. A good basic set is the Scalextric Ginetta Racing Set, while for more experienced drivers, there's the Scalextric Arc Air World GT Set that features wireless handsets and app compatibility.
Digital Slot Car Racing
Scalextric Digital is an excellent choice for the more serious slot car racing enthusiasts. Up to six cars can now race against each other, with the hand throttles set up to switch lanes, allowing competitors to overtake and block each other. There is also a break button to allow for superior control around corners.
ARC Enabled sets
Scalextric have introduced a number of new developments to the basic slot car set.
ARC sets allow the powerbase to communicate with the ARC app on a phone or tablet. This allows for a range of features to add more excitement to your racing. The app allows you to enter race type; time trial, endurance, Grand Prix etc. Driver names and number of laps can also be changed. After the race lap times and additionally you can also simulate tire wear and fuel usage and incorporate pit stops into your races.
ARC ONE enabled sets can also be used without connecting to the app, in this mode they function as a standard slot car set.
ARC AIR sets include all of the above features but also include wireless controllers with rumble effects and a brake button.
ARC PRO DIGITAL sets support digital wireless racing with up to 6 cars and additionally include a boost button and lane changing and many other adjustable options.
Spark Sets
The Spark Plug is the latest way to control sets such as the Formula E set. The dongle allows you to control your car using an Android or IOS smart device. The Spark Plug Wireless Dongle plugs into a Scalextric analogue powerbase in place of the usual hand controller.
You can customise your profile by racing as one of the supplied avatars or use the filters in the app to create your own profile.
There is also the option to add your own soundtrack from your library, and race with the left-handed or right-handed controls.
With two Scalextric Spark Plug dongles you can unlock the versus mode. In this mode you can either boost your own speed or restrict your opponents for a more tactical racing experience.