Happy New Year!

Slot Car News is entering the fourth year of publication. Since the site went live in May 2006 there have been 1695 posts and over 812,000 page views. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this website and especially for those that check in from time to time here. Happy New Year!
Thanks!
Dave Kennedy
Publisher, Slot Car News

Wacky Arab Car - Special Desert Salvage Mod


This wacky Arab salvage mod is just plain funny. Your out in the middle of the desert with nothing to do and a car with barely anything on it but the basics. What more fun can than be.

Blues Art Car - Ray Charles and the Greats


I found this Blues Art Car photo painted for Honda by Artist Jack Poppitz, a self-taught outsider folk artist and carpenter living in Colorado, that usually works with old wood as a backdrop for his folk art. This car was part of a benefit auction held at the House of Blues.
Its covered with blues legends such as Ray Charles, B.B. King, Lead Belly, Walter "Furry" Lewis and J.B. Lenoir. Driving the hood of the Fit is a glorious depiction of blues guitarist Sam "Lightnin' " Hopkins, resplendent with angel wings flying."

Hot Glow in the Dark MINI Art Car

I found this hot Mini Cooper with an all reflective, vinyl sticker kit and a video on how it was all put together at Garage 419. This glow in the dark mini art car was created by Scott Chester at ACID STUDIOS and the result is simply stunning. The project was inspired by the BMW Art Car project between 1975 & 1999, where artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg (R.I.P.) made one of a kind works of art from BMWs’ finest automobiles.



Photos via

Art Car Calendar - Now Available for 2009


For those of you who can't get enough of art cars,  the 2009 art car calendars are now available at Philly Travel Nature Blog. They are fantastic!!!

Honda WTCC's - gallery of photos


See a gallery of photos of the SCX Honda WTCC's at this link.

Pimp my Japanese Bike Ride - Robotech Lo-Rider




via
All I can say is this is how you Pimp your Japanese Bike Ride all day long. Its live manga animation robotech with a dash of mutant and a pinch of lo-rider cool. And as you can see by all the lights, safety first for night riding

Pink Homeland Security Art Car For Sale


This Pink"Homeland Security" Art Car is 1995 Chevy Caprice station wagon that was part of the Checkpoint Dreamyourtopia installation at Burning Man. It has 125.000 miles, street legal passed Texas inspection and is for sale for around $2,000, O.B.O. Daniel is wanting to skip town and wants to unload to pink beast as fast as possible so email him at dadara@xs4all.nl and help him raise some money to get back home.

2008 - The Best That I Could Do

This time of year, everyone...everyone...puts out a top ten list.

Mostly it is just digging around online or through iTunes libraries to find the most obscure bands from Scandinavia to Brazil to simply enhance hipster cred. A bit more respectable are book and movie lists. I'm lucky to have seen 10 new movies all year - maybe five real books in that time span - so to accumulate a deep pool with which to make a list from is pretty impressive in my opinion.

So in order to get on the band wagon, I've started a bit of a tradition of my own over the last few years - a more personal list of the achievements and highlights (and lowlights) of the year. This year will be a bit more cycling specific (shocker) but this year was still quite well-rounded, I'm happy to say. And for this year, now that I have some depth of my own, I'd like to a take a more retrospective approach, with commentary were appropriate.

I now give you:

2008 - The Best That I Could Do


1. My first full winter of base-training. By time training camp in California arrived not a moment too soon, it was done, in the books, count-it-and-let's-see-where-you-are. I spent endless hours pedaling in place as it snowed and sub-zero winds blew outside, while Prince, Air and The Prodigy droned on in my headphones, and watched I Boonen win 2005 Paris-Roubaix over and over and over..so much it all gave me Dr. David Bowman-like visions. I hit the weights three times a week at the ratty and well-worn Park District gym with Mark, and rode on and on for hours more with teammates in an Oak Park basement. And what did it get me?

2. To the tops of Black Mountain and Mt. Mitchell...

3. And to downstate Illinois, where I was achingly close yet too far away upon the bricks of Hillsboro.

4. I took a huge step in my life - about time some would say (Mom...Dad...shut up), and moved in with the love of my life into a beautiful Logan Square apartment. Our family has grown quite a bit, too.



5. I received my first payout...and then my second just two weeks later. It felt pretty damn good have that .0001% return of my biking investment!

6. Superweek and the rest of the summer racing season came and went with my first ever podium - including one in the State Championship Road Race - a heartbraking crash and lot of mediocrity. But at least I looked good...



7. My hero died. I've listened and hung onto every one of George Carlin's words since I first bought a cassette tape of Class Clown after seeing his HBO special in 1984.

8. I took an active part in the Illinois Justice System.

9. Katy and I watched history roll in on an unrelenting tide of peace, goodwill, and good, old-fashioned relief through Grant Park on November 4th. We enjoyed it with good food and even better friends and huge smiles on our faces.

10. Blago.

Honorable Mention:
- The New Bike
- My First Sonnet
- There was a lot to Hate...

Hunting wall street pirates with fire breathing mutant vehicle


Yep its Mutant Mondays and today's mutant vehicle is a two story pickup truck covered in neck ties and a fire cannon mounted on the back. I also love the attention to detail with the pink gas tank up top of the observation deck. Maybe the guy has given up his corporate job to pursue a career in pyrotechnics and is raising money for classes by selling his old neck ties. Or maybe its a corporate exec hunting party on the look out for rogue wall street pirates. One can only guess.

Ferrari FXX


Ferrari FXX slot car photos at this link on SCXWorldWide.com.

Toyo Tires

Toyo Tires
By Peter Gitundu

Toyo tires are known in developing durable and high performance wheels in various models to fit all vehicles. They have used polymer technology to design them and in turn match the them with the vehicle structure. Examples of wheel models are Toyo's Versado, Proxes DTP, Toyo spectrum, Toyo off road, Sports car and Toyo winter. They have features that makes them suitable for different conditions.

T mode technology uses one driving simulation module and three-tire simulation model, it was developed after analyzing vehicle movements. Toyo's Versado produce limited noise, provides lateral grip, has asymmetric tread and high concentrated sipping. These characteristics make it best for all surfaces including snow roads and wet conditions. They are easy to maintain and maximum output is 5000 miles. They are commonly used in luxurious vehicles.

Proxy TPT tires have more grip, well designed sips, produce less noise and unidirectional tread design. They give long lasting performance,have minimal wear and tear and allows high speed riding. The best thing about them is that they can do 5000 kilo meters mileage. Toyo spectrum have full depth sips that allows high-speed performance, provides smooth and quiet operation, are suitable for all seasons and are warranted for over 6500 kilo meter.

Toyo's Proxes R 888 are best in dry areas, Proxes T 1 R are best in wet conditions, they are ideal for sports car because they have high grip capacity and rigid shoulder rim. Off road wheels have large load carrying capacity, three ply construction and has abrasion resistant capabilities. Toyo winter are of radial model design and have asymmetric tread design, can easily remove dirt and snow and are suitable for winter season.

Peter Gitundu Researches and Reports on Tires. For More Information on Toyo Tires, Visit His Site at TOYO TIRES.

Checking And Changing A Dead Battery

Checking & Changing a Dead Battery
By Levi Quinn

Sometimes there is nothing quite so annoying and depressing as turning the key in your car and having nothing happen. A dead battery can be a big setback because it can occur at any time for any reason. Sometimes it is due to the cold weather and other times the battery has simply reached the end of its lifespan. There are a few ways to check if your battery is completely dead or not. Even if the car won't start, the battery may just be low or affected by outside conditions.

If you find that your car won't start and you believe it may be the battery, you need to find out if there is still any power in it. Try re-charging it first with a battery charger. Hook it up properly and see if this helps to restore any power to the system at all. If nothing happens, the battery may be dead. Extremely cold temperatures can make this tougher. A charger may have to be left on for hours before a difference is obvious.

Double check that your battery terminals are all clean and there is nothing obstructing them. They can become corroded over time and that can lead to battery issues. Be certain that anything you hook to the battery like a charger is put on the right way to avoid giving yourself a shock of any kind.

Try using a volt meter to test the level of voltage that is running through the battery. If it gives you a reading then you know that there is some kind of power running through the car. If it gives you nothing then you know that the battery is dead. If there is no power at all within it you most likely will need a new one.

To take out the battery all you really have to do is detach the cable from the negative battery terminal and then do the same on the other side with the positive battery terminal. There is often a battery clamp as well to hold it in place. Make sure that this is also detached before you try to take the battery out. Be careful when you lift the battery out. Some of them are heavy and you don't want to drop it on any other engine components or on yourself.

Once you get the old battery out you should take a good look at the battery tray. There is a good chance that you will have to give it a quick cleaning before putting a new battery in. Don't skip this step or it will be even worse the next time. Putting the new battery in is the same as taking one out. Put it in the tray properly and reattach the cables. Make sure they are hooked up to the right side of the battery. Always be careful when changing the battery so that you don't get zapped.

Make sure the battery clamp is also reattached. If anything is not tightened or placed right, the car will not start. Changing a battery is fast and easy. Be careful and you will be back on the road in no time.

Enjoy your car travel and find the best deal on the auto insurance coverage you need. Visit us today for money-saving tips, compare auto insurance quotes and helpful car insurance advice at http://www.AutoInsuranceRatesDirect.com

Goodwood video... drifting, classic style!

WWJD? - What Whould Jesus Drive? A Jesus Art Car

It was Christmas yesterday or the global Jesus birthday celebration, even though there is some controversy surrounding the actual date of his birth. I am not trying to be sacrilegious in any way, but he does seem to be the worlds most influential God/Man in the universe for all time past present and future, and since this is an art car blog, I decided to answer the question WWJD? or What Would Jesus Drive? I don't know which one He would drive but I did find a few art cars that some of us down here would drive. For better or for worse here are the Jesus Cars.







by Christine P

by repowers

by seawallrunner

by San Diego Shooter

by Ice Nine

by wartnerchaney

by swishphotos

by niac180

by crazysanman

by g33kgrrl

by MR38

by Gigi Elmes

by hannah clan

by conformer

by Marshall Astor

by FlyingDevice

by Shirley Two Feathers

by Enrico Fuente

Batmobile Discovered in Christmas Gingerbread House

Hiding in a parade



On a recent trip to visit an amazing Christmas gingerbread house (see video) I discovered what I believe to be the real secret Batmobile hiding lair. It wasn't deep in some underground cave but in the most unsuspecting place imaginable. I discovered this Bat mobile Art Car replica (not shown here) in the garage of this incredible lit house which I had the pleasure of being dragged to on Christmas eve by my sister in law. Since I went to all this trouble to write this up I thought maybe there were more of these budget mods hiding around the country, so here they are.

Hiding out front


Hiding in Texas



Hiding at a VW convention


Hiding outdoors


Hiding in the front yard


Hiding in a trailer park

New Testors Saleen and Viper models

The "Easy Press Fit " of our Quick Build Models means there is no glue involved. All the fun of modeling with none of the mess. Build a model in less than 15 minutes. Spend more time customizing your masterpiece with decals, paint brushes, and non- toxic- water wash-up acrylic paints all included! Rad Rides of the Road includes TWO 1:32 scale models---the Dodge Viper GTS-R and the Saleen S7, 6 bottles of acrylic paints, 3 different sized paint brushes, decals and a mixing tray. Order Now!

* 1:32 scale
* 15-30 pieces
* Assembles in 15 minutes or less

USD$ 22.99

Audi R15?

Photos today of what might be the Audi R15 that will try to do battle with the Peugeot 908HDi at LeMans this year.

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