It grew from humble beginnings into a British institution that is still hugely popular among children today.
And a fascinating series of photographs has revealed the story of Scalextric dating back to when enterprising Freddie Francis launched the car racing toy in 1957 at his factory in Havant, Hampshire.
Today, Scalextric are produced by English toy maker Hornby Hobbies – and the company has released a series of images from its photo archive which capture the evolution of the models to mark their 60th anniversary.
Diane Francis, 72, the widow of Scalextric founder Freddie, poses with an original set of the car racing toy from 1957
The tracks and cars in the first sets were built to a scale of 1:30 – and the cars were capable of a scale speed of 130mph
Enterprising Freddie Francis (left) launched the car racing toy in 1957 (also seen right, with his widow Diane) at his factory
Original sets came with pieces of interconnecting track made from rubber and the two metal model racing cars
The cars’ speed was determined by handheld controllers and the sets came with ‘skid patch fluid’ to create on-track hazards
The cars chosen for the first sets were a Ferrari 375 and a Maserati 250F (pictured) – driven by big name Grand Prix rivals
Scalextric was born out of the late Mr Francis’s company Minimodels which made tin plate toys and models.
Among the firm’s most popular products were its clockwork racing cars called Scalex – and when Mr Francis added an electric motor they became Scalex-electric or Scalextric.
Original sets came with pieces of interconnecting track made from rubber and two metal model racing cars.
The cars chosen for the first sets were a Ferrari 375 and a Maserati 250F – driven by big name Grand Prix rivals like Stirling Moss, Juan Fangio and Alberto Ascari.
The tracks and cars were built to a scale of 1:30 – and the cars were capable of a scale speed of 130mph.
The speed of the cars was determined by handheld controllers and to make racing more fun the sets came with ‘skid patch fluid’ to create on-track hazards.
Stirling Moss plays with the original Scalextric set with his wife Katie after she bought him a set for his 29th birthday in 1958
Freddie Francis cuts the turf at the original Scalextric factory in Havant, Hampshire, which made the cars from 1957
The C2639A Cooper Climax 1960 Jack Brabham (left) and C2640A Ferrari 156 1961 Phil Hill (right) Scalextric cars
A 1960 Scalextric set. The track sections were built out of rubber until 1963 when plastic track was introduced
Another Scalextric set dating back to 1960 is pictured.Today, Scalextric is produced by English toy maker Hornby Hobbies
A 1962 C64 Bentley 4.5 litre with three colour variants and its original box. The toy sets were made in Havant, Hampshire
Scalextric was unveiled by Mr Francis at the Harrogate International Toy Fair in January 1957.
A 1957 set cost five pounds, 17 shillings and six pence – the equivalent of £120 in today’s money.
The track sections were built out of rubber until 1963 when plastic track was introduced.
Mr Francis sold the brand to Lines Bros the following year but continued to produce the models until 1967.
He went on to design many other products including the Francis anchor winch, used by the RNLI on their lifeboats. He died in 1998 from cancer aged 78.
His widow Diane Francis, 72, from Birdham in West Sussex, said: ‘Toys come and go but Scalextric seem to go on forever, and long may that last.
The C2807 Morris Mini Cooper was the 1967 Monte Carlo winner and is part of the Scalextric classic collection
A 1968 Scalextric set containing 35 pieces. Mr Francis sold the brand in 1964 but continued to produce the models until 1967
The 1974 C559 Grand Prix Scalextric set is among the pictures the company has released in a series of images from its archive
The 1983 C312 and C313 Superstox cars. A 1957 set cost five pounds, 17 shillings and six pence – the equivalent of £120 today
A 1988 C888 World Championship Scalextric set including a Williams Honda FW11, Lotus Renault 98T and Lotus Honda Turbo
A 1991 C418 Jaguar XJR9 (left) and C382 Jaguar XJ8 (right). Scalextric founder Mr Francis died in 1998 from cancer aged 78
The C1003 Jaguar Challenge Scalextric set included a Ferrari F40 and Jaguar XJ220 and was released between 1993 and 1997
The 2001 C2342 Ford Focus World Rally Championship was a toy car featuring the double act of Nicky Grist and Colin McRae
‘Freddie was the most extraordinary man but he was so modest because he never wanted to boast about anything he had developed.
‘When friends found out he was the inventor of Scalextric they would say ‘why didn’t you tell us’ but that’s just the man he was.
‘It’s amazing that after 60 years people still love Scalextric and I suppose that puts them on a par with the Hornby train.’
Along with the racing cars, sports cars, fast saloons, motorcycles and even trucks, Scalextric introduced grandstands and race pits for the tracks to suit the times.
A Scalextric C2551A Goodwood Revival 2004 limited edition Maserati 250F Fangio 1957 – a classic Scalextric car
A 2007 C2826 Ferrari 375, with a tinplate top, is among the cars that has made Scalextric a British institution over 60 years
A 2007 C1202 World Championship Scalextric set featuring Honda, Ferrari, McLaren and Renault toy cars
A 2007 C1196 Rally Pro Championship Scalextric set that pits a Subaru Imprezza WRC against a Ford Focus WRC
A 2014 C1320 Team Scalextric Mini Challenge set, featuring two Mini Cooper vehicles. The set includes a lap counter
All of the Scalextric logos from the first in 1957 to the present day – showing how the star lasted between 1977 and 2006
The basic design of Scalextric was not changed until 2004 when the advent of ‘digital’ opened the way to run two or more cars on the track at the same time.
Sarah Frame, Scalextric brand manager at Hornby Hobbies, said: ‘As Scalextric celebrates its 60th anniversary, the appeal of the iconic British racing set that has fired the imagination of generations is not waning.
‘Since 1957 Scalextric has been the toy every child wanted to find under the Christmas tree with its relatively simple yet ingenious design which brings together families across generations to race and play together.
‘The basic product design remains virtually unchanged but the cars evolve year by year, faithfully reproducing new models of famous classic and modern cars appealing to a cross section of fans from James Bond enthusiasts to race goers.
‘At its core, Scalextric is still the one racing format to bring together families old and young.’