The Rough Rider in particular packed a die-cast suspension system and large rubber tires. The company released two models – the Rough Rider and Sand Scorcher. These models used real suspension systems, powerful motors, textured rubber tires of various sizes and dune buggy body design to allow the cars to be driven on rough terrains. In 1979, Tamiya introduced off-road buggy cars to the hobby. Team Associated followed other manufacturers by releasing the RC12E electric pan car in 1978.
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All these cars were designed to run on smooth roads. The Porsche 934 was then followed by several other models such as the Ferrari 312T, Tyrrell P34, Toyota Celica, and Lamborghini Countach. At the same time, they also produced intricately detailed plastic kits and radio systems, which were rapidly sold. This 1/12 scale car was powered by an electric motor that sat on a pan chassis.
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A Japanese company, Tamiya, produced its first electric on-road RC cars called the Porsche 934 in 1976. These models helped to boost the popularity of the hobby. The 70s were also the years when electric cars were introduced. Four years later, the company produced the next model, also a 1/8 scale nitro car, called RC100. It was a 1/8 scale nitro-powered on-road pan car. Team Associated, for example, produced its very first RC vehicle, aptly called RC1 in 1971. The nitro cars used a special blend of oils (e.g. The common engine used back then was the K&B Veco McCoy, and the body was aluminum chassis. The engine had moved from a single piston to double.
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The technology had significantly improved during this time. The 70s saw the emergence of 1/8th scale nitro powered RC cars. The 70s – The Nitro, Electric, and Off-Road Era In 1968, Elettronica Giocattoli produced another model, the Ferrari P4. They were called “pan cars.” These cars were 1/8 scale and powered by 2-stroke model airplane engines. A year later, RC cars started being commercially produced by Mardave, a British company based in Leicester.Īt the same time, other manufacturers such as Model Car Enterprises and WEN also began to make RC car kits. It was invented by an Italian electronics company known as Elettronica Giocattoli in 1966.
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Looking back at the history of RC cars, the first remote-controlled car ever created was the nitro-powered Ferrari 250LM. This article below covers the important events throughout the history of RC cars in detail, but if you want to read a a shortened version in an infographic, we created it here. First, lets travel back to the 60s – 1966 to be exact. In general, radio controlled cars first hit the UK in the 60s, but they reached the United States in the 70s when small firms like Associated Electrics, Taurus, Delta, and Scorpions started to produce slot cars, which eventually turned to RC cars. In this article, we will present to you a historical timeline of the hobby starting from the 1960s up to the present. You might be an RC aficionado and know every model of RC car ever produced, but do you know the history of the hobby?