ELDON:
If you had to name the worst slot cars of the sixties, Eldon would be a good choice. But why were they so successful? The answer is in the inherent simplicity and low-cost of the product, making it easy to buy, use and maintain. Ugly, they were. Cheap, they were. Slow, they were. But there are probably more surviving Eldon cars and track than any others, with the possible exception of Strombecker’s.
Based in Hawthorne, California, Eldon was owned by the Ungar company, run by one of the heirs to the Max Factor cosmetics company. They produced all kind of toys including HO racing sets, and doll furniture.
Eldon began making sets with dreadful-looking and poorly running cars, vaguely resembling automobiles, and seemingly engineered by first-graders. Some of these early cars bear the Ungar trademark. A better-engineered chassis soon came along, using a cheap version of the Mabuchi “15” motor. The 2-piece molded plastic frame, which was used in all 1/32 Eldon cars, was strong and provided fair handling. A separate guide flag had proper braided contact strips, and sturdy, if not elegant, bodies were attached by two self-tapping screws. Eldon also made two kits using this frame and slightly better can motors, shortened copies of the Mabuchi FT16 by Johnson.
In mid 1965, Eldon tried to join the big boys when it released two deluxe kits in its new “Concours” series: a fairly nice 1/24 BRM F1 and a 1/32 Ferrari 330P/LM. A real Mabuchi FT13UO in dark silver color powered the die-cast aluminum 3-piece drop arm chassis. The bodies were fairly good, the packaging attractive, but the cars did not handle well, and certainly were not a success. Today, these two cars are easy to find, and inexpensive.
In 1966, Eldon toyed with the idea of going into the 1/24 commercial raceway market, but they regained their senses in time. They only produced six RTR 1/24 scale cars with vac-formed painted bodies, sold on a flat blister card: Chaparral 2D, Ferrari Dino, Porsche 906, Lamborghini Miura, de Tomaso Pantera and Ford GT40. They were poorly made, using a 2-piece aluminum frame and an FT16 copy made in Hong Kong.
The whole slot car program was sold to Leisure Dynamics in 1970, and they dumped it on Cox, which hired the author to fix the whole mess.
Dan Gurney and Eldon: the Nassau agreement.
Eldon contacted Big Dan in 1962 and financed his trip to the Bahamas for the series of races organized by leisure king Red Crise. Dan went to test the Arciero Brothers Lotus 19-Climax, painted in red with suitable Eldon markings. The car had several mechanical problems and Dan did not finish the races after leading several times in the rain. The agreement was not renewed, and this was Eldon’s sole attempt at car racing sponsorship. It was all the better for Dan’s reputation. The later arrangements with Cox and Russkit better reflected the quality image projected by this great racing driver.
Dan at Nassau with Eldon-sponsored Lotus 19. Its 2.5-liter Coventry-Climax engine had won the Formula One World crown only two years earlier in a Cooper chassis. Photo by Dave Friedman.)
My Dad owned a Hobby Shop that closed in the early 1970's, and he kept some of the more interesting slot cars and accessories from that era. The items I am listing are in most cases, near new or gently used. I have taken many pictures to show every angle and have tried to describe all features and/or flaws to the best of my ability. Please email with any questions specific to something I may have missed. Please check my other listings as I will be selling many cars, accessories and track in all three scales-- HO, 1/32nd, and 1/24th. If you don't see the car or part you are looking for, please email me. If I have it, I will list it for you. Many of the items in my inventory are NEW OLD STOCK.