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Ron,
Email me a total. I still race these things.

Bill

Interesting you should mention the slot cars. At the end of January I will be racing in the nation's biggest T-Jet race and am starting to prepare now. It is called the Fray in Ferndale. An annual race, I have made every one since 1997. It is essentially a team event where entries from all over the U.S. travel to Ferndale, CA for the competition. There is usually about 15 teams of at least 6 drivers entered. I've been on the winning team twice and have won the individual championship once. These days I spend more time with bicycles and other hobbies so this is the only slot car race I enter. Although I got my first HO slot car track in 1962, I never entered an actual competition until 1991. After years of competition, and much success, I find I really enjoy resurrecting cars and making them run and look proper once again, much like we do with the bicycles. Slot racing at the national level requires a lot of time and investment to remain at the top and it had an effect on my other hobbies like bicycles. I needed to make a decision whether to stay at the top of slot car racing or spend time enjoying other interests. So the result is shown by my participation in this great forum and a little more balance in my life. I still do slot cars and have really enjoyed the cars I received from you and have spent time sorting through and building some cars for fun. If you ever are looking for a home for your slot cars, let me know.

Bill

The familiar smell comes from Aurora's Special Racing Oil. The thick red oil was included with the racing sets in a small vial that you cut the end off with scissors. After it was used up, leaked out, or lost, you could get more at the hobby shop by spending a whopping 25 cents on a 1/3 oz. jar or buy a Hop Up Kit which included the jar of oil with slicks, hubs, axles, pick-up shoes, motor brushes, screwdriver, special gears for a 33% higher top end ratio, and decals (numbers, flames, names like Slickster, Ol' Slippery, Bandito, Rock 'n' Roll, Hot Dog, and Phantom, along with the Dead End skull and crossbones and some custom scallops). A jar of the oil would last a very long time. The oil was thick to help prevent migration to the motor brushes causing the car to run slow, heat up and possibly burn up. This could still happen if you over oiled. You can still buy old oil but sometimes it's dried up. There is a new substitute which claims to offer a similar smell called, Thunder Oil. Modern racing oils are better but don't provide the same aroma.