# Rare Carrera Avus start set from 1963.



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

Hi all, 

Yesterday I purchased a rare Carrera 1:32 slot car start set, the Avus 301 from 1963. 

In 1963 the German toy company 'JNF' started producing slot cars of the brand Carrera and this Avus set was one of their first sets and therefore great to collect. 

Although exactly 50 years old the set is in a good condition and I guess not much played with because the connecting 'noses' of the tracks are not broken (as they usual are). Even the rollbar, steering wheel, cockpit glass and imitation engine of the Porsche 804 cars are all there. 

These early Carrera cars were made of 'Cellidor', a high-gloss and high-impact resistant plastic, but unfortunately this material can deform over the years.
The cars show some Cellidor effects but I've seen them a lot worse.

In 1963 these sets were launched as the 'Carrera system' and in 1966 this name was changed in "Carrera Universal 132" and remained in production until 1984. Along with this name change in 1966 the boxes of the start sets were changed to the more familiar blue colored Carrera boxes.
This Avus 301 set with the illustrated box was only produced from 1963 to 1965. 

The Carrera Universal 132 was the most best-selling slot tracks ever made, with an unique 3 rail system that allows simultaneous running two cars on a single lane. 

The last weeks I purchased tons of Universal 132 slot stuff, that I would like to show here in further posts. 

Thanks for reading.

Regards from Holland, 
Marco


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

I have done a scale comparison of 4 weeks old kittens (1:1) versus Carrera Uni (1:32) versus Faller AMS - Johnny Lightning (1:64). 

Marco


----------



## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Cute kitties!! I would guess the ground is in the pin? Neat set up!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

@Slotcarman, Thanks a lot !! And Yes indeed.

I ebayed some more Universal tracks, most of it is in great condition.
Only the lapcounter need to be cleaned and restored.


----------



## Omega (Jan 14, 2000)

Nice find. I neat piece of history.

Dave


----------



## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Thanx for the beautiful memories Marco,

I had an early Carrera set as a youngster. Of course it went by the wayside because parts were impossible to come by in the early to mid sixties. As you noted the track was the some of finest sectional track I ever ran on. Really solid stuff. 

After the cars died off, I sleeved all my American HO guide pins over-sized and we ran T-jets all wild and crazy on the big Carrera track.

I didnt have the skills at the time, so naturally it still breaks my heart to consider that had they been saved from mothers rummage sales purges, I probably could have saved the cars in this day and age.


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

Hi Bill & Hi Omega, 

Thanks for your interest !!









Yes Bill, the Carrera Uni track is great, even now after 40-50 years.
The only thing is to be careful with humidity, if you store Uni track in a slightly dampened basement or attic it's ruined. 
The rails in the Uni track are iron and not stainless steel as in modern track. 
Faller AMS H0 track has this same rust and corrosion problem.

Marco


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

Just received some more track parts that I had ebayed ! 









The 1970's bridge (#50545) and a (mint) 2-pack double staights (#50519).

Most of this 1970's bridges offered on epay have broken upstanding edges, but the seller assured me that his bridge was fine, and indeed it is, so he made me a very happy boy. 










The bridge is almost 1 meter long and back in the seventies, with DM 59,50 the bridge didn't come cheap nor did the double straight 2-pack (DM 29,50). 
Back in the days Carrera must have been an expensive hobby. 

Regards,
Marco


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

Thank you ebay !! Just received Carrera Universal start set 'Hockenheim', version 2, from 1977. 
The box is huge, with a lot of track and Ferrari 312 P and Porsche 908.

Regards,
Marco


----------



## crashtackle (Jul 8, 2013)

Hi, I have been searching for info on JNF slots and stumbled on your thread... I have the opportunity to purchase these 2 cars but was wonder if you could shed any light on how old or rare they may be?

They seem pretty close to your cars... may not as old though.

Any info is greatly appreciated...


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

Hello crashtackle, 

The red car is the Carrera Lotus Climax, the car was in the Carrera program from 1963 to 1983 with catalog number 40402. The car is NOT rare and very - very common. If the car is in mint / flawless condition the value is around € 25, but you can aslo find them for € 15 or less on German ebay. (ebay,de).

The yellow car is the Carerra Lotus Climax Cooper, also in the Carrera program from 1963 to 1983, catalog number 40403 and also very, very, very common, value € 15 to € 25 .

The cars are so called Carrera cigars. 
It are poor runners, the rear tires are (too) narrow so little grip and much slip. You can only take a corner at low speed, and I mean really low speed.

Please keep in mind that the guideflag/ pick ups of these cigars, are designed for the Carrera Universal 132 3 rail system. 

Regards,
Marco


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

I have been working on the Porsche Cigar today, striped all parts.
I like my slot cars clean and tidy and running perfect, so I don't want 50 years old German dust and grease all over the chassis. 

The construction of the cars is great, good old German quality, like metal bushings for the axles and metal gears. 
Only the tiny contact spring in the middle power feed is a real trouble maker, it's often stuck, and then very difficult to get out.








I need to replace that by a new (repro) spring.

If someone asks what I've done today, I can say that I've been working on one of my classic Porsches, hehehe.

Marco


----------



## crashtackle (Jul 8, 2013)

Thank so much for the info Marco!!!

The seller wants about 55 Euro for the set... 2 cars plus track, rails etc...


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

Hi crashtackle, 

Glad I could help, that's what the Hobby Talk forum is for !









€ 55 sounds reasonable to me. 

Do you know which set ? With a blue box or the early illustrated box ? 

You might want to look on the Carrera Universal Wiki, it's in German but that's no problem if you use a translation tool in your browser.

WIKI LINK CLICK HERE 

Regards,
Marco


----------



## crashtackle (Jul 8, 2013)

It's a blue box... but the cars shown on the box look nothing like the ones in the box? Is that normal?


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

Hello Crashtackle, 

Yes, that is normal for Carrera.
Same for my "Hockenheim" set in post 9 in this thread. 

It would be nice if you post some pics here on HobbyTalk when you have bought the set. 

Regard, 
Marco


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

I have purchased another 1960's Carrera F1 car. 
It is Carrera Universal "Cooper Climax" - catalog number (40)403 - modeled on the Cooper T66 Climax V8.

The car is in good condition, nothing broken, everything on it, even the engine suction funnels are there. The car only needs a cleanup. 
At first I thought the rollbar was missing but in 1963 the cooper was released by Carrera without a rollbar.

I also ebayed a few petrol barrels and some 1960's German Carrera mechanics. I sent them to work right away !!

Regard,
Marco


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

On the pics my daughter is showing our latest 1960's slot car we have purchased on ebay. 
It's the Carrera Universal 132 'Ferrari Dino 156', catalog number (40)401.

The rear tires of the Ferrrari are worn, the pick up shoes have seen a lot of use and the car needs to be thoroughly cleaned and get some service, but this is all part of the hobby.

We also ebayed some more 1960's Carrera's sitting figures and some straw bales. 

Regards from Holland,
Marco


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

Because the first lapcounter that I had bought some weeks ago was very worn, I purchased another one.
Made 1968 but still mint in box. 

Even if you don't want to count your laps, it is still fun to drive underneath the tire.
I love the classic Carrera looks of it, same for the (huge) box with some lovely 1960's pictures on it. 

Regards,
Marco


----------



## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Brings back memories of my trip to Laguna Seca. Boy was I a dummy!! I could have spent the weekend at the track for free!


----------



## tjetsgrig (Nov 1, 2009)

Neat stuff Marco, enjoy the thread! Love any classic stuff, keep up the good work!!!

JS


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

@JS, Thanks for your kind comment ! 

I have purchased two more Carrera cigars. 
Needless to say I love these 50 years old cars, the magnetless drifting action is real fun.

I started making carton boxes for the cigars, so we can store the cars properly when we don't race or display them. The boxes also motivate my boys to be careful with the cars (and not leave them lying around in their room). 

One box is finished, five more to go.

Regards,
Marco


----------



## guinnesspeanut (Sep 25, 2009)

*Power droppage??*

With these thinner rails, do you run feeder wires to keep the current steady? How often? I'm assuming this is DC current, right?? With 2 cars in the same lane, you'd have to have switches, right?? Were they manual, or a single separate trigger, 2 triggers, or built into the controllers? One other question for ya.. IF you wanted to, could you swap out your guides for 2 rail(did Carrera make it easy, or impossible)?? Awesome finds by the way...


----------



## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Change-over pick-ups and the crash fest.*

I NEVER had any power issues, but thats a story for another day.

Ahhhhhh yes, it's all flooding back to me now...after 50 years. Two cars, two controllers; independently controlled on one lane and a potential of four for a regular two lane track. Nifty stuff! The early Carrera pick ups are unique. They can be can rotated 180 degrees. Note that the track is three rail....DC. The rail in the bottom of the slot is common. The two upper rails are independent conductors. Indexing of the cars depends on which side the upper pick wiper up is on.

Check it...

The red Ferrari in post 18 has the wiper flipped to the right, so it would use the upper track conductor on the right side.

The yellow Cooper in post 17 has the wiper flipped to the left, so it would use the upper track conductor on the left side.

Both cars share the common rail in the bottom of the slot. The lower wiper remains in the center regardless of the pick up orientation. So, two cars in the same lane or one car in either lane....or two in both lanes. 

Also check the first picture in post 17. Note that the car is spun around 90 degrees while the guides position remains unchanged. A full 180 resulted in a change of direction with no polarity reversal as one sees with two rail systems. It made for some wicked head on collisions! 

Whether it was rear ending via two cars independently controlled in one lane; or hi-speed head ons due to a successful 180, it was pretty tough on the cars. The Ferrari in post 18 has it's front tooth knocked out. In spite of the obvious drawbacks, looking back I now can really appreciate the tricky mechanical engineering; and realize at the time I was far too young and undisciplined for such a wonderful toy.

I am reminded of a touching story, and remember that deep in the our family album is a picture of my father and his good friend playing with my new Carrera set on Christmas eve while I slept restlessly. I'll try and get a good scan and recount the tale. 

This thread keeps taking me back. Thanks Marco.


----------



## 280A (Apr 2, 2013)

Hi Bill, 

Thanks ! 
I look forward to that picture.

Here is a short movie made ​​by Micha Kauss from Germany (I know Micha of Marklin model train forums) that shows the 180 turns that Carrera Uni 132 cars can make. 
This magnetless action of the Uni cars is so much fun. 

Micha is also famous for his astonishing H0 Faller AMS layouts.
Although not in the correct forum (1:32 <> H0) I also post Micha's movie of the extreme rare 50 years old working WIAD Coca Cola factory on his Faller AMS layout.

Kind regards,
Marco


----------

