Matra Simca Le Mans 1973
I hear groans. Okay, I feel them. Here's the thing, the Ford GT40 is pretty much [to me] the standard when it comes to a balanced slot car. It's got just enough nose and just enough tail to make it handle well without too many surprises. A perfect first car.
The Alfa Romeo 33/3 is quite a bit different. It has a shorter nose and a shorter tail than the GT40. It makes for a much quicker handling race car.
The Porsche 962 has that shorter nose but has a long tail. So it affects the handling as well, turning it into a totally different type of car than the Ford.
Enter the Matra. It's got the shorter nose, and a bit of a tail [nowhere near as long as the Porsche], but it's also got a longer wheelbase than the GT40. This puts it right between the GT40 and the 962 in regards to handling. It'll cruise at high speeds just like the Porsche, but it's much more responsive in the curves and doesn't swing out nearly as much.
I should make up a rating system of the varying elements of the car so it would be easier to explain. I might just do that.
There were things that struck me right off the bat with this car, besides the way it fits perfectly in my collection. One of those things was that this was the first Slot.it car that I have gotten that didn't have the front wheels in the air. Whether that was on purpose on or accident I don't know yet. I'll need to get in and take a closer look. Today was all about taking out the magnet and doing some laps.
First thing I can't help but notice is how low slung the car is, and how deep into the body the wheels go. This bad boy is dropped. I kinda love that about this car. It's got that great 60's/70's low body style that is all curves and style.
I don't remember seeing anybody gushing about a Matra slot car before, although Harry over at HomeRacingWorld.com did in a review. That pretty much pushed me over the edge into getting this one. I was pretty close to getting another Porsche and I'm glad I didn't. This thing is so much fun to drive.
I think this is a pretty looked-over slot car. It's in a class with a lot of beautiful cars and tends to get forgotten about. I've been watching reruns of old Le Mans 24hrs races, and I kind of got a soft spot in my heart for the Matra.
The Matra fills the gap perfectly between the GT40 and the Porsche. This is what I was hoping for, and according to the numbers it should be this way, and I'm glad it is. The Matra could easily match with either the Porsche or the Ford [even the Alfa] without being outrun. In a weird way it almost drives more like the Alfa than any other car, although it doesn't. Either way, this car is more than capable of handling itself.
I've been driving the Porsche a lot since I got it. It's had more track time than any other car. One of the reasons for that was so that I could better learn to drive it. If you go from an Alfa or Ford to the Porsche the difference is night and day. The approach to the entire track changes when you use a car your not used to, or one that is radically different in style to what you're used to. The Porsche is just that. It's extremely fast and has the potential to beat them all, but it also needs a gentler touch, more patience and a different approach. It's not the type of car you want to accelerate in a curve with, but it'll run fast aside from that.
The Matra, being just shorter than the Porsche by a bit in all directions, out handles the Porsche, will outrun the Fords and the Alfa, and might be my fastest car. It's a semi-long car that likes a semi-long track. Nice match.
It never seems like much when you start comparing cars together by size, wheelbase, etc., but I think you can learn a lot about the when's and why's of slot cars.
So now I have something that fills that gap. It'll be curious to see where it ends up in the standings. Speaking of standings, all that will have to be reset for the new car. But that's okay. This will be the last car for awhile.
And it's sexy as hell. I love it.
Upcoming: under the hood.
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