New Car: Thunderslot McLaren Elva Mk1 - Canadian GP 1964

 Yes, that's right. Another gorgeous Elva:

That's Bruce McLaren in there driving. No, really.

It was kind of a given that I was going to pick this one up. It was the next on my list. I admit that I have an obsession with Thunderslot at this point. I don't know what else to call it. At first I thought the cars would start showing faults, doing weird things. But there's nothing like that. They just keep going, and are extremely fun to drive. 

The entire Thunderslot line uses the same components, which makes them very competitive with each other, as well as with other brand lines [NSR, Slot.it, etc.]. They'd be great for club racing whether they had to have their own class or could fit in another. 

What would make this car stand out against others? It's a combination of things, all in the right places. The great design, workmanship, lightweight, low center of gravity, quality tuned parts...it's all there. And all of it together makes for a great race car.

If you're looking for your first Thunderslot, and you race with magnets, you need to know that this car comes without magnets. So make sure you ask your dealer for magnets when you buy the car. I don't use them, so I like them not being there. But that's me.

Blurry pic, but there's actually quite a bit of detail there. More than the NSR Porsche had.

There's another thing about Thunderslot: if you're the type that likes to mess with gearing and things like that, the rear axle is a little larger than normal [3mm], so you'll need to plan for that. If you're not, and you're like me, then you'll totally be fine with what you have and can tune to your heart's content.

I took this car out of the box and gave it my standard setup: lube, oil, basic loose pod setting, checked connections, prepped braids. I'll get it out on the track in a day or two, and I'm really looking forward to it. 

The first Elva I got was an instant favorite. It took me no time at all to fall in love with it. So smooth, fast and nimble. Then I went and got a few Lolas and put off picking up a second Elva. Now I'm glad I did. I thought about the gold Elvis car, but liked this one better, even if it's mostly black. It'll probably be a dust collector, but it'll be a fast one.