Where "The Dino Thing" Started for Me....

2" long would have been Aurora HO scale (matches the trains, which I never had..) later trademarked "AFX" and Tyco made cars/track too

4" long would have been the larger Scalectrix (which are still supported today).

Neither would have been expensive "back in the day" I have lots of my HO track and many cars still "somewhere around here".....

 

There's a Hobby Shop here on Chimney Rock that has a Scalectrix track set up for public use....and of course they sell the cars.
I can look for a Dino....if that's your scale...closest I have in HO is a Porsche 908.
Which I thought needed rear drag slicks off of a dune buggy at some point, apparently!!

And a huge train set in the window, running around....

I was in last weekend and a bunch of old codgers were at a table in the back building R/C helicopters. Took me 30 minutes to leave in the Ferrari too...LOL!

Some cat out front wanted to chat, I was in no hurry..he reminded me of Dad, somehow...

 

Strombecker?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIzdCPWLWfM[/ame]

 

This one?
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Mine was green with a white stripe down the middle - Aurora HO slot cars. Lots of fun!!!

 

I have the Aurora HO Dino. I also have a Ferrari P3 / P4 car by Eldon (Selectronic - circa 1967). Both cars are in excellent shape, but haven't been used in 30 years I believe.

 

That's Aurora HO, with the skid rails (TYCO utilized shorter spring wipers on the rails) looks like Toggie found it, browsing eBay I am reminded some of them even had LIGHTS!!

I had a pair of dune buggies with lights.

Was that on eBay somewhere Toggie?
There were dozens of pages in my search.
I didn't go thru them all.

 

You are right, the foam tires came later, the first ones were little skinny real rubber ones.

Only the rear ones worked of course as the front had a guide pin for the slot and the car rode on the brass contacts.

 

Just use 'HO Ferrari' as both Aurora and TYCO were both full line brands.

TYCO tended towards Lambos and metallic paints.

The UOP Shadow was one of my fastest, and wide car and aero wing.....

 

emmm.....OK, so that's the story?

Mine, is that I saw my first one in Italy at a dealership, and absolutely loved it. Of course Daytona was it, and before it, all the other ones I had seen all my life, but alas, no Ferrari nor Dino.
I waited way too long, but the stars had simply not aligned.

Now, hooked-lined-sinkered.
My only problem (not the only one in life) was that my total lack of knowledge hurt, as I was ‘e-bayed’ the biggest loser of them all, and if it hadn't been for some very stubborn Englishman that kept on bidding on the loser to death, I probably could have gotten it for way less. Way less.
And of course, if it had been 99.5% complete, as the seller/pants-on-fire stated, I would never have met a bunch of nicer guys and gals that have helped me in finding all the parts, advice, and....
still going, but getting there. I can really justify what I have learned as a very enjoyable
experience, except at times very complex to make a slight understatement.
Imagine, you guys just pick who and where, and pay the bill, whereas here I had to wait 1 year to find someone, but now(4 great guys) they are staying for good. That, I am really pleased about.
I own my very own restoration shop! My dream.

At the time, did not even own a parts catalogue/book for Dino, ignored there was an L, M or an E, much less a 206, but I did know knockoffs when I saw them. That did it.
Oh well, what is meant to be yours, will be.

Please, some more stories as per OP, and leave the slot cars out of it.
Go take some Dexedrine or whatever, but focus

I think this a good thread for telling good entertaining stories.

Regards, Alberto

 

1985...bought my first F car 308 gtb white from Steven Kessler..nyc.
Thought I was on top of the world.
That summer , attended a Limerock Ferrari event and went on a parade lap around the track..60mph tops..no passing
BUT..A chairs and flairs was one ahead of me, the entire lap..
Following a dino , is as thrilling as driving one.
The Rear flares from a low perspective was the clincher..
Needless to say I sold the 308 car within a month and bought my first dino CH & Flrs from Nick Soprano. 08232
continued with four more dinos over the next 4 years.

 

1st : at the beginning of the 70's (73 ? 74 in France ?) the TV series "The Persuaders". Both Danny and Brett are a little bit my "spiritual Fathers" !!!

2nd : in the meantime, 2km away from my home, there was a car dealer named "Paris Autos", in Marseilles, and I used to go on my bicycle and see a wonderful red Dino 246.

So, I was @ 8 /10 y.o.

 

Road & Track used to have two-page MG Mitten ads for car covers, luggage racks, Ray Dot mirrors, etc. They always had black-and-white illustrations accompanying the pictures of their products. One ad featured the 1965 Paris Auto Show Dino Berlinetta Speciale, with an MG Mitten luggage rack mounted on the engine lid! I thought that the Dino was just some commercial artist's idea of a design for a dream car, but I was nonetheless mesmerized by it. As soon as I became aware that it was the prototype for a real automobile, I was a Dino nut for life. For a number of years after, I kept a small picture of Sergio Pininfarina's Dino 206 in my wallet. I bought my first Dino scale model (of the Berlinetta Speciale) in Italy in 1969. I have it on a bookshelf in my living room to this day (along with a bunch of 246 GTs and GTSs). Fred

 

It was "The Persuaders" for me. I marvelled at the car with the flying buttresses, driven by Tony Curtis with his thin leather driivng gloves. It was so small and beautiful. The Aston looked large and ungainly in comparison.

The Persuaders showed here in Manila in the late 60s or early 70s, and I had a TR4 and later a Honda S800 sports car at the time. It was not until many years later that I saw my first Dino. I never imagined I would own one.

I have the Persuaders series on DVD now, and i enjoy watching it from time to time.

Andres