| #ffffff;" /> | | | | Schumacher Racing (a British company which |
| Radio controlled cars first appeared some sixty years | | | | replaced the then standard solid axle with a ball |
| ago in the 1940s but the technology at the time was | | | | differential, allowing cars to be finely tuned for different |
| crude and, although cars could be run at speeds of up | | | | track conditions) and Associated Electrics (a California |
| to 70 mph, it was only possible to run them round and | | | | based company which introduced the model that |
| round in a circle on a tether. | | | | quickly dominated the off-road racing market - the |
| By the late 1960s however technology had advanced | | | | RC10 off-road electric car). |
| considerably and miniature solid state radio control | | | | The 1980s saw a major shift away from what many |
| systems became available. This meant that cars could | | | | described as "toy" cars towards truly precision crafted |
| be controlled from a control transmitter unit with | | | | models of the very highest standards. Traditional |
| remotely controlled servo-assisted steering, throttle and | | | | manufacturing materials were dispensed with as were |
| brakes. Radio controlled models could now be run on a | | | | many of the established production methods. Chassis |
| race track rather than simply in a circle and the | | | | were now made from high-grade anodized aluminium |
| precision of control available meant that they could be | | | | alloy, which was also used in the manufacture of |
| run in much the same way as a real vehicle. | | | | oil-filled, machined and tunable shock absorbers. Many |
| Despite the advances in technology during the 1960s, it | | | | components normally pressed from plastic were also |
| was not until 1976 that the first commercially available | | | | replaced with high-impact nylon, including such things as |
| cars were seen. Produced by Tamiya (a Japanese | | | | suspension control arms and wheels. |
| company with a reputation for supplying detailed plastic | | | | Today's interest in off-road 4 wheel drive vehicles |
| model kits), these early cars were very crude in | | | | was also sparked during the 1980s with the |
| mechanical terms and somewhat expensive but, | | | | introduction by Schumacher of the Competition All |
| nevertheless, they sold well. | | | | Terrain (CAT) vehicle which won the off-road world |
| Over the coming years Tamiya concentrated its | | | | championship in 5 out of the 10 years following its |
| attention on the mechanics of these early models and, | | | | introduction. |
| by the mid 1980s, they were producing some | | | | Competition is of course the driving force behind any |
| extremely popular models such as the Grasshopper, | | | | market today, including the market for radio controlled |
| Hornet, Blackfoot and Clodbuster with more powerful | | | | cars, and for several years a strong rivalry between |
| engines, working suspension systems and textured | | | | Associated Electrics and Team Losi (founded by Gil |
| tyres. | | | | Losi Jr., a racetrack owner from California) led to a |
| This was really the start of the hobby radio controlled | | | | rapid development of high quality models, both |
| car as we know it today and quickly brought other | | | | technically and in terms of the range of cars available. |
| producers into the market. These included | | | | |