R.C. Car - Classic Toy Series Traditional Cache

This cache is part of a series on classic toys that originated no later than the 1970's. Most will have originated earlier, much earlier. I wanted to bring a little history behind these toys in the cache page and a little fun in the cache.

The beginnings of the remote control car can be traced back to the 1940s, when small, nitromethane-powered engines first entered the market. At the time, the only way to control an engine-powered model car was with a tether. While these cars were fast, they merely ran in a circle from the tether.




In the late 1960s, the first miniaturized solid state radio control systems were introduced, allowing model cars to have servo-controlled steering, throttle, and brake functionality that could be remotely controlled from a transmitter unit. Several early commercially viable remote control cars became available by 1966, produced by El-Gi, a company from Reggio Emilia, Italy. Their first remote control car model was a 1:12 Ferrari 250LM. This was followed by their 1:10 Ferrari P4 model, which was first shown at the Milan Toy Fair in early 1968.




Between the mid to late 1960s, a British company called Mardave also began to produce commercially viable remote control cars. Their first products were nitro- or gas-powered cars which were sold in the early 1970s.




Today, radio-controlled cars can still do all the old tricks, but now they're operating at higher speeds. Modern remote-control fanatics claim that the tiny cars can move at up to 85 m.p.h. when they compete in annual remote-control-vehicle races and tournaments.

The cache location has been approved by Brian Russart of the Milwaukee County Department of Parks. Permit # 533

This cache placed by a member of: (click to visit our website)