Unique is one of the oldest American slot car companies, established in 1962, when they began producing high-quality chassis components for the 1/24 scale growing market. These chassis were mostly built for the Pittman model train motors. The truly first 1/24 scale RTR slot car model was built by Unique in the form of a Jaguar D-Type using a Pittman 700-series sidewinder motor and a modified Lindberg static model body kit, molded in a blue color for Unique. When big dollars hit the hobby, Unique would have been in an excellent position to capitalize on their experience, but instead chose a cheap route of somewhat substandard products, with chassis made of stamped electronic printed circuit fiberboard and stamped aluminum parts. Later, a newer line of RTR with a flimsy stamped aluminum chassis did not help. Unique used non proprietary parts such as Revell and Russkit motors, guides, gears, and in 18967 produced a pair of NASCAR stock cars with a new one-piece aluminum chassis that was a bit better than previous offerings. But by early 1968 the wring was on the wall and the company disappeared from the hobby business.
Unique
Unique is one of the oldest American slot car companies, established in 1962, when they began producing high-quality chassis components for the 1/24 scale growing market. These chassis were mostly built for the Pittman model train motors. The truly first 1/24 scale RTR slot car model was built by Unique in the form of a Jaguar D-Type using a Pittman 700-series sidewinder motor and a modified Lindberg static model body kit, molded in a blue color for Unique. When big dollars hit the hobby, Unique would have been in an excellent position to capitalize on their experience, but instead chose a cheap route of somewhat substandard products, with chassis made of stamped electronic printed circuit fiberboard and stamped aluminum parts. Later, a newer line of RTR with a flimsy stamped aluminum chassis did not help. Unique used non proprietary parts such as Revell and Russkit motors, guides, gears, and in 18967 produced a pair of NASCAR stock cars with a new one-piece aluminum chassis that was a bit better than previous offerings. But by early 1968 the wring was on the wall and the company disappeared from the hobby business.
