Description
After several years using the Mabuchi components, George and Ron Mura took the high road and made their own so as to compete with the emerging Champion Company. Using a can manufactured for Tradeship with some modifications, as well as a new molding of an endbell patterned after the Mabuchi FT16D unit but made of much better material, the M400 series was issued in early 1968.
At the same time, Mura signed arguably the best slot car racer of his time, John Cukras, to give technical help as well as race the resulting improved motors. The first series had two-color cans and a black endbell using a copy of the Mabuchi hardware, but they were rather fragile as their armatures had no commutator ties and soldered connectors. Many simply blew up. These are very scarce today.
A second series used a much better white endbell with pent-roof brush holders and one-color cans painted in pink or white, and the armatures were now tied and welded. These were much more successful and were sold in fair quantities. Besides assembled motors, there were motor kits as well as separate armatures and parts such as “signature” endbells. Today a Mura-Cukras motors is one of the most collectible motors ever produced for slot car racing use.
