Duncan Hamilton at Oulton Park game.
|
|
|
The game shown here dates to the 1950s, and is a magnetic driving game based on the Oulton Park racing circuit in Cheshire. Well-known driver of the day Duncan Hamilton features on the box cover, inviting car-mad children to take part in a race at this track. The cover shows four racing cars sweeping through one of Oulton's flowing corners, with advertisements for "Shell X-100" and "Shell with ICA" fuels prominently placed. The lead driver looks suspiciously like one S. Moss, patriotically behind the wheel of the British Vanwall Grand Prix car of the late 1950s, and leaving the red and blue cars in his dust. The box lid also features illustrations of sportscars competing at the circuit on its end pieces.
|
|
|
The game was designed for two players, or two teams of players, with instructions given on the inside of the lid. It was produced by Bell (Toys and Games) Limited, of London, England. It seems that there were at least two versions of this game produced - mine has a single 'track', on which drivers take turns to compete laps as quickly as possible, without hitting the track furniture (bridges, hedges etc), and it seems that a second version was also sold, with two boards placed alongside each other, allowing head-to-head battles.
|
|
The drivers can choose from one of two cars, a single seater (Maserati-ish), and a sportscar (Jaguar D-Type). Both are plastic, and have small metal loops attached to their undersides. They are placed on the track, and "driven" around the course using the yellow steering wheel at the base of the board. A magnet, attached to the steering mechanism, moves beneath the track, guiding the car on it's way. Merit Toys sold a game that worked in a similar way, called Driving Test.
|
|
|
The Oulton Park course is still very similar today, albeit now with a chicane slowing things down at Knickerbrook, before the climb up Clay Hill to the Druids right-hander.
|
Duncan Hamilton.
Duncan Hamilton was born in 1920 and competed in motor racing until 1958. After the war he competed in five World Championship Grand Prix, and eighteen non-Championship Formula One races, although perhaps his sportscar achievements are better remembered now. He competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours race no less than nine times, six times co-driving Jaguar cars, either C-Types or (later) D-Types, winning alongside Tony Rolt in 1953.
|
|
Return to the car-related games section, where you'll also find the magnetic Merit GRAND PRIX game, and another similar game produced by Bell Toys, namely the Bell Cross-Country Rally.
|
