19LikesThe very first RC car?
02-22-2018, 12:56 PM
#16
Tech Master
.
what about the radio controlled aircraft.. WWII.. military
full size r/c....
what about the radio controlled aircraft.. WWII.. military
full size r/c....
02-22-2018, 05:44 PM
#17
Do boats count?
Tesla's Radio control Boat, 1898 -
https://www.engadget.com/2014/01/19/...-control-boat/
(Not Elon Musk's Tesla, but Nikola Tesla, the real life Mad Scientist)
Tesla's Radio control Boat, 1898 -
https://www.engadget.com/2014/01/19/...-control-boat/
(Not Elon Musk's Tesla, but Nikola Tesla, the real life Mad Scientist)
Sorry, couldn't help myself
02-22-2018, 06:51 PM
#19
delete
Last edited by Tamiyadan; 04-17-2019 at 08:06 AM.
03-09-2018, 07:26 AM
#21
Tech Initiate
Thread Starter
North america was an interesting place for R/C because the rocky mountains were blocking R/C from moving East. California was getting in product while the rest of the country had no idea.
it is another reason the hobby took off and went for so long. the move east was a REALLY slow burn so it built up a huge momentum and took forever to hit the east coast.
My research has, however, turned up an incredible article by Tom Dion of Detroit, Michigan in the March 1967 'Car Model' magazine documenting the production of 1/18 scale electric digital proportional cars and the formation of the Radio Control Racing Association of America. Tom and Leroy Pertner of St Clair Shores, Michigan formed the RCRAA and had written rules. They conducted weekly indoor races around the Detroit area.
They had done major research in car size (from 1/10 scale to 1/24 scale), Tom described six different radio control methods (from rubber band escapement to digital proportional) and they put it all together and produced and sold their own complete radios and cars under the NAMCO name!
Considering magazine lead times, all this research by Dion and Pertner had to start in early 1966 or before. This is about the same time Norb Meyer was working on his 1/8 scale, gas powered car in California. Norb's son Scott verified the date in his response to some misinformation in an 'RC Car Action' July, 2011 article by Matthew Higgins:
Scott Meyer
December 28, 2014 at 10:00 PM
Please get your history right. The first gas powered RC cars were invented by my dad Norbert Joseph Meyer in 1966 in our garage in 1966.
Even though I was very active in Midwest RC from 1968 through the early '70's, I had not heard of Dion or his cars. So the point that many people in many places were working on RC car development is a valid one. Some made it and some didn't but every area of the country had tinkers and promoters making RC car racing happen.
03-09-2018, 08:24 AM
#22
delete
Last edited by Tamiyadan; 04-17-2019 at 08:05 AM.
05-16-2018, 01:53 PM
#23
Tech Initiate
Thread Starter
I started this thread looking for the car described by several internet sites: "The very first r/c car created was the Ferrari 250LM which was nitro-powered. The remote-controlled car was invented in 1966 by Elettronica Giocattoli, an Italian electronics company.
And here it is, from a book by Italian model car collector Paolo Rampini:
Above - It is indeed a 1:12 scale Ferrari 250LM model controlled by a 3 channel radio. I can find no evidence that it is powered by an internal combustion engine.
Above - I found this very small picture on a Facebook RC page.
Above - This is a similar transmitter that was pictured with an El-Gi Ferrari P4. The translation:
spento = turned off — acceso = switched on
sinstra = left — destra = right
fermo = stationary — avanti = forward
trasmettitore = transmitter
It does not appear to be a transmitter for a digital proportional receiver.
My research has shown that many people were experimenting with radio controlled models since the 1800's. I agree that finding the 'first' in any category is difficult.
And here it is, from a book by Italian model car collector Paolo Rampini:
Above - It is indeed a 1:12 scale Ferrari 250LM model controlled by a 3 channel radio. I can find no evidence that it is powered by an internal combustion engine.
Above - I found this very small picture on a Facebook RC page.
Above - This is a similar transmitter that was pictured with an El-Gi Ferrari P4. The translation:
spento = turned off — acceso = switched on
sinstra = left — destra = right
fermo = stationary — avanti = forward
trasmettitore = transmitter
It does not appear to be a transmitter for a digital proportional receiver.
My research has shown that many people were experimenting with radio controlled models since the 1800's. I agree that finding the 'first' in any category is difficult.
Last edited by davidwp; 05-16-2018 at 02:20 PM. Reason: Format edit.
05-20-2018, 07:32 PM
#24
glad you found it finally proved it did exist. 
06-19-2018, 10:03 AM
#25
delete
Last edited by Tamiyadan; 04-17-2019 at 08:14 AM.
06-19-2018, 11:15 AM
#26
Tech Addict
iTrader: (1)
As an old timer that was around at the dawn of RC car racing, I am putting together a web page about early RC car history. In my cybersurfing, I frequently see versions of this reference -
From History Of R/C Cars - Britishradiocarassociation.co.uk
"This is when it all began. It started in the UK before it traveled to the US in the next decade. The very first r/c car created was the Ferrari 250LM – which was nitro-powered. The remote-controlled car was invented in 1966 by Elettronica Giocattoli, an Italian electronics company. A year after that, these cars were commercially produced by the British company, Mardave. In 1968, Elettronica Giocattoli created and produced a different model, one they called the Ferrari P4."
Has anyone ever seen a picture or a set of specs for this mystical Ferrari 250LM 'first RC car'? Note that the Ferrari 250LM in the photo with the Brit article above is sitting on a slot track and is actually this 1:32 Flyslot car:
Makes me think maybe you can't believe everything you see on the interweb. So, again, does anyone have a picture of the 'first RC car'?
Thanks!
From History Of R/C Cars - Britishradiocarassociation.co.uk
"This is when it all began. It started in the UK before it traveled to the US in the next decade. The very first r/c car created was the Ferrari 250LM – which was nitro-powered. The remote-controlled car was invented in 1966 by Elettronica Giocattoli, an Italian electronics company. A year after that, these cars were commercially produced by the British company, Mardave. In 1968, Elettronica Giocattoli created and produced a different model, one they called the Ferrari P4."
Has anyone ever seen a picture or a set of specs for this mystical Ferrari 250LM 'first RC car'? Note that the Ferrari 250LM in the photo with the Brit article above is sitting on a slot track and is actually this 1:32 Flyslot car:
Makes me think maybe you can't believe everything you see on the interweb. So, again, does anyone have a picture of the 'first RC car'?
Thanks!
06-19-2018, 11:35 AM
#27
Tech Initiate
Thread Starter
ones up for sale
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ELGI-ELLEGI...cAAOSwDZ1bJ6vt
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ELGI-ELLEGI...cAAOSwDZ1bJ6vt
Love these early radios!! I saw one of these pix on Facebook recently but there was no explanation of where it came from. As I noted previously, it is a very nicely done toy but without a digital proportional radio, it was not quite a full on race car. Now we just need a confirmed date from back in the day to see where this car fits into the history of Radio Control.
06-19-2018, 11:43 AM
#28
Tech Initiate
Thread Starter
......the first rc vehicles came out in the 50's and were all semi trucks at the time due to size of components at the time, in fact there is an old rc car action mag ( before it became rc traxxas craption) with a pic in the back pages of a 1050s jolly green giant rc semi truck.
06-19-2018, 11:50 AM
#29
delete
Last edited by Tamiyadan; 04-17-2019 at 08:14 AM.
06-19-2018, 09:16 PM
#30
Fantastic thread! I really like the idea of documenting our history just as major sports do. I think the research here is invaluable.