Motorific

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Toy Brands and Manufacturers

Motorific

1960s -     

The Motorific slotcar series by Ideal Toys was a single-track system with self-contained battery-powered cars and simple inexpensive slotted plastic guide track, produced from about ~1967 onwards.

The sheer number of different sets and vehicles produced by Ideal suggests that the system may have been popular, perhaps as a cheap "mail order catalogue" product.

With only one lane, the racing element in the "Racerific" sets seems to have been supplied by a large clockwork timer, and the fact that track was just a simple plastic mechanical slot-guide means that some of the sets were able to come with a large quantity of track and special sections, which on the largest set(s) included a large number of junctions, a hump, a wiggle and a loop section. "Remote control action" advertised for the larger set(s) seems to have amounted to remote switching for a junction.

Cars

The cars could be used with the Motorific system with a plastic guide peg fitted behind the car's front bumper, or (without the peg) as stand-alone battery-powered toy vehicles.

Sets

Browsing eBay turned up the following sets – there may be others:

Motorific Racerific

  • Motorific Wildcat Racerific
  • Motorific Racerific Survival Run XL
  • Motorific Fury Racerific
  • Motorific Super Fury Racerific (4680-5) – as above with extra track and features
  • Motorific Racerific Tornado (4601-1) - very large set

Motorific Action Highway

  • Motorific Action Highway – includes construction vehicles
  • Motorific Action Highway Midnight Special – includes construction vehicles with headlights, for use in low light

Motorific Torture Track

  • Motorific Dearborn Torture Track – smallish
  • Motorific Alcan Highway Torture Track – largeish
  • Motorific G.T.O Torture Track – fairly huge

Other

  • Motorific Automatic Action Service Centre – Garage with forecourt petrol pumps and two bays ... a first vehicle stops at the pumps until a second vehicle arrives.
  • Motorific Jalopy Showdown
  • Motorific Race Rally – a carry-case fixed with pop-studs, that unfolds to produce a green patch with two racestands and a lake.

Mini Motorific

  • Mini Motorific Sprint Racing 100
  • Mini Motorific Sprint Racing 150