COVENTRY is getting its own collectable Scalextric car to mark its year as UK City of Culture – inspired by a very special model that was made in the city.
A Jaguar XJ-S touring car that qualified for pole position in the 1982 24-hour Spa-Francorchamps European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) race – and won the 1984 edition – has been reimagined as a 1:32 scale Scalextric car emblazoned with Coventry City of Culture 2021 livery and will soon be available for keen collectors to buy.
It is the first time that this model, made famous by Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) for its appearances at the famous Belgian circuit, has been memorialised in the form of a Scalextric car in an extremely limited run of just 1,000 models.
It features a carefully arranged skin design to reflect Coventry City of Culture Trust’s core message: Coventry Moves.
A bird’s eye view of the car, originally a 5.3 litre V12 manufactured from 1975 until 1996, reveals the letters, C, O and V, with arrows on the wings and doors to mirror the city’s forward momentum and the Coventry 2021 brand.
It also includes references to Coventry’s Two-Tone culture and its transport heritage, with black and white tiles on the side and a spoked wheel emblem figuring as the O in “Cov”. The number plate also reads COV 2021.
Laura McMillan, director of audience strategy at Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “It’s been fantastic to work with Hornby to design a car that signifies the city that moves.
“Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture will be one to remember and I hope that whether you’re a keen Scalextric collector, or someone who wants to own a piece of Coventry history, you can get your hands on one of these limited-edition pieces before they sell out.”
The limited-edition Coventry 2021 TWR Jaguar XJ-S Touring Scalextric can be pre-ordered here and will be delivered in early 2022.
