Motorific
Encyclopedia
Motorific is the brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 name of a line
Product lining
Product lining is the marketing strategy of offering for sale several related products. Unlike product bundling, where several products are combined into one, lining involves offering several related products individually. A line can comprise related products of various sizes, types, colors,...

 of battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...

-operated slot car
Slot car
A slot car is a powered miniature auto or other vehicle that is guided by a groove or slot in the track on which it runs. A pin or blade extends from the bottom of the car into the slot...

 toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...

s and related accessories marketed by the Ideal Toy Company
Ideal Toy Company
Ideal Toy Company was founded as Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in New York in 1907 by Morris and Rose Michtom after they had invented the Teddy bear in 1903. The company changed its name to Ideal Toy Company in 1938...

 from 1964 to the early 1970s. It differed from traditional slot car sets in that the cars were powered independently by a pair of AA batteries
AA battery
An AA battery is a standard size of battery. Batteries of this size are the most commonly used type of in portable electronic devices. An AA battery is composed of a single electrochemical cell...

, rather than by an electrical connection
Electrical connection
An electrical connection between discrete points allows the flow of electrons . A pair of connections is needed for a circuit.Between points with a low voltage difference, direct current can be controlled by a switch...

 to the track.

The cars ran on slotted plastic track which was snapped together in various layouts, ranging from a simple oval to elaborate patterns, some featuring jumps and hazards ("Motorific Torture Track").

After removing the detachable slot-car pin, the cars could also be run on the floor, with the front wheels steerable into one of three set positions (left, center, right).

Although some playsets were marketed to feature competitive
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...

 play between two operators ("Racerific"), in truth there was little allowance for competition since there was no operator control over speed.

Motorific vehicles and accessories remain popular as collectibles, particularly with baby boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...

 toy aficionados.

Marketing

Ideal introduced the Motorific line in 1964 as "The New Quick-Change Motor Toy" , offering a variety of popular car body style
Car body style
Automobiles' body styles are highly variable. Some body styles remain in production, while others become less common or obsolete. They may or may not correlate to a car's price, size or intended market classification. The same car model might be available in multiple body styles comprising a...

s that were interchangeable with common snap-on chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...

 and electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

s. Each of the three elements were sold separately and as sets in various combinations, as well as being packaged with a variety of track layouts.

The interchangeable bodies rode on a plastic chassis, with a removable "CU-24" motor. It was powered by two AA batteries which mounted in the chassis. An "On-Off" switch was on the bottom of the chassis. A removable metal conversion pin would slide on the front part of the chassis, in order to make the car usable on a Motorific (or regular slot car) track.

A special custom edition of the Motorific Torture Track was sold through Flying A (now Getty
Getty
-The Getty family and its businesses:* Getty family** George Getty, American lawyer and father of J. Paul Getty*** J. Paul Getty, wealthy American industrialist and founder of Getty Oil**** Talitha Getty , J. Paul Getty's second wife...

) gas stations in 1966, consisting of three individual sets with custom Flying A signs for the hazards.

In the first two years of distribution, there were 18 different Motorific car body styles offered for sale . Subsequently, a large number of styles became available in a "Motorific Custom Cars" line. The original models included the Thunderbird, Continental, Corvette, Rolls Royce, Mercury, Ford Truck, Imperial, Cadillac, Ford Wagon, Grand Prix, Impala, and Jaguar XKE.

Later releases included the Aston Martin, Barracuda, Riviera, Camaro, Duesenberg Phantom, Dune Buggy, Ferrari Berlinetta, 1957 Chevrolet, Ford Hot Rod, Mustang, Karmann Ghia, Mercedes Benz, Cougar, Woody Wagon, and Triumph TR-3.

The "Racing Car" series included the Chaparral, Ferrari 250, Ford J, Ford Mark I, Mako Shark, and Porsche GT. This series featured a beefier chassis than the original cars, with larger wheels and tires.

Ideal later introduced a smaller-scale car line more suited to racing ("Mini-Motorific"), as well as sets featuring Motorific trucks ("Action Highway") which ran on wider-sized track, and a line of motorized boats ("Boaterific").

The "Mini-Motorific" line included the Bonneville Racer, Chaparral D2, Charger, Custom Rod, Delta Duo, Ferrari Special, Firebird, Ford Allegro, Ford GT Mark IV, Mangusta, Plymouth GTX, Police Car, Porsche 907, Shelby Mustang, Stingray, and Wrecker. The chassis on the Minis were diecast, and used a smaller version of the motor, now referred to as "CU-25". The conversion pin was now built into the chassis, and folded up when not in use.

The "Motorific Truck" series included the Fire Patrol Pumper, Mighty Hauler Dump Truck, Mighty Mixer Cement Truck, Refrigerator Van, Tri-Cola Delivery, Thruway Service Wrecker, Stake Truck, Highway Maintenance, Troop Transport, and Tractor Trailer.

A line of "Computer Cars" were also introduced late in the production run. Unlike the other cars, they did not run on a track. They were designed to run only on the floor. An interchangeable disk in the bottom of the model car would change the direction the car traveled. The disks were for Figure 8, Slalom, Square, and Dog Bone. Three orange barrels were included with the cars to navigate around. The chassis was a combination of the past designs. It was a full size motorific body with a diecast chassis, but used the smaller "CU-25" motor from the Mini line. The bodies used were re-issues of older motorific styles, but had new color schemes and a "Computer Car" decal on the roof top of each car. The "Computer Car" series included the Camaro, Mustang, Ferrari, Triumph TR-3, Jaguar XKE, and the Barracuda.

U.S. Customs appeal

In 1970, the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
The United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals is a former United States federal court which existed from 1909 to 1982 and had jurisdiction over certain types of civil disputes.-History:...

 denied Ideal's request to have Motorific plastic car bodies and chassis reclassified as "parts" rather than toys. Such a reclassification would have significantly reduced the import
Import
The term import is derived from the conceptual meaning as to bring in the goods and services into the port of a country. The buyer of such goods and services is referred to an "importer" who is based in the country of import whereas the overseas based seller is referred to as an "exporter". Thus...

ation tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....

 charged to Ideal (10%-17%, versus 35%). The appeal
Appeal (motion)
In parliamentary procedure, an appeal from the decision of the chair is used to challenge a ruling of the chair.-Explanation and Use:George Demeter notes that it "protects the assembly against the arbitrary control of the meeting by its presiding officer." The most common occasions for the motion...

document revealed the company's two-year sales unit figures for Motorific: in 1964, Ideal sold 935,928 chassis; 1,761,186 car bodies; and 695,805 electric motors. In 1965, they sold 3,749,561 chassis; 4,260,793 bodies; and 3,937,201 motors.

External links

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