Need help with identifying and and seeing worth of Vintage RC car

[WRM]

I only glanced at the first pic, because I thought it was the LaTrax Alpha. I didn't realize it was actually the Porsche. My brother almost killed me over his LaTrax Porsche, because I caused my dad to run it over. After that, as well as sinking two boats, and crashing 4 planes into the side of a school, I wasn't allowed to even look at another RC again until the late 80's (what can I say. I was 8 years old then) . My dad flew one of his planes into a closed window of the same school, and shattered the window. He didn't get his plane back until school started, which I thought was funny.

I want to hear this story?...

 

[cruel_hand_luke]

Lol that is pretty funny, but I enjoy chaos so I would've found a way into that school lol.

 

[biggman100]

I don't know what he is running, but that is not an accurate representation of the cost of an average car or controller. There is a lot to be had in the sub 300 range that is a ton of fun and good quality.

Not in the world of semi-professional and professional RC racing. I have friends that go all over the country racing RC drag cars, and it's not uncommon to spend $5,000 or more on custom carbon fiber and aluminum builds. At that level, you can't just buy an off the shelf car, and expect to win. They have only done it a few times, but, there have been competitions where $25,000 is the top prize, so, off the shelf stuff just doesn't cut it. The top racers, between what they win, sponsor money, and other factors, can make $150,000 a year, if not a bit more. You have to be near perfect every time though to win at that level.

 

[biggman100]

I want to hear this story?...

Actually, that is mild, compared to other things I have seen, RC wise, with my family, as well as my ex FIL, who is huge into planes. I've seen planes catch on fire mid air, and melt to almost nothing before hitting the ground, boats that were obliterated at high speed just by hitting a wave in rough water, and, have countless stories involving wrecked and destroyed RC cars. As for the LaTrax alpha, and my dad running it over, my brother wouldn't let me anywhere near it, so, I basically stole it when he wasn't home, and, as I was coming down the street, my dad turned the corner and flattened it. With the boats, that was actually worse, because they were hand built from scratch, custom built powered sail boats that my grandfather built. I was on a local pond, ran into a dock with one, and sank it, and, the other, I ran it into someone's kayak not paying attention. I completely destroyed a Traxxas boat in the early 90's trying to show off, so, me wrecking boats and cars isn't anything uncommon. For those that don't know, a powered sail boat is a boat with sails and a motor. I never bothered with the sails (the sails were a nightmare , because they ran off a separate, multi channel radio, mainly multiplex royal's and were finicky to get right), I just used the motor until the battery died, and, then would use a canoe to recover them. The upside, sinking RC boats got me interested in swimming, and being a diver, so, something good kind of came out of it, although, I only recovered one of the boats I sank. As for planes, to this day, I can't fly a plane. My ex, who is still my current roommate, and is huge into aircraft, won't let me anywhere near her planes, because, luckily, it was a couple cheaper ones, but, I wrecked one in less than 25 seconds, and, she is just one in a line of people that have tried to teach me how to fly. I'm just not into it, so I really don't care about learning how to do it, to be totally honest. I prefer boats and cars, and, I only have cars as stress relief, so, I have never once taken a car out without breaking it, until a few years ago, with a Traxxas I over built, that just won't break, no matter how hard I am with it.

 

[cruel_hand_luke]

Actually, that is mild, compared to other things I have seen, RC wise, with my family, as well as my ex FIL, who is huge into planes. I've seen planes catch on fire mid air, and melt to almost nothing before hitting the ground, boats that were obliterated at high speed just by hitting a wave in rough water, and, have countless stories involving wrecked and destroyed RC cars. As for the LaTrax alpha, and my dad running it over, my brother wouldn't let me anywhere near it, so, I basically stole it when he wasn't home, and, as I was coming down the street, my dad turned the corner and flattened it. With the boats, that was actually worse, because they were hand built from scratch, custom built powered sail boats that my grandfather built. I was on a local pond, ran into a dock with one, and sank it, and, the other, I ran it into someone's kayak not paying attention. I completely destroyed a Traxxas boat in the early 90's trying to show off, so, me wrecking boats and cars isn't anything uncommon. For those that don't know, a powered sail boat is a boat with sails and a motor. I never bothered with the sails (the sails were a nightmare , because they ran off a separate, multi channel radio, mainly multiplex royal's and were finicky to get right), I just used the motor until the battery died, and, then would use a canoe to recover them. The upside, sinking RC boats got me interested in swimming, and being a diver, so, something good kind of came out of it, although, I only recovered one of the boats I sank. As for planes, to this day, I can't fly a plane. My ex, who is still my current roommate, and is huge into aircraft, won't let me anywhere near her planes, because, luckily, it was a couple cheaper ones, but, I wrecked one in less than 25 seconds, and, she is just one in a line of people that have tried to teach me how to fly. I'm just not into it, so I really don't care about learning how to do it, to be totally honest. I prefer boats and cars, and, I only have cars as stress relief, so, I have never once taken a car out without breaking it, until a few years ago, with a Traxxas I over built, that just won't break, no matter how hard I am with it.

While I am I am not into RCs I can relate to this, often playing Battlefield with a friends online and it turned into a joke... I can hold my own and do well..... until get into any type of aircraft, i guess my brain just doesn't process the movement right.

 

[Jerold]

That isn't a Traxxas LaTrax. It's a LaTrax RC from the late 70's or 80's. That one, if I remember correctly, is the LaTrax Alpha. Although LaTrax RC became Traxxas later on in the Mid 80's, the two are different companies overall. This page shows the history of LaTrax RC before becoming Traxxas:
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2248055-vintage-LaTrax-Brilliant-yellow-corvette

For those of you talking about the Firebird, it's actually a '79. My older brother was obsessed with LaTrax RC cars, and, I think he eventually had every one they offered, and, I clearly remember him buying the Firebird the day it came out, because, that same day, my mom gave birth to my youngest sibling, and, my older brother was more interested in going and buying the Firebird than he was in meeting his newest sibling, and, him and my dad got in an argument over it. It's sometimes odd to me the way I remember things.

I remembered the Latraxx line from Traxxas and asked Gemini about it.

The story of LaTrax is actually the origin story of Traxxas itself. It’s a classic tale of a family legacy in the RC industry.

The Origins: The 1970s​

• The Founder: LaTrax was founded in 1974 by Jim Jenkins.
• A Pioneer: In the 1970s, LaTrax was a legitimate industry innovator. They were among the first to offer "Ready-To-Run" (RTR) models, which were fully assembled out of the box and included digital-proportional radio systems—a major technical leap at the time when many other models were sold as complicated kits that required the owner to source their own radio gear and build everything from scratch.
• The Models: The original LaTrax brand produced several iconic models during that era, such as the LTX-40, various scale sports cars (like a Camaro Z28 and Corvette), and the Hustler buggy.

The Transition​

• The Sale: In 1980, Jim Jenkins sold the LaTrax brand to a company called Brinkmann. Unfortunately, after a few years of ownership, Brinkmann decided to exit the hobby/toy RC market and shuttered the division.
• The Birth of Traxxas: In 1986, Jim Jenkins' son, Mike Jenkins (the current CEO of Traxxas), launched Traxxas. The company was built on the foundation and experience established by the original LaTrax brand.
  
  

 

[biggman100]

Although most claim Traxxas was the first to introduce RTR vehicles, they actually weren't the first. They were the first to make a true hobby grade RTR vehicle, but, the first RTR was the Elettronica Giocattoli Ferrari 250 LM., in the mid 60's.

 

[Jerold]

Although most claim Traxxas was the first to introduce RTR vehicles, they actually weren't the first. They were the first to make a true hobby grade RTR vehicle, but, the first RTR was the Elettronica Giocattoli Ferrari 250 LM., in the mid 60's.

I fell like there was another thread on this. There were many other before Traxxas. But they were the first to go big with it and perhaps the first to sell hobby grade RTR.

Similar to Ford did not invent the car, but they did make it mainstream.

 

[cruel_hand_luke]

I remembered the Latraxx line from Traxxas and asked Gemini about it.

The story of LaTrax is actually the origin story of Traxxas itself. It’s a classic tale of a family legacy in the RC industry.

The Origins: The 1970s​

• The Founder: LaTrax was founded in 1974 by Jim Jenkins.
• A Pioneer: In the 1970s, LaTrax was a legitimate industry innovator. They were among the first to offer "Ready-To-Run" (RTR) models, which were fully assembled out of the box and included digital-proportional radio systems—a major technical leap at the time when many other models were sold as complicated kits that required the owner to source their own radio gear and build everything from scratch.
• The Models: The original LaTrax brand produced several iconic models during that era, such as the LTX-40, various scale sports cars (like a Camaro Z28 and Corvette), and the Hustler buggy.

The Transition​

• The Sale: In 1980, Jim Jenkins sold the LaTrax brand to a company called Brinkmann. Unfortunately, after a few years of ownership, Brinkmann decided to exit the hobby/toy RC market and shuttered the division.
• The Birth of Traxxas: In 1986, Jim Jenkins' son, Mike Jenkins (the current CEO of Traxxas), launched Traxxas. The company was built on the foundation and experience established by the original LaTrax brand.
  

I remembered the Latraxx line from Traxxas and asked Gemini about it.

The story of LaTrax is actually the origin story of Traxxas itself. It’s a classic tale of a family legacy in the RC industry.

The Origins: The 1970s​

• The Founder: LaTrax was founded in 1974 by Jim Jenkins.
• A Pioneer: In the 1970s, LaTrax was a legitimate industry innovator. They were among the first to offer "Ready-To-Run" (RTR) models, which were fully assembled out of the box and included digital-proportional radio systems—a major technical leap at the time when many other models were sold as complicated kits that required the owner to source their own radio gear and build everything from scratch.
• The Models: The original LaTrax brand produced several iconic models during that era, such as the LTX-40, various scale sports cars (like a Camaro Z28 and Corvette), and the Hustler buggy.

The Transition​

• The Sale: In 1980, Jim Jenkins sold the LaTrax brand to a company called Brinkmann. Unfortunately, after a few years of ownership, Brinkmann decided to exit the hobby/toy RC market and shuttered the division.
• The Birth of Traxxas: In 1986, Jim Jenkins' son, Mike Jenkins (the current CEO of Traxxas), launched Traxxas. The company was built on the foundation and experience established by the original LaTrax brand.
  

Jim Jenkins also started Traxxas and later was able to get the rights back to LaTrax... LaTrax is currently a subsidiary of Traxxas... and Mike acquired Traxxas in the early 2000's