I normally stay away from reviewing limited edition releases, usually because by the time I get my hands on them, they are no longer available. But as of the writing of this article (09/12/2023) the Competition Packs were still available. This set was a very welcome addition and I appreciate the history and the personal ties of the group that teamed up to create this offering. When I started collecting slot cars in the early 1970’s, the original Competition Pac, or at least one of the candy Mustangs was one of the first items on my list to acquire. There were no swap meets that I knew of and of course we had no Internet, but yard sales and flea markets were great sources and I was able to snag a candy green Mustang with sizable cuts to the rear wheel wells, but I had one in my pit box! Now we can have a modern version to collect and race.
Cherry Valley Hobbies (Bob Beers) and Slot Car Central partnered with AFX to recreate the Competition Pack reminiscent of the package released by Aurora for the Grand National Championship. The new set includes two 1965 Ford Mustang Fastbacks in candy green and candy red. The cars are equipped with the AFX Mega G+ 1.7 chassis and are ready to race.
Here’s the historical information that is included in the package:
In 1962, Ford Motor Company and Aurora Plastics united to create one of the most successful slot car racing programs in history, the Grand National Championship. Aurora’s President, Abe Shikes, and his friend Lee Iococca of Ford, struck a deal; Aurora would promote all of their HO scale Ford model slot cars and Ford would donate a real car to the winner.
The Championship was massively successful and ran until 1966. To enter the event racers had to purchase a Competition Pac with Limited Edition Mustangs…Just like the ones in the newly released set of cars covered here.
22085A 1965 Ford Mustang – Candy Green/Silver
22085B 1965 Ford Mustang – Candy Red/Silver
You even get a commemorative medal, reminiscent of the medals offered at the Grand National Championship events. The front has the Grand National Championship logo and years that it was run. The back has the release number for the set of cars in the package. Only 4008 of these sets are being produced, so they are a very limited edition.
Here are few more shots of this winning pair.
Pre-orders of this set of cars began earlier this year and they were very well received and I know I was watching Facebook for updates. Once it was announced the sets were on the way, I was watching the mailbox for the arrival. Kudos to Cherry Valley Hobbies and Slot Car Central for the speedy service in getting these out to everyone that pre-ordered. If this set of cars strikes your fancy, act now to get your order in. I would assume that there are not too many left with as nice as these cars are.