Tether car


Tether Cars are model racing cars powered by miniature internal combustion engines and tethered to a central post. Unlike radio control cars, the driver has no remote control over the model's speed or steering.

Basics

The little cars are powered by a non-radio controlled model aeroplane engine, and run on fuel supplied by a fuel tank within the car. Over the past couple of years, electric motor driven cars, powered by batteries, have also emerged.

History

Tether cars were developed beginning in the 1920s–1930s and still are built, raced and collected today. First made by hobby craftsmen, tether cars were later produced in small numbers by commercial manufacturers such as Dooling Brothers, Dick McCoy, Garold Frymire BB Korn, and many others. Original examples of the early cars, made from 1930s to the 1960s, are avidly collected today and command prices in the thousands of dollars.

Today

There are tracks in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and other countries. World Championship races are held every 3 years, the 2013 World Championships was held in Basel, Switzerland.

World records