APS, Politoys, Policar & Polistil...

Policar was brand of APS-Politoys company founded in 1955 in Milan - Italy, later it will change its legal denomination to Polistil. APS-Politoys-Polistil will later prove itself as the biggest italian toy maker through three decades.

In its early years APS-Politoys is mainly a plastic toys maker and in 1963, following the wave coming from the USA begins producing slot cars under the brand Policar. Policar production is wide, it spans over more than 30 years and it's made of different series of different scales not equally known or successful but it is a sort of "cultural heritage" worth to be known and explored.

Logo APS

Logo Politoys

Logo Politoys anni 70

Logo Policar anni 70

Logo Polistil

Logo Polistil anni 80

The 60s

In 1963 makes its first slot cars: the Ferrari 156 "Squalo" a.k.a. "Shark Nose" because of the font air intake. This model is the only slot car branded 'APS' and it is produced in two colours: red and blue, the scale is 1/32.

Brochure POLICAR anni '60

The car is far from being exciting especially if compared to its english competitors: the motor is neither powerful nor reliable and the the car is a little awkward, but it is the first slot car produced in Italy by Policar and it came with a set of accessories and tracks including a four lanes one.

The APS series and the first "cigar" F1

In 1965 six new Formula One cars (the "cigar" F1) and two GT cars are added to the APS-Policar 1/32 series: the two legendary GT cars are the Ferrari 250 LM and the Ford GT40.
During 1968 the APS-Policar series is completed by the debut of seven new GT and Sport-Prototypes slot cars. These models are identified by the reference numbers P70 to P76 and are equivalent to the A70 to A76 references in the Policar 1/32 series.

Ferrari LM250 (P56)

Ford GT40 MK I (P57)

BRM F1 (P52)

Chaparral 2F (P72)

The APS-Policar series production will stop at the end of 1969 and the new Policar 1/32 series will make its debut.
The main difference between the two series concerns with the dimensions of the track: the standard straight of the first series (code P8)  is 220 long mm and 150 mm wide, the standard straight (code A8), remained unchanged until the end of the 90s, of the Policar 1/32 series is 300 mm long and 175 mm wide. This simple difference makes the two track systems incompatible.

Policar MINI

Nel 1965 la APS-Politoys mette sul mercato le POLICAR MINI da non confondere con la serie DROMOCAR: si tratta di quattro modelli di vetture sportive in scala HO (1/66) e da come si legge su una brochure del'epoca è "la pista di minimo ingombro che permette l'abbinamento con i treni in scala HO".

In senso orario:
Porsche 904 (giallo), Jagurar XKE (rosso), Giulietta SS (blu), Ferrari 250GTO/64 (rosso)

Brochure POLICAR MINI

Le confezioni erano nel classico stile APS-Politoys dell'epoca: fotografia dell' autodromo di Monza sul fronte della scatola e plastica gialla sagomata all'interno. Le Policar MINI inoltre erano dotate di pulsanti con un cursore che ne permetteva il blocco ad una posizione fissa per permettere di giocare da soli.
Nonostante l'ingombro ridotto e il prezzo concorrenziale le Policar MINI scomparvero presto dalla circolazione: i modelli erano fragili e dotati di un motore fin troppo tranquillo, inoltre l'assemblaggio dei segmenti di pista era difficoltoso: gli elementi si dovevano prima agganciare frontalmente e poi si farli scorrere di lato per agganciare gli incastri laterali.

Oggi le Policar MINI sono tra i pezzi più rari della produzione Policar, è molto difficile trovare modelli in buono stato considerata sia l'età che la fragilità, è comunque possibile ogni tanto scovare delle rarità eccezionali come questa:

Fusione dei quattro modelli di Policar MINI: dall 'alto verso il basso si riconoscono la Porsche 904, la Jaguar XKE,la Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS e la Ferrari 206 GTO/64.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Porsche 904 GTS Policar MINI

The fabulous 1/24 slot cars

In 1967 Policar introduces the first series of the 1/24 reproductions of the "sport-prototipo" cars, the so called Policar Super. With the introduction of this pecuiliar series Policar enters a market in which its main competitors are Mini Car and Cox providing a cheaper alternative but always in a sort of "racing style". The whole Policar Super production is high quality and for the first and only time in its blink an eye to the "pro" market.

Lamborgini Miura (320SP), De Tomaso Mangusta (322SP), Ferrari 330 P3 (321SP), OSI Scarabeo (323SP) info-box una foto d'epoca.

Because of the weakness of the lexan bodywork these slot cars are nowadays very rare and their price easily exceeds 300-400 euros for a model in good conditions. Even though the Policar Super slot cars were used in the "slot centers" born in Italy in '60s even in national competitions, the main goal of Policar was to "bring the 1/24 slot cars in to the houses of Italians", a fact supported by a certain set of 2 and 4-lanes track sets.

With this goal in mind Policar introduces in 1968 the second series of Sport-Prototypes cars whch shares with the Policar Super the track system only while the slot cars are totally different. The body work is made of a heavier plastic ("Moplen"), this makes the slot cars tougher but indeed heavier, the chassis went through radical changes and a new motor the Policar 150 is used, the same one of the first 1/32 slot cars

Ferrari Dino 206 Pininfarina Competizione (418PR)

Alfa Romeo 33 Periscopica (419PR)

OSI Bisiluro (420PR)

BRE Samurai (421PR)

The Policar Racing basic set: reference PR400 - (1968 catalogue)

Nearly at the same time, in 1968, the first cars of the newly born 1/32 "sport-prototipo" slot cars series comes out. This series share with the 1/24 series more than simple details: the motor and the tyres.