Powertrack

Powertrack is the brand name for the Matchbox's slot car sets. Introduced in the late 1970s by Lesney Products Ltd, Powertrack models differed from other slot car sets because the cars could be seen in the dark as the cars had headlights. Matchbox's H0/00 (approx. 1:64) cars were smaller than Scalextric 1:32-scale cars. In the United States, the series was renamed "Speedtrack".

In the UK, Powertrack was a less expensive product than Scalextric and traded heavily on the Matchbox brand. With the smaller size, the layouts could be quite complex yet still fit in the typical 8×4 ft board size. Additionally, it did not sit out of place with H0/00 railway sets and Matchbox's own 75 die-cast range. Peter Kay commented in his autobiography The Sound of Laughter that the Race 'N' Chase set he received for Christmas in the late 1970s was the best Christmas present ever.

With the collapse of Lesney/Matchbox in the early eighties, the last official year of production appears to be 1982. Various attempts to buy the Lesney stock and continue selling the products were tried but subsequently died out. Most notably, Proops Brothers, of Tottenham Court Road, London packaged together sets in plain boxes and sold existing sets with various car combinations. Latterly, several vehicles appear from time to time rebranded as "Counterlane" but these too were short lived.[1]

The sets came with either a 6-volt, a 12-volt or an 18-volt power unit. The 18-volt (HVT) cars are extremely quick due to the size and weight and handle well with the aid of a magnet on the underside.