Tether Cars are model racing cars powered by miniature

internal combustion An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combus ...

engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

and

tether A tether is a cord, fixture, or flexible attachment that characteristically anchors something movable to something fixed; it also maybe used to connect two movable objects, such as an item being towed by its tow. Applications for tethers includ ...

ed to a central post. Unlike

radio control Radio control (often abbreviated to RC) is the use of control signals transmitted by radio to remotely control a device. Examples of simple radio control systems are garage door openers and keyless entry systems for vehicles, in which a small ...

cars, the driver has no remote control over the model's speed or steering.

Basics

Tether cars are often small (less than 1 meter in length), powered by a non-radio controlled model aeroplane engine (two stroke, glow plug, piston liner, etc.), and run on fuel supplied by a fuel tank within the car. Since 2015, 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 (California), Dick McCoy (Duro-Matic Products), Garold Frymire (Fryco Engineering) 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.

Locations and speed records

There are tracks in Australia (Brisbane and Sydney), New Zealand, Germany, 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

References

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External links