Studio 65

By John and Emma Kit

Whether it was driving her pedal car or going to car shows, my daughter Emma has always been keen about cars and very enthusiastic when she was able to experience them up close. But being able to “drive” them was the most fun for her.

When I introduced Emma to slot cars it was a great excuse to relive part of my own childhood. She and I did this together and we both encouraged mom to participate as well.

This activity enabled Emma to drive cars without any real assistance from anyone. Unlike video games, when you went off the track, there were real consequences to contend with, including damage to your car that someone (me) would have to repair.

I was learning as much as she was, as the hobby evolved from simply putting track on the floor and racing, into what can now be best described as model car racing on tracks that rival scale train layouts. The realism of a track’s scenery is just as important and as much fun to create as the cars are. It effects the imagination, and the cars really look great as they race by trees, pits and grandstands of spectators made to scale.

With the internet came a great community of like-minded enthusiasts who were more than willing to share examples of great cars and layouts, with a lot of generous support instructing how to do anything you wanted to do for your track and cars. It felt like a parallel universe to what was happening with the collector car hobby only in miniature!

Our track was certainly in need of accessory items: half tires for the turn apexes, fences and buildings, and pylons for the pits. So when she was eight years of age, I taught Emma how to sculpt and cast pylons.

She asked a simple question: “Would anyone else need and like these pylons enough to buy them?”

Not to let a teachable moment go by, Emma got a very practical lesson in mathematics using real money.

So we packaged some up and asked a local hobby store if they would be interested in stocking them—and they were.

They sold quite well and the lesson stuck.

In addition to this, she was exposed to many car-themed activities such as car shows and auctions where there was always a guaranteed British sports car contingent of some sort.

As she got older and increased the number of products she sold through the company we named Studio 65, she decided that she wanted to create her own car.

This was quite an undertaking as the parts had to be designed, molded and cast with the foresight of producing them in quantity, with quality to be assembled and finished into model cars that are able to be raced.

Every part of the car is manufactured ‘in house’ with the exception of the gears, motor and pick up brushes, and guide blade. The slot cars are also representative of their full-size versions in that they have a front motor with a driveshaft to a crown gear driving the rear wheels.

So after some thought, she decided on the Jaguar XK120 as her first in 2013. The release was successful and a Ferrari 340 was released as a follow-up in 2014.

Emma was quite clear on her choice for 2015. Vintage British sports cars certainly get her attention, but one in particular made a lasting impression: The Austin-Healey Sprite.

When asked why she liked this car, she would say that it just made her happy. It was cute. It was also a car that she remembered, even at a young age, she could fit in and “drive.”

She learned that this car also brought sports cars to people who could not afford an Aston or Jaguar. The Sprite was not about speed but about the driving experience; where 50 miles per hour felt like 100.

It was also a car you could use through the week, drive to the track, put tape on the lights, remove the windscreen, race—and drive back home in.

The resulting car is one that she is quite pleased with, and it performs as well as it looks. She even gave the driver a smile to match the “face” of the Sprite.

Emma is now sixteen and in addition to Studio 65 she has a part-time job at our local library, and she just earned her senior black belt in traditional karate while maintaining a 90% average in her third year of high school.

With the success of this release, she is already thinking of the next car to make. No doubt it will be British, but there are so many to choose from! We plan on going to more car shows and auctions this year. The cars and the people who like them as much as we do will be a great help with making the decision of which British sports car to build next.

For more information, visit www.studio-65.com.