Carrera Lola T222 - Home Racing World & Slot Car Garage

12/21/2011

Carrera Digital (Converted To Analog) 1/32nd Scale LOLA T222

The CAN-AM selection from Carrera just keeps growing and I could not be happier. Since the first releases that kicked off this series I have collected quite a few of them because vintage CAN-AM is one of my favorites, and the prior Carrera models are easily enough tuned for various track conditions. Throw in the low price point they carry and it is no wonder I am not the only one excited to see this car.

*Note* This was a Digital model and has had the digital board removed. You do not need to remove it in order for it to function in analog mode.

Here is a quick video on converting digital to analog with the chipset still installed.

DIGITAL to ANALOG CONVERSION VIDEO

Of course this series will not interest all of you, but for those that have a passion for it you likely already have this car in your hands. For those that are just joining us this CAN-AM series by Carrera is one of those series that seem to "stick" over time. Some models you see just do not have the staying power a popular series like this one does. Many veteran enthusiasts of not only slot cars, but 1:1 motor sports remember these monsters VERY well.

This model is based on the car Dave Casey drove circa 1971. Although the 1:1 itself had a few color combination changes, this one appears accurate enough according to some photos I have.

I will try and allow the photos to do most of the talking and let you decide if Carrera accomplished the mission of an accurate car.

For my eyes they did a fine enough job. The paint and decal work is acceptable although I did see some fading on the edges of the read and blue in some areas.

Detail level is also more than enough for me. No, it will not win any scale awards but for the average home racer like me it works just fine.

Wheels and tires seem ok, although the wheels almost appear a little on the small side.

Turning it over we see one magnet right before the rear axle. There is another magnet located inside the car right where the white numbers are located. We also see the front guide which works fine for Carrera and wood track owners but can cause some binding issues on Scalextric/SCX and NINCO track systems. The guide can be swapped to a different one Carrera sells separately or you can just trim/sand this one like I do.

Box Stock Track Testing
Models are tested straight from the case to the track.
It is the most honest test you can give in my opinion.
Scalextric Sport PLASTIC TRACK TEST
Temporary Setup - Design/Track Brand Changes Frequently

Testing on this track proved a little challenging. I needed to sand the guide on each side to make it thinner as in some areas it would bind. I also trimmed the rear edge of the blade to reduce the length.

This is not any fault of the car or the track in my eyes. It works fine on Carrera systems which it is primarily designed for. Sport track is decent track too and accommodates just about any other brand of slot car aside from these Carrera models with these huge guides. Carrera makes a different guide (Part# 85309) that you can order which is designed for use on tracks other than Carrera.

Once I sanded the guide the car functioned just fine. There is more than enough magnetic traction with both of these bar magnets working their magic to keep the car planted. You can still de-slot of course, but you really have to overdrive the model to accomplish it.

Out of the box the car will function and runs very well without any modifications other than some guide trimming and of course removing/bypassing the digital board. (Not required) If you have Carrera track then that will not be a factor at all. I paid well under $50.00 for this model from www.cincyslots.com which is another reason to like it. I can easily recommend this slot car for just about anyone in our hobby, newcomer or veteran.

CLOSER LOOK
*Quick Notes For The Veteran Enthusiasts*

First, let us compare this model to prior releases of the Porsche and McLaren.

A smaller model compared to them but still close enough to make close racing.

Here some quick measurements. Please allow a slight variance.

Once we removed the body mount screws you see pretty familiar territory. And that is a good thing in my opinion. Some slot car manufacturer's constantly change motors/gearing even in the same series creating incompatibility. Not so with the latest Carrera models.

Digital Circuit Board Removed For Photo. The quick disconnect plugs allow this easily and you can sell/save the chip for a later date.

Front wheels are independent and have a little excess slop, but not really enough to worry about. You could slide some thin plastic shims in here if you felt the need. You will need to sand the front tires to drop the guide a little and create a good tri-pod. I mounted these tires on the rear of the latest Opel GT and sanded them until I had them just right.

Gears are standard 9-27 (9 tooth pinion, 27 tooth crown) and the mesh is smooth as usual. Carrera does not spare the lube either.

ROUTED WOOD TRACK TEST
Permanent Track
MidMo International Speedway
4 x 16 - 3 Lane MDF Routed Wood Road Course - Flat Latex Surface
Copper Tape Conductivity - Aftermarket Power @ 12 Volts PARMA 25 OHM Control

Well, I would like to report decent testing and a comparison against the other models but I cannot. These are new wheels and I have no tires that fit them. I have already heard some of you are adjusting the inner rib of the wheel to fit Fly Classic or Slot.it F1 tires but I am out of stock.

And I want original dimension tires if I can. So these tires will be sent out to have molds made and I will get replacements soon enough. This is NOT going to be the only Lola we see from Carrera, so having them made will be worth the wait for me.

And you will need tires. Or at least you will if your track surface is like mine. The stock tires are not very good and provide very little grip. Of course I cannot blame Carrera really, they are not making these toys for my wood track and tire changes are pretty much the norm.

The laps I could muster though had positive notes. It seems these wheels and running gear are pretty straight and true. A session on my Area 3 tire machine showed this even more, so I am very pleased.

Final Thoughts

I am very, very pleased with this model. It looks great and will be tuned easily enough to my liking. And the price! Did I mention that already? If I did, it is worth repeating. To get a brand new slot car like this for under $40.00 is just fantastic in today's hobby. It makes the initial investment easy on those of us on tighter budgets and also offsets any added costs some of you will have if you start replacing parts.

Carrera keeps on making some great models that are decent runners out of the box and priced right. I do not collect every series they release, but I am sure this one will be around in my basement for quite awhile.

- Harry

As always feel free to contact me about this article or just the hobby in general at harry@homeracingworld.com, or better yet drop into our Message Forum and share your thoughts with other enthusiasts!

Model Purchased from CINCYSLOTS

Check Out Our Prior Carrera Can-Am Series Reviews!