Honour a racing legend with the Ken Miles Triple Pack

Ken Miles left a lasting legacy in the motorsport world, making his mark as both an engineer and a driver during his short career. Here’s the story behind the Scalextric Ken Miles Triple Pack, which features slot car replicas of three of his most well-known cars.

Born in Sutton Coldfield in 1918, he had an interest in fixing up motorbikes from a young age. When he was 15, he began an apprenticeship at Wolseley Motors, which was cut short by his enlistment into army service with the Second World War.

After the war, Miles started to build his racing rreer. His first race was at Silverstone in 1949 in a Mercury V8-powered Frazer Nash. He moved to America in 1951 and worked with high-performance sports cars like MGs, Porsches and Ferraris, before meeting Carroll Shelby.

A meeting of motoring minds

By the time Miles and Shelby met in the early 1960s at a race in southern California, Miles was already a highly sought after engineer and driver. Their shared passion for the racing industry made them an unstoppable pair that revolutionised the motoring world.

Together, the duo pushed boundaries and set new standards in the racing world. Unfortunately, their working relationship ended too soon, in 1966, when tragedy struck.

Miles was testing the Ford GT40 J-car, a promising vehicle that had already been plagued with issues. Hitting speeds above 200mph, the car suddenly flipped, crashed, and caught fire. Miles died at the scene.

The cars that made the Scalextric Ken Miles Triple Pack

Despite only being 47 years old when he died, Miles’ contribution to the motoring world was invaluable. Our slot car triple pack celebrates three of the most exciting vehicles he touched.

Shelby Cobra

The first collaboration between Shelby and Miles was the Shelby Cobra. This car filled a hole in the world of motorsport, inspired by the elegance of European racing and the power of American muscle cars. The result was a hybrid of the two styles, capturing the heart of America with a car that could compete in Europe.

Taking an AC Ace roadster and re-engineering it to house a V8 engine, the car went on to set new records on racetracks across America. It then crossed the waters to compete against the Ferraris of Le Mans. While it didn’t win the trophy at that event, it did make waves across Europe, with primary engineer Miles leading the charge.

Shelby GT350

Miles and Shelby took the Ford Mustang and turned it into a racing superstar. To be accepted in motorsport, they had to convert it to a two-seater. They also reworked the front suspension, modified the camber and roll centre, and improved the steering. They added power with bolt-on speed equipment and a free-flowing exhaust system.

The result was a car that saw immediate success on the racetrack. Miles won his first race in it at Green Valley, Texas, and other drivers on the team won races in it too.

Ford GT40 Mk II

The Ford GT40 was created with one vision in mind: beat the Ferraris at Le Mans.

Ferrari had been champions at 24 Hours of Le Mans for the previous six years in a row, so beating them was seen as the ultimate challenge.

The first versions of the car weren’t as successful as Ford had hoped, so they brought in Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles to improve the design. The GT40 MkII achieved far more success, giving Miles victories at both 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966. But Le Mans was still on the table.

In the end, eight of these powerful cars were entered into the event, and one did win. But it wasn’t the one Ken Miles was driving. This was because Ford’s racing director wanted to stage a dead heat finish with his cars, so he ordered Ken Miles to slow down a little on the last day so that his teammate, Bruce McLaren could catch up.

Unfortunately, this meant that McLaren had effectively covered more ground and Miles lost his chance to win the race. But as an engineer, he had done his job – the Ford GT40 MkII left Ferrari eating dust!

These three racing icons have now been immortalised in slot car form, thanks to the Scalextric Ken Miles Triple Pack. These highly detailed designs feature working front and rear lights and Magnatraction for improved handling. Whether you’re a fan of the golden age of motorsport or you just want to recreate some of Miles’ most iconic races, this is a must-have set for collectors and racers.

Order yours today to add to your slot car collection.