The First Remote Control Car: Who Made It and How RC Cars Evolved
The first commercially available radio-controlled car is usually credited to the Italian company Elettronica Giocattoli, whose 1:12 scale Ferrari 250LM went on sale in 1966 (reaching UK shops in December that year). It offered simple control and was followed by a Ferrari P4 model two years later. Earlier radio-controlled vehicles existed as experiments and military projects, so “first” depends on definitions, but the El-Gi Ferrari is widely seen as the start of the RC car hobby.
By Kyle HilsonUpdated: October 20263 min read
Timeline
| Era | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Early 1900s–1940s | Radio-controlled boats and vehicles demonstrated; military experiments |
| 1966 | Elettronica Giocattoli Ferrari 250LM, 1:12, often called the first commercial RC car |
| 1968 | Ferrari P4 follows |
| 1970s | UK and Japanese makers enter; Tamiya launches RC cars |
| Late 1970s–1980s | Off-road buggies and kits boom (e.g. Sand Scorcher, Frog) |
| 2000s | 2.4 GHz radios, brushless motors, LiPo batteries |
Dates from hobby histories; early milestones vary by source.
Early RC cars
Early RC cars used simple radio systems and often on-off rather than proportional control. Steering and speed control were basic, and batteries were heavy. Still, they let people drive scale cars without wires for the first time, which captured imaginations and created a new hobby.
The kit boom
In the late 1970s and 1980s, Japanese makers like Tamiya made RC cars accessible with kits that people built at home. Classics like the Sand Scorcher and Frog brought off-road performance to hobbyists and started racing scenes worldwide.
Modern RC cars
- 2.4 GHz radios: no frequency crystals; many cars can run together.
- Brushless motors: huge power and efficiency.
- LiPo batteries: light, powerful packs.
- Waterproof electronics: all-weather driving.
- Telemetry and smartphone apps: data and settings at your fingertips.
Collecting early RC cars
- Original early cars are rare and valuable.
- Completeness and original boxes matter.
- Re-releases let people drive classics affordably.
- Vintage RC clubs and forums share restoration knowledge.
Why it matters
From a simple Ferrari model in 1966, RC cars grew into a global hobby with racing, bashing, crawling and drifting. Knowing the history helps appreciate how far the technology has come: today’s budget cars outperform the best racers of a few decades ago.
The El-Gi Ferrari
Elettronica Giocattoli (often shortened to El-Gi) chose the Ferrari 250LM, a racing sports car of the era, as its subject. The model was 1:12 scale and offered basic control, a long way from today’s proportional radios. It was imported into Britain, where local companies soon began making their own RC cars, starting the boom that followed. Original El-Gi cars are now rare collector items.
How radios changed
Early radios used single channels and on-off control. Proportional radios arrived later, letting drivers steer and throttle smoothly. Crystals set frequencies until 2.4 GHz systems with automatic frequency hopping made crystals obsolete. Today’s radios add telemetry, model memory and smartphone integration.
Today, re-releases of 1970s and 1980s classics let new hobbyists experience early RC designs with modern electronics, keeping the history alive on tracks and in clubs.
Museums and collectors occasionally display early RC cars, offering a glimpse of how simple the first models were compared with today’s high-tech machines.
Every modern RC car, from toy to racer, traces its roots back to those early experiments in Italy and Britain.
FAQ
Who made the first remote control car?
Elettronica Giocattoli is usually credited, with the 1966 Ferrari 250LM.
What scale was the first RC car?
1:12.
When did Tamiya start RC cars?
In the 1970s.
When did 2.4 GHz radios arrive?
They became common in the 2000s.
More on this topic: the complete RC Cars guide covers the basics behind this article.
About 20 years in RC. Mostly boats in the NAVIGA Mini Eco Expert class, with many self-made parts; also a King Motor Baja 5B, a home-built electric plane, home-built nitro planes he has flown, and an RC helicopter. More about SwellRC
