Avant Slot have been busy! Their first model, the Audi R10, was well-received and they have recently produced the Audi in new liveries - the 3 cars which competed at Le Mans in 2007. In addition they have released not one, but two new models, the first of which is reviewed here - the Peugeot 908 HDI FAP also from Le Mans 07.

The slot car manufacturers seem to have gone a little mad over the Peugeot. Avant Slot become the third company after Carrera and SCX to produce the 908, and Scalextric have announced that they too will make one during 2008.

The Peugeot is not what most people would call a pretty car, in fact it's a brutal looking beast, but Avant Slot have done a nice job of recreating the car. The body is superb, light in weight and beautifully made. There are no visible flaws and the level of detail is very high, even higher than the SCX Peugeot. The rear wing and mirrors are solidly mounted and could be vulnerable in a collision or accident, though the wing is quite flexible.

The majority of the body is finished in matt black with a broad gloss white stripe along the centre of the car and narrower white stripes along the sides. The white stripes are edged in red, and again everything is without any visible defects. The tampo printing is done to a high standard with nice solid colours and sharp, clear printing. Nit-picking, I think the side numbers are a little undersize, but I could be wrong! But that would be a very minor defect on what is a super model.

The body is secured with two screws which are only threaded for about half their length, so you have body 'float' as standard. A little care is needed when removing or refitting the body screws as they are a tight fit and you need to support the body carefully, especially at the front.

The motor is a bright orange 'Hurricane' rated at 27,000rpm (though the voltage necessary to achieve this isn't stated) mounted inline and secured with two screws. It drives the rear axle via a 10z brass pinion and 27z alloy boss contrate gear. The gear is attached to the axle with a grub screw, while the axle runs in nylon bushes with a hole at the top of the bush for lubrication. The whole set up is very precise and there is no slop in any direction. A small bar magnet is fitted just ahead of the motor.

The magnet, motor and axle are all housed in a separate pod. The front of the pod clips to the chassis and the rear is secured by two screws. The screws are half-threaded and can be adjusted to limit or increase the movement of the pod. (The early Audis were criticised because the rear of the pod could pop out of the chassis in a collision, but it looks like Avant Slot have responded to that criticism.) Flat steel springs are fitted either side of the motor, the ends of which connect to the pod and limit or dampen its movement, creating a basic suspension system. The springs are secured with a single grub screw each. The grub screws have four possible attachment points. By changing the location and/or tightness of the grub screws, and/or adjusting the pod's rear retaining screws, quite a range of adjustment and fine-tuning is possible.

The front axle can also be adjusted. A grub screw is fitted above and below each end of the axle enabling you to set the axle height and vertical travel. Even if you set the car up so that either or both of the axles have free vertical movement the tyres will not catch on the bodywork.

The guide is also different from earlier models. It now screws into place and has virtually no slop. The braids are connected to the motor with conventional eyelets and wire rather than metal strips. 

The wheels are plastic and appear nicely round and true. Brake discs and callipers are fitted. The tyres are soft and needed little truing.

Ok, so it's a relatively light car with a hot motor and a chassis to die for, let's see how it all works on the track.

On my small, tight Scalextric track the 908 is a handful! Lots of power and a relatively weak magnet mean careful cornering, though thankfully the brakes are good. Scalextric cars with their bigger, stronger magnets will always have a cornering advantage. On the straights it's a different story. As soon as the Peugeot finds traction it just ups and goes, devouring the straight in the blink of an eye and rapidly regaining any ground it may have lost in the corners.

The bigger routed track gives the Peugeot more room to demonstrate its abilities. Here Scalextric or SCX cars are simply out-gunned and out-classed, the Avant Slot is simply much faster in every respect.

It's a fun car to drive. Yes, it's powerful, but the power is smooth and controlled. The 908 will tip-toe round the tightest of bends without hesitation or jerkiness, then seemingly instantly gain speed to attack the following straight. It will twitch or fish-tail a little if you're heavy on the throttle but this seems to be a car that responds well even with a ham-fisted driver (like me!).

Through faster, more open corners the 908 is a joy. The car is stable and composed, rarely stepping much out of line even when pushed hard. If the tail did let go then most of the time it didn't result in a big slide. The car reacts rapidly to any correction, sorts itself out and gets on with the job. It really feels like a car that flatters even a half-competent driver, it's so easy to use. 

As you've probably guessed by now, I'm impressed with this car. Avant Slot have done a great job with the car's appearance and its performance. To me at least, this feels more like a precision tool than a toy car.

If you're racing with magnets then you'll probably want to add a little more magnetic down-force to get the best out of the Peugeot. But if you're running without magnets I think this is going to be a contender to challenge the Slot.It and Spirit Sport racers, maybe even the mighty NSRs...

PS: The #8 car featured here is currently only available as part of the Le Mans 07 Finish Line set, which also includes the #16 Pescarolo and the #1 Audi R10.

Bigger pics in the Gallery