Perfect 10: The Car That Built the Golden Age of RCSean Rice - Car and Driver (Sean Rice - Car and Driver)From the May/June 2026 issue of Car and Driver.The lull between Atari's fall and Nintendo's rise was a sweet spot for catering to consumers' hunger for hands-on fun and desire to spend their disposable income. That's where Team Associated's RC10 radio-controlled car came in.The RC10's roots date back to 1964, when two actual rocket scientists, Roger Curtis and Lee Yurada, founded a slot-car company. By the next decade, they were building 1:8-scale, nitromethane-powered RC cars that dominated racing. Yurada left the company, and former full-size-race-car builder Gene Husting joined it.Original RC10 (right), 40th Anniversary Edition kit (left).Sean Rice - Car and Driver (Sean Rice - Car and Driver)The Original Is RebornIn 2024, Team Associated celebrated four decades since the release of the original RC10 with the release of the 40th Anniversary Edition kit.AdvertisementAdvertisementAs the '70s rolled into the '80s, nitro RC cars began playing second fiddle to electric ones. For Team Associated, electric power started on asphalt with the 1:12-scale RC12E. Rival company Tamiya, however, unleashed a boom in 1:10-scale electric buggies. Its kits were easy to build and, more important, easy to sell. These plastic-heavy RC cars offered little in the way of tuning, though.Team Associated&nbsp;hosted the 2025&nbsp;Vintage Off-Road&nbsp;Championships in&nbsp;Las Vegas, celebrating&nbsp;the 40th&nbsp;anniversary of the&nbsp;RC10’s first IFMAR&nbsp;world title. The event&nbsp;returns to Las Vegas&nbsp;in September.Team Associated (Team Associated)Team Associated hosted the 2025 Vintage Off-Road Championships in Las Vegas, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the RC10’s first IFMAR world title. The event returns to Las Vegas in September.Team Associated went the opposite direction of Tamiya, designing for racers, not the mass market. The RC10 sported an aluminum tub and was easy for racers to tune to their liking. This is the legacy of the RC10. It's a pivotal RC car that has taken home well over a dozen International Federation of Model Automobile Racing (IFMAR) world championships at the hands of pros while also inspiring generations of engineers and car builders.Sean Rice - Car and Driver (Sean Rice - Car and Driver)All Hands on DeckEvery piece of the RC10 was designed on paper and machined by hand. This was long before the prevalence of CAD, CNC, and 3-D printing. Every component is a jewel of industrial design.Sean Rice - Car and Driver (Sean Rice - Car and Driver)Gold MemberThe RC10 entered the market with a gold-anodized 6061-T6 aluminum tub.<strong>SCHOOL&amp;nbsp;SUSPENSION</strong> Lower control arms were a performance revolution compared with the VW-type sand-rail trailing arms other cars were using. The rear upper links, which were designed with a huge range of adjustability, allowed for both camber and roll-center adjustments, turning even preteens into chassis engineers.Sean Rice - Car and Driver (Sean Rice - Car and Driver)AdvertisementAdvertisementSchool SuspensionLower control arms were a performance revolution compared with the VW-type sand-rail trailing arms other cars were using. The rear upper links, which were designed with a huge range of adjustability, allowed for both camber and roll-center adjustments, turning even preteens into chassis engineers.Sean Rice - Car and Driver (Sean Rice - Car and Driver)Rack 'em UpThe bell-crank steering emulated a rack-and-pinion setup and offered multiple points of adjustment.Sean Rice - Car and Driver (Sean Rice - Car and Driver)Differential TreatmentThe RC10 was one of the first buggies to include a ball-type limited-slip differential, technology adapted from on-road RC racing. It was adjustable, and its external gears made for easy gearing changes.You Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029