It is always going to gain you a certain amount of kudos in the classroom. Being able to tell your schoolmates that your dad once owned a toy factory is quite something.

But when you can also say that he invented one of the best-selling games of all time, it doesn't get much better.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Scalextric - which was designed by Fred Francis - hitting the shops for the first time to the delight of generations.

And his daughter Julia, now aged 27, is prouder than ever of her late father's vision for the motor racing game which became a national institution.

"When I was younger I used to be known as Miss Scalextric," she laughs. "People would always ask me to ask my dad how to stop it coming off the track.

"Everyone always says they had one when they were younger. The boys are always so impressed, my partner especially. It's definitely a lad thing, but I love it!"

Her passion for the game is not really surprising, as she has had a lot of practice behind the controls over the years.

Julia, who works in property investment, and her sister Catherine, 29, had a gigantic Scalextric track to play with when they were growing up.

A treasured old family photograph of Fred Francis, wife Diana and daughters

They were presented with the special set as children on a family visit to a toy factory where the game was produced. A message was blasted over the tannoy, announcing to the workers, Mr Francis, the inventor of Scalextric is touring the factory with his family'," she remembers.

As soon as they got home, Fred clambered up into the attic to retrieve the original tin plate cars he had designed.

He swopped them with the plastic cars that the girls' new set had come with and it worked perfectly.

"We would play it whenever we could," reminisces Julia fondly. "At Christmas we used to get it out and we would get competitive rallies going with our cousins."

While Fred may have been an older father - he died in 1998 at the age of 78 - it was never an issue for Julia and her sister.

He was a very active dad - passionate about sailing, fishing and flying - and great fun to be around, despite suffering from cancer for the last 13 years of his life.

It is this sense of fun that is encapsulated within his lasting legacy, Scalextric, a game that has brought hours of enjoyment to millions of people across the world.

It was at the tender age of eight that Fred first announced that he wanted to make toys when he grew up. Many children may have similarly grand ambitions - whether it is wanting to be an astronaut, lion tamer or intrepid explorer - there are few who actually realise them.

But Fred, who showed early talent modelling toy boats, never forgot his dream and left school on the day he turned 14. He did not go into the toy business straight away and instead worked for an engineering company where he gained invaluable experience in manufacturing.

With a loan from his father, he finally managed to set up his first toy company Mini Models in 1947.

Six years later the firm relocated to Havant from London where Fred had grown up.

His delicious Eureka moment, the one that so many inventors dream of, came when he was tinkering with a clockwork toy racing car he was already producing called Scalex.

He hit upon the idea of fitting the toy with a small electric motor, and built a two-lane race track incorporating a metal strip to power them around.

"I am quite sure he knew he was onto something big," says Julia, who lives near Ocean Village.

"Motor racing was a big thing then. It was very glamorous with huge stars involved like Stirling Moss. To turn it into something that allowed people to be part of that world, and to bring the reality into their front rooms is fantastic. It was his baby and he was very passionate about it."

Scalextric proved to be an overnight sensation when it was showcased at the Harrogate Toy Fair in 1957.

But Fred decided to sell the brand just a year later as a result of the rocketing demand. He had no regrets though, the businessman was paid a handsome price for the game by the company which would later become toy giant Hornby.

The inventor's widow Diana, who lives in Sussex, met him a decade after the creation of Scalextric.

"It certainly has given a lot of fun and laughter to families, not only in this country, but all over the world," she says.

"The reason he sold out was because the whole business took off and he couldn't keep up with the demands of Scalextric and the American market. It became so great that he thought he would be better off finding a well-known toy company to take it on.

"He tended to do this throughout his life. He would build up businesses, companies, whatever and then would get a bit bored, sell it on and his mind would be ticking over the next project."

And there were many next projects' for the man whom she describes as a "true entrepreneur and design genius".

For example, when he struggled to find a decent anchor winch for his yacht he decided to design his own. It became known as the Francis Winch, a best seller which the Royal National Lifeboat Institution adopted on to their vessels.

His other achievements included designing a bridge and manufacturing pile-grinding machines which were used by the aircraft industry.

He was a "softly spoken gentleman" who never boasted according to Diana.

Many of their friends did not even realise he had invented Scalextric until after it was referred to at his funeral.

Fifty years after Fred's iconic design first captured the nation's imagination, his wife and daughters were invited to a special anniversary celebration in London recently.

The glittering event paid tribute to Fred and included a short film screening which detailed the history of the game, which is now available in a digital version.

"That's the closest I have felt to dad since he died," said Julia struggling to find the words. "I really felt his presence, it was like he was there with me. It was nice to have that feeling again after ten years.

"We have never taken it for granted but I think we had forgotten just how big Scalextric is and the celebrations really brought that to light.

"I am extremely proud of the fact that 50 years on it is still one of the biggest selling toys in the world. I just wish more than anything that he was here to share it with us."

12:14pm Thursday 13th December 2007

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