My first buggy predated rheostats! My speed control worked by turning a disk that connected big square power resistors in series with the battery pack. Of course at less than full power, the battery energy was warming up the resistors! Talk about a waste of power! Anyhow, that buggy was a Hirobo Zerda. It was among the first -if not the first - of the belt drive buggies. It ran all 4 wheels, or front drive or rear drive only.

My first remote control car actually used a wand connected to the steering wheel and to the gear shift. By rotating the handles on the end of the wand I could steer and work the gear shift. It actually had 3 speeds forward and reverse + neutral! The car was a 356 Porsche cabriolet. It was made by the Distler corporation in Germany. That's a $1000 toy in the condition that it was in when I had it. Wonder where it went. Buggers.