The Pinewood Derby has been a part of cub scouting for as long as we can remember. When our current scout leaders were Cub Scouts themselves, they raced Pinewood Derby cars that were almost identical to the ones our scouts build today. The tires today are a little bit wider, and the block is a slightly different shape, but it's still the same idea in a kit: a block of wood, four plastic wheels, and four nails for axles, racing down an incline against other derby cars built from identical kits.
The cars can't exceed five ounces, and can have no moving parts other than the wheels, but other than that, the door is open to the scout's imagination.
Here's a brief story on the 2002 Pack 27 Pinewood Derby as told in pictures:
One of the critical aspects of any Pinewood Derby car is getting as close to five ounces as possible. Here's a neat way we found recently to achieve the maximum weight as painlessly as possible
Sometimes even the most stylish derby car can use a little streamlining and speed maintenance to assure a good finish line time. Here are a few links to help your scout build the best derby car he can: