Following on my post below, of the April 1970 Road & Track featuring the Lamborghini Muira on its cover, is my Matchbox Muira from their 1970 Speed King series. These were larger than Matchbox's standard models, 1:43 scale. The proportions are pretty much correct, but the wheels are totally wrong, and the trim is pretty much just molded into the metal without much paint used to pick out the details. There is a separate black plastic piece used for the rear slats, and the headlights are gray metal, which gives this four-inch long model just enough detail to make it a decent model. The rear engine cover lifts to reveal the V12 engine's transverse placement. What can be seen of the ivory plastic-molded interior, the shapes are correct if not detailed in any way. I don't remember the price of these larger Matchboxes, but I doubt they were much more than $4.00 at a time when the regular Matchboxes were about 75 cents. This is a Lesney Matchbox, made in England.
Once again, hard to believe I've now owned this little car for forty years.
Are Match Box's still made in the U.S.A? I haven't purchased any new ones in over 25 years. I have a fairly new miniature of a yellow Mini Cooper Convertible finished in yellow with a black interior. I believe it was made in Italy by AUTOart. Have you heard of them? It was a gift from Japan.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Matchboxes were ever produced in the USA. The early ones were from England, and now that the company has been sold to Mattel, they're made in China, Malaysia or Thailand. Of course!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of AUTOart, but I googled them. They look like a great quality scale model! I have a few BBuragos, which might be similar. Here's the autoart website. I wish I could buy every one I like!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.autoartmodels.com/en/
My grandson is over and we are watching football - MIZZOU. Anyway for some reason the subject of the Pep Boys - Manny, Moe and Jack came up. Which then made me think of going there in high school to buy a Bermuda Bell. Any of you guys remember the Bermuda Bell? It was a major deal to get my mom to approve of the installation in our shared '54 Ford. I Goggled Bermuda Bell and came up with vintage car chimes.......ugh.....vintage, how can that be. lol
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of the Bermuda Bell! But my Dad always installed Ahooga Horns in our cars in the '60s and '70s. It was sort of a family badge! I still have a brand new one in a box that he never got around to putting in my then-new '83 Celica.
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