It feels strange sentimental to consider, in the leastterms possible, what Matchbox toy cars actually are, because the ones produced today in Thailand are fundamentally little different from the originals made in a London pub basement 70 years ago.
They come from melted-down zincalloy ingots, whose molten metal is force-fed into moulds inside diecasting machines. These thundering contraptions spit out hundreds, thousands, millions, even, of identical small-scale car bodies. Each has spigots cast-in underneath and, once the axles, wheels and interiors are in place, these get pushed through holes in a baseplate and then flattened, to seal the vehicle together. The only way these babies will come apart is with a hammer, pliers and a level of brute force that is beyond most kids. They can get damaged, certainly, but they usually keep on rolling, and when made in big enough quantities they sell for the price of a bar of chocolate.
The concept had been well tried for many years before 1953, by Meccano in Liverpool, where Dinky Toys were produced. Yet really these were the preserve of the wealthy middle classes. A Dinky Austin-Healey 100 or Dinky Supertoys Foden petrol tanker was expensive, heavyweight and desirable, and attainable for working-class kids as special treats only at birthdays or Christmas. Only affluent children like William Brown in Richmal Crompton's Just William had pocket money that might stretch to more; everyone else just pressed their noses against toy-shop windows. And yearned.
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Esta historia es de la edición August 2023 de Classic & Sports Car.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Mick WALSH
'Had someone said that this worn-looking titan would win the most famous old-car event, we would have laughed'
ALFA ROMEO STELVIO QF
Rewriting the rulebook on what an SUV can do, and how it can make you feel
FLOATING INTO THE FUTURE
Citroën's DS-replacing CX was at a cutting edge so sharp it still looks fresh today, and it had the drive to match - as five superb survivors reveal
"It's a car for posing in really"
Broadcaster Michael Buerk reflects on more than three decades with his beloved Jaguar E-type S1 3.8 fixed-head coupé
HONDAS DECK THE HALL
The Japanese firm's Los Angeles collection is now on public display for the first time in two decades
ABSOLUTELY buzzing
Honda's Si Civics brought agile, cheap fun to motorists long before the Type R name got anywhere near a hatchback
THE FEMININE TOUCH
In 1955, General Motors styling guru Harley Earl brought 11 talented women into the male-dominated world of automotive design. What was their lasting impact?
Out on a limb
Panther's innovative Solo 2 was something completely different, both for its maker and the sports car market
Restyles with substance
Panther Westwinds blended a passion for pre-war designs with modern-era mechanical usability and remarkably fine coachbuilding
Dead ringers
The Maserati Kyalami and De Tomaso Longchamp share much, having emerged from the same stable, but are poles apart at heart