Racing Car "Toys"

In recent times there have been plenty of model makers producing models of competition cars - F1, Sports and GT cars. However, my personal preference is for models that were actually made for the toy market. Of course accuracy and authenticity vary, but there have, over the years, been some very appealing diecast models of race cars produced, ostensibly, for the children's market. Having said that I think some makers realised that there was also a potential adult market for their output- e.g. Solido racing cars proved quite popular with racing enthusiasts in the 1960s and I remember them being sold in the shop at Brands Hatch.

I start off with what I believe to be the only toy of a Lotus 30/40 that was made in period. It was produced in Spain by "Mini Gama", of whom I know little. I think it is a very good, well proportioned item. The odd thing though, on its box and base, it is described as a Ford GT40, which it quite obviously is not. Strange that the producers should go to the trouble of producing a pretty accurate model and then get the name wrong.

Is just the car type wrong on the box & base and the model number right or is it maybe the wrong model in the package?

Politoys from italy did a couple pretty good Can-Am cars in 1/43. They can't compete with todays Spark or Minichamps resin models but therefore are they over 40 years old.

Fleischman made a 1/32nd Lotus 30 slot car.

Cox and Russkit made 1/24th Lotus 40 slot cars.

Is just the car type wrong on the box & base and the model number right or is it maybe the wrong model in the package?

 

Politoys from italy did a couple pretty good Can-Am cars in 1/43. They can't compete with todays Spark or Minichamps resin models but therefore are they over 40 years old.

The base actually describes it as a Ford GT40  (as does the box) ! How did they get it so wrong I wonder? 

I was wrong on one count when I said it was made in Spain. In was in fact manufactured in West Germany.

Is this perhaps a simple manufacturing error - ie  the two models use the same base plate and someone picked up a handful of the wrong ones and then someone used boxes that matched the base.

Is this perhaps a simple manufacturing error - ie  the two models use the same base plate and someone picked up a handful of the wrong ones and then someone used boxes that matched the base.

Possibly,  however, when you do an internet search quite a few come up, including copies that were later made in Bulgaria, and all are classified as Ford GTs. In fact it doesn't appear that Gama made a Ford GT40 as I can find no evidence of one.

https://www.conradan...-mini-1969.html

This is a link to the GAMA catalog from 1969. I guess they got it wrong in the beginning and tried to straigten things out later on...

BTW: there is no Ford GT40 in that catalog.

Edited by Duc-Man, 06 December 2018 - 16:55.

A selection of my Solido Ford Mk4s. Excellent little models, all purchased on Ebay for around £20 each.