In the previous post about some updates to my Diorama, I ended with a teaser that I had one very unusual vintage die-cast on order to fill a parking slot freed up by the recent rearrangements. Well, that car has now arrived; it was quick since it came from a seller right here in Colorado, and I’m doing a special post on it because it is a brand of which I own very few models, and on top of that its quite old, dating from around 1967 or thereabouts…which makes it the oldest Siku model I’ve ever had, by far.
This Opel Rekord wagon is quite hard to come by, at least in North America, where all Siku models were hard to come by, or at least they were when I was a young’un. I only ever owned a handful of these because I could never find them! A shame, because they are beautifully made! This one may have lost a headlight over the years, but that’s because the lights were individually installed inserts. Both the doors and the rear hatch open. From what I’ve found online, the little slots in the roof originally held a ski rack.
Frankly, it wasn’t cheap to buy; even in this condition I still paid quite a bit for it, as these early black-wheeled Siku models are valuable because they are hard to come by in any condition. I won’t pretend to be an expert on the brand of course, but I understand this particular model is one of hardest to find of this era. The “Caravan,” as its called, was made both in white and in pale blue, both with red interior. Siku also made the Opel Rekord as a coupe, another model which is hard to find. Shortly after this example was made, Siku brightened up their wheels with white tampo detailing, first in a 5 spoke pattern and then, later, a finer multi-spoke pattern.
No skiing today, I’m afraid; this battered wagon can only be the 2nd or 3rd-hand car of a working mom or a catch-as-catch-can handyman who stopped at the hardware store to pick up some supplies. It’s seen better days, for sure, but I thought it was so cool I just had to have it.
As a kid I was always very excited on those rare occasions when I could find Siku models in an out of the way import toy store at some tourist trap my parents had dragged the family to on a weekend trip. The range of models they made was very limited, but they had a distinctive look, with their seatbacks that often flipped forward and the odd, almost fluorescent green tinted plastic used for the windows on the models they made in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
Sadly, only 3 other Siku models survived my childhood, but there are 3 more that didn’t that have been on my “Get-Backs” wish list for years. Every time I find one for sale it costs a fortune so I don’t know if I’ll ever actually obtain them, but like all things German, the quality of these little toys is superb. Although the range of cars they made is limited, they made some interesting models, and in the future I hope to add a few more of these to my collection when and if I can find one at a good price.
LEFT: Pic from the web of one I used to have and now want back; this is the only 1:64 scale model ever made of the Lamborghini Espada that I am aware of; the model I had as a chile looked just like this, but I have yet to acquire a replacement for it!
I agree whole heartedly on the Siku models. I remember them being a rare treat indeed. I only have the one Mercedes which you well know! This was a good find and I’m glad it made it safe and sound into your collection where it will be cherished. Very cool post and thanks!
Its frustrating trying to get back those 3 I had as a kid! Every time I see one for sale its from a European seller so the postage is $25 or more on top of the price of the car…SOMEDAY I’ll get that green Lamborghini back…but who knows when??
The only thing that bothered me (even as a kid) was the shabby wheels used in most Siku cars. Otherwise, they are beautifully built. I remember I had a blue Siku Porsche 911.
It does seem odd that a company that put so much effort into the other aspects of their model cars seemed to treat the wheels as an afterthought. I guess you could say the same about Matchbox and Husky models in the mid 60’s but they were much cheaper to buy, and MBX started to liven things up in the late 60’s with the hub and tire design. What’s even more odd is that Siku never changed these wheels other than adding white silk screening to them…and with a whitewall, even…how “un-European!” They stayed with this wheel design (for cars, at least) all the way until the very late 80’s when they seemed to ditch the 1:64 scale in favor of something closer to 1:55. I’ll give them credit for one thing: they never jumped on the “Fast wheel” trend like everyone else did after Hot Wheels hit the market!