Bit by bit, a few of these “big little cars” have been somehow finding their way into the toy room. Don’t know exactly how this happens since I don’t collect this scale, but take a look at the latest acquisitions and tell me that you would pass these up! Most of these were affordable, although 2 of them were quite spendy-you’ll see why-but all of them were made where almost all the best die-cast toy cars were made: “GT BRITAIN,” as its always called out on the baseplates of Corgis! So, I present for your pleasure a mixture of Corgis and Dinkys, the best names in 1:43 and, again: you’ll see why!
CORGI #310 ‘63 Corvette
I’ll start with what might be the most easily obtainable of this “sextet” of models, but by no means the least: the Corvette Stingray coupe in “Mulberry.” I happen to love this color, probably because shades similar to it were so commonly used on Matchboxes and other British-made die-cast cars in the early 70’s when I was but a wee bern. It’s not very realistic-certainly no Corvettes left the factory painted like this in 1963!-but on the toy, it looks terrific. See how it pops against the much more realistic silver model. I only wish the Mulberry color had been made with the wire wheels, but alas, ‘t’was not. There is, however, a super-rare variation of this car in metallic bronze with wire wheels, and while it may be too rich for my blood, I’m keeping my eye out for one in case I find a bargain!
This one is in decent shape overall, although it does show quite a bit of chrome deterioration on the bumpers, but the price was right, and even the postage was reasonable, since it shipped to me from a seller right here in Colorado!
CORGI #314 Ferrari 250LM
A nicely proportioned model of the only mid-engined Ferrari 250, this one is pretty beat up and playworn, but its still almost completely in-tact other than missing one of its 2 exhaust pipe tips. Its small, but so would the real car be in comparison to these other cars, so its true to scale. I did a small amount of touching up on the chrome and I will probably wind up touching up some of the paint as well, since it has no real “collector value” in this condition and I’d rather it look nice, but here it appears in the state in which I got it, minus a good cleaning. It was probably the most affordable Ferrari 250 I’ll ever find!
The engine bay in particular is nicely detailed. The interior was molded as part of the same piece of plastic, so its also chrome, which is a little disappointing-the kind of thing you’d expect to see on a 1:64 scale car rather than on one of these more expensive “mini-models” – but it makes up for that deficiency in other areas, and the wire wheels are not only cool but historically correct. Overall a nice model in not so nice order.
DINKY #139 Ford Cortina
This was a total “impulse buy,” because it was in such good condition at a decent price. Its a great model of a dull car, but other than a cracked windshield (strange!) it is “near mint” so I couldn’t turn it down. Featuring opening doors, flip-forward seats and steerable front wheels, this was designed and built with the kind of care and attention to detail that characterized all these awesome die-cast cars in this, the golden era of cars-both @ 1:1 and @ table-top scale.
It may not be anyone’s dream car, but its a nicely detailed model and presented in an appealing color combo. The Ford Cortina was ubiquitous on British roads in its day, and thus more than deserved to be on my toy shelf!
CORGI #335 Jaguar E-Type 2+2
As much of a Jaguar nut as I am, I have never liked the E-Type 2+2: IMHO its a car that should never have been built, since it took the lines of what was unarguably one of the most gorgeous cars in history and turned it into a fattened caricature of itself. And yet, the car sold quite well, and made the company a good chunk of change, so what do I know? Even though I don’t like the real thing, I love this model for its amazing accuracy and detail: they went all-out with this one, from the engine bay to all 4 ports opening to the fender mirrors to the full-length brass exhaust underneath! I’m also clearly not the only one who feels that way, since this one is expensive; amazingly so, since it’s not at all rare, but you can’t get a mint one for under $100 and you can’t get a slightly playworn model for under $50, which is right around what I gave for this one.
It was produced in 2 colors, neither of which I care for: this bright red and a dull medium metallic blue, both with black interior. The red is a little more common and I had a slight preference for a blue one, but I had been looking for this car at the right price for a while, so when this one crossed my path, I grabbed it since it seemed like the best deal I’d seen. It has a few paint chips, although I touched some of them up with a red Sharpie, which is “reversible” and sort of “reduces” the impact of the paint damage Other than that, it is quite fine, with all the detail in-tact and nothing unaccounted for. I wish it had been made in a nicer color, like silver or black or even BRG, but considering that the casting was later modified with the doors cast shut and the grille uglified to Series III specs and released as the awful V-12 version with “Whizzwheels” in a repellant mustard yellow, I shouldn’t complain too much about the red and black! And anyway, I’ll eventually get the blue one, too! A beautiful model of a historically important car is still a winner, even if it isn’t one of my favorites IRL!
DINKY #150 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith
By far the oldest of this “sextet” of 1:43’s, this baby dates from 1959 and thus predates Dinky using interior inserts, so its hollow inside despite the windows. I got this one for a very good price considering that it shows only minor wear, but it was extremely dirty, covered in a sticky and tenacious grime which has so far resisted my efforts at cleaning. It looks a lot better now than it did, but I need to have another go at it while being mindful not to cause damage to the near-70 year old plated plastic or original tires with my various cleaning agents. Other than one bad scrape on the edge of the roof it has stood the test of time very well, although I believe it probably once had a “Flying Lady” hood ornament which, being plastic, is understandably long gone.
The suspension is still springy and all 4 of its tires are dry but not yet cracked! The most appealing thing about this car is its 2-tone gray color combo, which is both realistic and beautiful! This is a great model of a magnificent car that was made when the real thing was still in showrooms!
Saving the best for last…
CORGI #224 Bentley S-Type Continental
Now, this baby wasn’t cheap! And it was worth every penny; I’ve been wanting one of these for a while! As old as they are, they not hard to find: I see them come up for sale often, but at prices I’m willing to pay they are usually quite rough, and in mint condition, you can’t touch this for less than $150, and that would be a good price. And is it any wonder? Just look at it! A fantastic model of what may be my favorite Bentley of all time (although I admit there are several that vie for that title!), this was made concurrently in 2 different colors, and I prefer this black over silver version to the two-tone green, although they both appear to be about equally available. Frankly, I’d like to have them both!
This model hit the market in 1961, and comes with jeweled headlights and tail lights, spring suspension, steerable front wheels, and a fetching red interior that compliments the exterior perfectly! This copy must have been in storage somewhere for countless decades, because it’s in almost flawless condition overall save for some slight “chequeing” on the black paint. The elegant gray tires are in almost perfect condition, and the boot lid stays open on dry hinges as if it’s still new: this was clearly first owned by either an adult collector or a very fastidious child! Although it cost me, I still think it was a bargain compared to what I’ve seen others in this condition sell for; when this copy came around, it was time to stop waiting and grab it! Definitely my favorite of this bunch!
And so! There you go, fellow gearheads, just another roundup from your li’l ol’ toy collector! Do drop by again, since you never know what classic 4-wheeled treasures I’ll be unboxing next!
The rare bronze #310 Corvette.
I’m on the hunt for one of these! Hiding one somewhere you want to part with? Get in touch!
It’s so lucky that the beauties mysteriously showed up at your home where they will be cherished! The red on the Corvette does look so similar to what was used on several Matchbox’s. It makes you wonder about the good shape of the Cortina, maybe some little kid received it as a gift and it rested quietly and unloved until it found it’s way to you. I can agree about the Jag, there are others that I like better and this model always looked humpbacked to be but it’s still a fine specimen for the collection! I still like the Rolls but that Bentley! Hubba Hubba! I can’t get over the condition. I love everything about this and as an investment in art, I’d say it was worth it. I don’t have one of these but I should. This is a great addition and well played Sir!
Yeah, you should pick up that Bentley! They are not hard to find, although they are not cheap. There is actually a new reproduction of it available you can buy “mint and boxed” but, as always, there’s nothing like the original! Just think: if this baby showed in Harrisonburg, it would be the finest ride in town!