Matchbox memories!

[briSk]

Alfa SZ red
Saab 9000 turbo - herriot red
Rover 800 sterling! - herriot red n gunmetal
944 turbo - red with beige interior
e34 424i - black n beige
__

osh range with rubber tyres and lights painted on:
944 turbo - black
928s2 (i think it was an s2) - gunmetal
500sec - white
328 gts - red

[sday12]

bryant and may
swan vesta
cooks

[briSk]

ha de ha ha

[JAM35F]

Saab 9000 in red was owned by my brother, I got bought the Rover 800 Sterling. We used to buy our matchbox cars from a shop call 'Allsorts' in Croxley Green. We both had the latest matchbox catalogue and would mark the pictures 'got' and 'need'. We got to know the shop owner pretty well and he would show us prototype models and let us pre order before official release.

Other faves included:
Merc 500 sec AMG in red with AMG written in 'lines' on side.
Transit Supervan 2 (2 colour variations of stripes)
Jaguar xj6 (xj40 shape) in maroon
BMW 323 cabriolet in blue
XR3i cabriolet in white
Peugeot Quasar concept in white
'New' transit in red with motorsport written on side.
Ford RS200 (my brother had this and I was always jealous)
Peugeot 205 T16 rally car (original colour way)

I could go on as I had hundreds and still do. Kept them all in official matchbox carry cases that are all up in the loft. No boxes but all the cars are mint or very nearly mint. All from 1978ish until 1988ish. I used to really look after the cars and if the got a chip I'd have to explain away the chip in my car games.
Recently bought a display case from the states to display a few.

Have lots of superkings too all packed away to pay for my retirement!!

[briSk]

JAM35F said:

Merc 500 sec AMG in red with AMG written in 'lines' on side.
Jaguar xj6 (xj40 shape) in maroon
BMW 323 cabriolet in blue
XR3i cabriolet in white
Peugeot Quasar concept in white
'New' transit in red with motorsport written on side.
Ford RS200 (my brother had this and I was always jealous)
Peugeot 205 T16 rally car (original colour way)

Merc 500 sec AMG in red with AMG written in 'lines' on side. oh yeah i had this too as well as the white one!
Jaguar xj6 (xj40 shape) in maroon - check!
BMW 323 cabriolet in blue - i had red Baur cab with tan interior!
XR3i cabriolet in white - mine was metallic blue like off howards way
Peugeot Quasar concept in white
'New' transit in red with motorsport written on side. - check!

Ford RS200 (my brother had this and I was always jealous) - check!

Peugeot 205 T16 rally car (original colour way) - check!

[JAM35F]

briSk said:

JAM35F said:

Merc 500 sec AMG in red with AMG written in 'lines' on side.
Jaguar xj6 (xj40 shape) in maroon
BMW 323 cabriolet in blue
XR3i cabriolet in white
Peugeot Quasar concept in white
'New' transit in red with motorsport written on side.
Ford RS200 (my brother had this and I was always jealous)
Peugeot 205 T16 rally car (original colour way)

Merc 500 sec AMG in red with AMG written in 'lines' on side. oh yeah i had this too as well as the white one!
Jaguar xj6 (xj40 shape) in maroon - check!
BMW 323 cabriolet in blue - i had red Baur cab with tan interior!
XR3i cabriolet in white - mine was metallic blue like off howards way
Peugeot Quasar concept in white
'New' transit in red with motorsport written on side. - check!

Ford RS200 (my brother had this and I was always jealous) - check!

Peugeot 205 T16 rally car (original colour way) - check!

Even at a young age I always wanted the original colour way. The red AMG was original and I preferred it to the white version my brother had, which also had simpler AMG graphics. The RS200 and Supervan had different shades of blue in the original design before totally new colour ways.

With regard to the xr3i cab, I thought the white one was similar to Leslie Ash's in 'The Gentle Touch' (I think it was called that)

I had the blue BMW 323 cab, had the old style wheels rather than the new faster ones which always disapointed me.

My brother had a white Jeep Cherokee 2 door I always liked.
Chevy Blazer in red - aspen ski holidays
Convoy style Kenworth flatbed with an AMC Dr Pepper stock car on the back (never really liked the convoy trucks)
Skoda rally car with opening rear bonnet was nice.
Volvo 760 in grey
Camaro iroc z in bright green!!
Dodge Daytona in maroon and silver
Dodge people carrier in black with stripe and sliding door.

First matchbox I really remember getting and knowing what it was , was a blue renault 5 (in cardboard box). Santa gave me it on a visit to our local toddlers club so I must have been 4ish in 1980. My brother got the same car out of a sack of assorted matchbox, gutted.

I was always disapointed with the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari Tesarossa, always seemed out of proportion especially the Lambo.

Briefly bought some of the lasser versions (holographic wheels) but weren't accurate enough for me.

Bought a few majorettes and some siku's which I loved, all odd german cars and they weighed so much, but a different scale which annoyed me.

Great memories, will have to dig them all out and have a look soon.

[Parrot of Doom]

My mum took my collection of about 30-50 matchbox cars to the local nursery when I was in secondary school.

I wasn't too bothered at the time but now I wish I still had them.

[RacingTeatray]

Yes, my mother gave mine away to a friend's kid while I was away at boarding school aged about 10 on the basis I should have grown out of them! Talk about traumatising.

My favourite as a child was a matchbox Rover SD1 in a sort of bronzey-red colour.

[JAM35F]

RacingTeatray said:

Yes, my mother gave mine away to a friend's kid while I was away at boarding school aged about 10 on the basis I should have grown out of them! Talk about traumatising.

My favourite as a child was a matchbox Rover SD1 in a sort of bronzey-red colour.

I have that one still, has a black sliding sunroof!!!

[Garlick]

My dear old Gran bought me a a couple of Matchbox one day, and when we got home I took a hammer to both to create a 'realistic' car crash scene.

She was upset as they were new, Mum told me off and I couldn't understand the problem. Looking back I at the thought. Sorry Gran.

I too had boxes of Matchbox, all were given away and all should have been kept

[RacingTeatray]

JAM35F said:

RacingTeatray said:

Yes, my mother gave mine away to a friend's kid while I was away at boarding school aged about 10 on the basis I should have grown out of them! Talk about traumatising.

My favourite as a child was a matchbox Rover SD1 in a sort of bronzey-red colour.

I have that one still, has a black sliding sunroof!!!

Yes, now you mention it, it did. Though I think it was beige on the one I had.

[LuS1fer]

I had about 200 mint Corgi and Dinky cars from the 60's and 70's but in the 90's the CSA came along and raped me and they had to go to auction so I could live. They made about £650. This was before the age of ebay. Now, using ebay, they would be worth infinitely more.

My favourites that stick out in my mind were the little white 1967 Matchbox Mustang fastback with red interior, and steerable wheels which still had proper tyres on it, a blue Corgi Cooper F1 car, a yellow metallic Lamborghini Miura and a ble and yellow tractor and trailer. Hundreds of others but those stand out.

[sday12]

sday12 said:

bryant and may
swan vesta
cooks

[neil_bolton]

I had hundreds of the Matchbox cars as a kid;

my particular favourites were:

Vauxhall Cavalier GSI saloon in cherry red
Rover 800 saloon
Iroc Z in bronze with opening bonnet
Transit

There are more, and I'm sure I can get up in my parents loft and have a look to see if they're still there, shame if they're not...

Anyone ever used to 'paint' theirs?

Or make the 'noises' and create little stories and worlds?

Or have one of those road mats?

Or even better, in the summer, make little off road worlds out of your lawn in the bare mud bits?

[neil_bolton]

briSk said:

Alfa SZ red
Rover 800 sterling! - herriot red n gunmetal
944 turbo - red with beige interior

I had these three!

I'll text my mum and see if she's stll got them upstairs...

[JAM35F]

LuS1fer said:

I had about 200 mint Corgi and Dinky cars from the 60's and 70's but in the 90's the CSA came along and raped me and they had to go to auction so I could live. They made about £650. This was before the age of ebay. Now, using ebay, they would be worth infinitely more.

My favourites that stick out in my mind were the little white 1967 Matchbox Mustang fastback with red interior, and steerable wheels which still had proper tyres on it, a blue Corgi Cooper F1 car, a yellow metallic Lamborghini Miura and a ble and yellow tractor and trailer. Hundreds of others but those stand out.

I got given the mustang but it was very old by the time i had it, had a small bar under the door to control the wheels if I remember right.

[neil_bolton]

JAM35F said:

We both had the latest matchbox catalogue and would mark the pictures 'got' and 'need'.

XR3i cabriolet in white
Peugeot Quasar concept in white
Ford RS200 (my brother had this and I was always jealous)
Peugeot 205 T16 rally car (original colour way)

Had these and the catalogues too

ETA: Mum just said that they're still there - Yay!

Edited by neil_bolton on Thursday 21st January 11:05

[JAM35F]

neil_bolton said:

Or make the 'noises' and create little stories and worlds?

Or have one of those road mats?

Or even better, in the summer, make little off road worlds out of your lawn in the bare mud bits?

I had a hotwheels garage that folded in to a suitcase (beige coloured and still have it) and a majorette road play set that was huge, all seperate pieces to make pavements, traffic lights, garages etc. Was too big to set up quickly though.

Mainly I used the matchbox carry case as a 'set' for my stories. Sometimes used dominoes to create garages etc otherwise I used the carpet and furniture. Near our tv a crease in the carpet formed a three sided enclosure that was my favourite garage.

[Tyre Smoke]

Just recently found mine in my parent's loft. My son is now playing with 40+ 40 year old Matchbox and Matchbox Superfast cars. His current fave is a 1973 Lotus Europa towing a Triumph 750 cafe racer on a yellow trailer.

[neil_bolton]

JAM35F said:

neil_bolton said:

Or make the 'noises' and create little stories and worlds?

Or have one of those road mats?

Or even better, in the summer, make little off road worlds out of your lawn in the bare mud bits?

I had a hotwheels garage that folded in to a suitcase (beige coloured and still have it) and a majorette road play set that was huge, all seperate pieces to make pavements, traffic lights, garages etc. Was too big to set up quickly though.

Mainly I used the matchbox carry case as a 'set' for my stories. Sometimes used dominoes to create garages etc otherwise I used the carpet and furniture. Near our tv a crease in the carpet formed a three sided enclosure that was my favourite garage.

I remember those

Cardboard, with painted roads, and clearly marked parking spaces taught me much of what I know today about how to park a car

ETA: I used to love making the car 'suspension' work when you drove over a 'bump' (i.e. carpet crease)