Diecast Model Ferrari cars
Diecast Model Ferrari Cars History
Diecast models have a special place in history for the ‘baby boomer’ generation in particular the boys. The gleaming red diecast model Ferrari is no exception.
Names such as Dinky, Corgi and Matchbox in the 50’s followed by Hot Wheels in the early 70’s produced a variety of cars in a variety of scales. Matchbox being 1-75. These toys, as lovers of the popular TV shows ‘Bargain Hunt’ and ‘Flog it’ will know are eminently collectable.
Vectis auctions, a specialist toy auctioneer sold a Dinky pre-war set of delivery vans in original boxes for the staggering sum of £35,000 back in 2008.
Diecast Model Ferrari Manufacture
The term diecast refers to a method of producing the toys, diecast was not limited to cars but planes, trains, motorbikes and robots were also produced. The method involved pouring molten metal under pressure into a two-part die and produced a good quality finish for a casting.
The metal used in the first castings was a lead alloy; later zinc with small quantities of aluminium and copper was used.
Where zinc was used great care had to be taken to avoid lead or iron contaminants. Where these existed they exhibited a failing called ‘zinc pest’. This resulted in unexpected breaking of the material and is the reason so few pre World War 2 die cast models exist.
The ‘Hotwheels’ models of the 70’s produced by Matel were in response to criticism that there was no equivalent toy for boys to the Barbie dolls being produced for girls. The diecast model Ferrari is currently still in production.
The resulting diecast model ferrari cars were produced with low friction wheels and axles and were really fast! They certainly lived up to their names. In fact there was a whole category of childhood accident that was related to model cars.
It was very difficult to resist getting down to floor level to watch the diecast model Ferrari racing towards you. Unfortunately young reflexes were not always faster than the low friction racing cars.
Diecast Model Ferrari Collectables
The diecast model Ferrari was always going to be a collectable. Today a model car to have best value needs its original box. They were available in the livery of Coca Cola, Cerebos salt, Smiths crisps and Colemans mustard are scarce and if they have the livery of the German equivalent of Sunlight soap even more so.
1-24 diecast model Ferrari cars tend to be about 8 inch in size and are the ones most treasured by adults though this scale tends to be collected in America. Franklin Mint produced some beautifully detailed diecast models, not always purely American vehicles.
Today the diecast model Ferrari Enzo, Ferrari 355 Spider and the Ferrari F50 are available as 1-24 scale models as a kit and are still very collectable.
To finish we have to mention the 1-32 scale. This was the slot car scale, so all our Scalextric model cars were this size, I can still recall the faint electrical burning smell as my Ferrari red F1 racer hurtled round the figure of eight track, but that is for another time!
If you are looking to buy diecast model Ferrari cars then go to:-
Antics Model Shop
St Davids House
9-11 Woods Street, Cardiff CF10 1ES
Tel: 01453 825381
Website:- Ferrari Enzo
By Paul Taylor
