Matchbox
The brandname Matchbox is a familiar name to us in the UK and was introduced in 1953 by die-cast company, Lesney Products. Lesney being a combination of the founders names: Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith (not related). Sadly, it is no longer a UK company, having come under the ownership of Mattel in 1997. The route and history of the company is complicated and I would advice reading the Wikipedia entry if you wish to know more.
Their mass-market success came from the 1-75 range, a model vehicle that fitted inside a matchbox - matchboxes being bigger in those days! The models were sold in cardboard boxes and later in ‘blister packs’ - cardboard backing plates with a clear plastic bubble.
Matchbox produced a Cavalier GSI2000 in 1989 as part of their 1-75 range but to enable it to fit in the ‘matchbox’ size it’s actual scale is close to 1/59! The catalogue number for this model was 41.
Only two variants were produced, a Satin Red version which was mass produced and a rarer green model only released to the Dutch market.
The red model occasionally appears at collectors events and on ebay, although even a rough looking model can command upwards of £4.
Model list:
Satin red GSI
Green GSI
Photos © their respective owners. Information gathered from multiple sources.
Small scale Cavalier’s - Part 8: Matchbox
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