Chevrolet Master Coupe

‘Londontoy’ sounds as British as the Houses of Parliament but the London in question is actually in Ontario, Canada, where the Webster Brothers manufactured a small range of diecast vehicles in the 1940s.

The inspiration clearly came from the leading North American brand, Tootsietoy, and Londontoy also followed the Tootsietoy practice of making similar vehicles in two sizes, four or six inches in length, the smaller ones having enclosed wheels.

This four-inch coupe, described underneath as a Master Deluxe Five-Passenger Coupe, is generally taken to represent a 1941 Chevrolet and can also be found in a six-inch version, which looks slightly more realistic as it has cut-out wheel arches. Others in the range included a pick-up, fire truck, sedan, single-deck bus, tanker and beverage truck, the last two being perhaps the most colourful as they can sometimes be found with logos such as Shell, White Rose (a Canadian oil brand) or Pepsi. A very attractive gift set also exists, containing a selection of vehicles and a garage building.

Though many similar toys were being manufactured in the USA already, a deal was struck with Leslie Henry of New York to produce the Londontoys and these versions do not have the ‘Made in Canada’ lettering. They could hardly have made much impact: Tootsietoys had the market for this kind of toy car sewn up, and it seems that Londontoy production didn’t last into the ’50s.

A mint survivor in its original box would be a rare find, especially if it was one of the larger tankers fitted with a friction or clockwork motor, but the smaller cars are readily found in playworn condition and they even turn up in the UK for around £10. Stripping one down and respraying it is an easy job and your Londontoy will then look much as it did 70 years ago.