Coca-Cola Porsche Speedster

Even the most ordinary product is guaranteed to sell if it’s emblazoned with a famous brand name. Before World War Two, Dinky Toys issued a series of vans carrying trademarks such as Kodak, Oxo and Fry’s Chocolates, and persuaded some of these companies to pay for the privilege of putting their logos on the toys. Nowadays, use someone’s brand name on a toy without paying a hefty licensing fee and they’ll have their lawyers onto you.

During the 1990s, Dutch company Edocar secured an agreement to produce model cars carrying the Coca-Cola logo and packed in special boxes. There was even a bright yellow VW ‘Baja Bug’ with Coca-Cola markings, which could play the tune of Always

Coca-Cola, a song used in a 1993 commercial. You could also buy a VW Beetle or Citroën 2CV that played Happy Birthday or Tulips from Amsterdam.

But Edocar didn’t actually manufacture these items. Up until 1985, the parent company Edor had acted as the distributor for Matchbox toys. The following year, they turned to Far Eastern producers of similar-sized diecast cars and sold these under the Edocar label. Most were supplied by Maisto, today one of the world’s largest diecast toy car makers, and since Maisto toys were already sold in the USA, Edocars were primarily aimed at the European market. They were available in the UK but disappeared ten years ago when the Dutch parent company went bust.

The Coca-Cola models have an appeal not only to Porsche and VW fans but also to people who collect Coca-Cola memorabilia. While not valuable now, they might be worth stashing away for 20 years!