Match( box) made in heaven
Once a child's toy, but now a highly collectable miniature thousands of the Matchbox model 36 Lambretta and Watsonian sidecar were produced, although fewer survived playtime! There is, however, only on full-sized machine...
Once a child’s toy, but now a highly collectable miniature, thousands of the Matchbox model 36 Lambretta and Watsonian sidecar were produced, although fewer survived playtime! There is, however, only one full-sized machine
Founded shortly after the Second World War by a pair of Naval comrades in arms ( Leslie and Rodney Smith – no relation) as Lesney Products the pair were soon joined by a third partner (John ‘Jack’ Odell), who happened to be renting space in their premises. Asked to produce parts for model toys, they soon identified a gap in the playtime market for sturdy, roll-along, transport-themed toys, their first major success being a representation of Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation Coach, which went on to sell in excess of a million models.
Their second breakthrough came as a result of Jack Odell’s daughter’s school policy where children were allowed to bring toys into school as long as they were small enough to fit into a matchbox. Jack re-modelled the company’s green and red road roller in a smaller scale which, following the
restrictions mentioned, resulted in the road roller being the first of the original 75 miniatures marketed in replica presentation matchboxes, giving the range their ‘Matchbox’ name. A dump truck and cement mixer completed the construction theme of the first three models.
Expanding their product range led to a great demand for Lesney ‘Matchbox’ models, with consumer expansion rocketing during the late 50s and 60s. New models were added with increasing accuracy and technical developments. In 1966 the company received their first of many ‘Queen’s Award for Industry’, by which time Matchbox was the largest producer of dyecast model vehicles in the world. Innovations such as clear glazing, modelled interiors, steerable steering, sprung suspension and opening body parts all added to their products’ popularity.
By the late 70s markets and tastes were shifting, and although sales were still strong, competition and labour costs resulted in Matchbox becoming bankrupt, along with other major companies trading in the same market in the early 80s. The name and tooling have since been revived and sold on again to numerous companies.
The model in question here is number 36 of the original 75, the Lambretta and sidecar in ‘Jewelescent Green’. Close examination of the model reveals the identity to have been a Series Two Turismo Veloce with prototype Watsonian mark one Bambini body fitted. Considering the breadth of vehicles available to scale down, reveals the significance of Lambrettas and sidecars to the British market. Considerable numbers of the machines must have been seen on the roads around the country’s towns and cities to warrant the modelling of a scooter and sidecar.
Scaled at roughly 1:64, the model is an artistic interpretation rather than a true scale reproduction. When reduced in size, proportions sometimes become distorted, and dimensions therefore were ‘adjusted’ to give a more pleasing aesthetic representation.
Plenty is known about Lambretta TVs, but what about that sidecar? Many people with a three-wheeled retro slant are familiar with the second Bambini ‘clog’. Fewer, though, with the original mark one body style. Although vaguely similar, the mark two was devised to streamline production and colour availability. The one depicted as model 36 though, is of the prototype Bambini with frameless screen, a much more sporty design and one that must have been straight out of the
Watsonian moulds as a hot new product to promote.
In 1912 Fred Watson established the Patent Collapsible Sidecar Company (later re-named the Watsonian Folding Sidecar Company) after he designed and made a sidecar that would fold away, to allow the motorcycle and sidecar combination down the backyard access ‘entries’ found between many working-class terraced houses. The earliest bodies for the chairs were made from wickerwork, although ash frames clad with plywood or steel bodies soon replaced them, laying the foundations for the motorcycle ambulances which the company made for the war effort. After the cessation of hostilities, sidecars became the transport of choice, with cars being regarded as expensive luxury items. Watsonian increased production to meet demand, taking control of sidecar production from Swallow Sidecar Company, a business whose SS100 motor car would morph into Jaguar’s car, post World War Two.
Watsonian’s best sales year would be 1959, after which sales of cheaper mass-produced cars for the public began to eat away at the sidecar market. Their product range used cutting-edge technology for the era, alongside more traditional forms of construction, with separate framed and skinned models such as the Windsor, Eton and Marlow sharing brochure page space, with the more modern Bambini, Monaco and aerodynamically-styled Flight. Most models had a luggage carrying space behind the passenger seat, which was accessed by a forward tilting seat back. The Monaco, on the other hand, had separate locking luggage compartments both behind and above the passenger’s legs. If load carrying was required, then Watsonian had a range of Trades boxes with the Bambini-styled bodywork adapted with a lockable, closing lid as used by the RAC for roadside assistance to stranded motorists and riders.
Production diversified, making roof panels for Land Rovers and children’s motorised sports cars (now highly collectable), before having to scale back the company size after losing lucrative key contracts. The company merged with Squire in 1988 and today continues to produce retro-styled chairs, although not their iconic Bambini.
The Lesney model is presented with what could be called in Watsonian speak a ‘lightweight Sports Bambini’ ( take a look at the differences between their Marlow and Eton models). In fact, it was a prototype never offered with a sleek one-piece fibreglass body and separate frameless sports frame, but no hood. The following production models would feature a framed front windscreen of flameproof plastic all in one moulding. Following Bambini models would be three-piece bodies allowing colours to be added to the resin in the build process, resulting in multi-coloured body options to match an owner’s machine.
Sourcing a mint mark one body is a hard enough task, let alone the prototype, so, in re-building the combination, a tatty mark one with damaged windscreen frame was found, repaired and modified in order to cast a mould off. That was easier said than done, as laying fibre mat and mixing with large quantities of fibreglass resin is
an art in itself, not to mention ensuring cure times and temperatures don’t introduce flaws such as sagging gel coat and bubbles coming to the surface.
With an unflawed surface, the build could commence with an original, but subtly modified chassis being mated to the now green chair. That pretty windscreen was sourced and a new transparent plexiglass made as the original was faded, crazed and cracked from decades of use and unsympathetic storage.
On to the scooter itself, and this particular machine was originally registered in Enfield only a stone’s throw from the Lesney factory in Hackney. It could be imagined that a full-sized machine was sourced locally to take measurements and styling notes from. Whether Watsonian provided a sidecar or not will never be known, but the original registration number is on both the model and its life-sized incarnation. Once clamped to the Bambini, significantly more weight would need to be moved, so a combination of an old-school gearbox swap and modern barrel kit were combined to add a little more performance than standard, whilst retaining the looks and reliability of a standard machine.
With Hipster culture seemingly on a never-ending upswing in popularity, interest in sidecars has been dragged in its wake. Nostalgic reviewing of old series and boxsets such as ‘On The Buses’ and ‘George and Mildred’ have all brought the love of sidecars back to the fore with interest and sales on the increase, as alternative modes of transport for hip young(ish) converts to two- and threewheel fun. This example sits somewhere between a homage to two great British companies and a fastidious attention to period detailing in Lambretta form, meant to be enjoyed and ridden, and not as if in the hands of a youngster playing with his toys on the carpet.