FAST AND FIFTY: CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MATCHBOX SUPERFAST

A Diecast Collector special edition, written, photographed, and edited by Rick Wilson

Most die-cast model collectors will have a Matchbox Superfast model in their collection. Patrick Harlow, Kits and Pieces writer for

New Zealand Classic Car, spent his childhood pocket money on No. 7, the Volkswagen Golf with twin surfboards.

Volkswagens featured strongly in the range’s Lesney years, the Superfast toys produced between 1969 and 1982.

The first Superfasts were No. 5 Lotus Europa, and two concept cars, No. 20 Lamborghini Marza and No. 56 BMC 1800 Pininfarina. A few days before writing this review, I purchased a BMC at a local die-cast fair and found that the story of the prototype car in Rick Wilson’s text fully answered my questions on its origins.

Ambulances, tow trucks, buses, cranes, boats, and construction models were among the variety of other models produced during the 13 years focused on in this special edition. The changes in Superfast box styles, wheels, colour finishes, a chapter on Life Beyond Lesney, and a Ramsay’s Value Your Model are just a few of the welcome features in its 130 pages.

Rick Wilson is also the editor of Diecast Collector magazine. He’s collected Superfast models since boyhood, as the photo in the introduction proves. Rick’s coverage is very readable, and enhanced by his photos. The book is a handy companion and validation of the collecting urge and it could inspire some enthusiasts to grab their model Ford GT, Porsche Turbo, or MG 1100 from the cabinet for a test drive.