Diecast Model Cars - a Brief History

There is a fairly long history of craftsmen building detailed miniature models of transport vehicles and machinery, but it wasn't until nineteen thirty-four that die cast model cars and lorries arrived on the scene in any great numbers.

At that time replica cars and trucks weren't regarded as collectible items in their own right - they were produced to lend added realism to model railways.

Ever since the early nineteen twenties Frank Hornby had made ever more complex model rail ways. One of the sets, Meccano Set No 21, was embellished with six die-cast models, consisting of a delivery van, a sports coupe, a farm tractor, a sports car, an army tank, a farm tractor and a motor truck. These were the first Dinky models, issued under the "Meccano Modelled Miniatures" label, as Set No. 22.

These early die cast models were fairly crude by modern standards, as they were cast from an alloy containing high lead content which didn't lend itself to a high degree of detail. What is more they didn't attempt to depict genuine automobiles, although the sports car bore a resemblance to the S.S.1, a popular make of the period and a fore-runner of the Jaguar.

In terms of scale, they were not very well suited to the railway sets which they were intended to complement.

It soon became apparent, however, that there was a healthy market for such models, and it was not long before individual diecast replicas based on real cars and trucks were produced and sold on their own. Dinky Set 30 was based on the famous Rolls-Royce, Set 36A on the Armstrong Siddely, 36B a Bentley, and 36F was a Salmon sports car.

With the passing of time the quality of reproduction and detail hugely improved. The Dinky sets came with die-cast alloy bodies and tin-plate radiators and rubber tires. The later models also had drivers and passengers. The Armstrong Siddely had a footman and chauffeur. Just before the Second World War some excellent military models were produced, including tanks with catterpillar tracks and rotating turrets.

Few models from that period have survived in good condition, and examples in good condition are extremely collectible - pre war Dinkies can fetch prices up to one thousand dollars in auction.

In the 1950s, new production techniques heralded a new era in the history of die-cast model cars. Lesney, famous for their splendid Coronation Coach, and Corgi, ("the ones with the windows"), entered the market to provide competition to Dinky.

This new generation of diecast vehicles, with finer detail, better running gear, and better color finish, leads up to the present day, where millions of exquisitely detailed die-cast replica models are produced, at very reasonable prices for the collector. For example, just take a look at this beautiful model of the original 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. Or this chevy diecast 1946 suburban ambulance. The diecast model car industry has come a long way since the 1930s.

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