James Bond Toy Car

item details

NameJames Bond Toy Car

ProductionCorgi Toys; manufacturer(s); 1965; United Kingdom

Classificationtoys

Materialsmetal, paint, plastic, paper

Materials SummaryDie cast car with plastic parts, a printed cardboard box and printed paper instructions

Techniquesdie casting

DimensionsOverall: 40mm (width), 30mm (height), 100mm (length)

Registration NumberGH021347

Credit linePurchased 2011

Overview

This 007 James Bond Aston Martin DB5 toy car from the film 'Goldfinger' still has its original box and secret instructions. The set also consists of three figurines (one is a spare 'bad guy'). A mechanism at the side that makes the top of the car's roof open up and a figurine is propelled out; it also has hidden machine guns and a bullet proof shield, just like the car seen in the film.

The toy Aston Martin DB5 was launched by Corgi after Goldfinger (1964) and just before release of the James Bond film Thunderball in December 1965. Corgi Toys was a trademark used by Mettoy Playcraft Ltd who started producing toy model cars in the 1950s. It became Corgi's most popular product, selling more than 3.9 million cars by 1968. The car was the first toy to win the Toy Retailers Association's - 'Toy of the Year' award in 1965 and has gone on to sell over seven million examples.

Toys like this represent the influence of film and television on children's toys, most of which were produced in Great Britain and America but they were readily available and much loved in New Zealand.