Matchbox Rarity: 2005 SF37 Porsche 959 that never was, by David Tilley...

Some of you may noticed a very unique Matchbox Porsche 959 is up on ebay right now   We thought because this Superfast rarity rarely pops up, we would have David Tilley write a little about.  DT has one of the only others known, and in pure Tilley-ness, he opened it.

If you are a rare Matchbox or Porsche collector, you may never get another chance at this one.  The listing ends tomorrow:

Rare Matchbox Superfast Porsche 959 on ebay

Enjoy the article...

Today we will provide you with a guide to a slightly older model that never was.  In the early 2000s, Matchbox were providing a premium series called "The Premiere Collection" along with various offshoots.  These models sported rubber 2-part wheels and a high level of detail not normally seen in the basic range.  By 2003, the range was starting to falter, and sales were struggling.  The guys in Mt Laurel were coming up with perhaps the last new item before they were all to be made redundant.  This in 2004, Matchbox began their latest foray into premium series with the return of the Superfast series.  These were simply a look into how Matchbox were when Superfast began in 1969, with a box inside a blister, high levels of detail and standard wheels.  The series of 75 models was produced to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Superfast and proved to be a big success.  In 2005, they decided to make a second series of 75, and as was the case when Superfast began, many of the models were carryovers from the 2004 series.  But some new castings were introduced, and other "older" castings were also brought in to replace some of the others.  This was to have been one of them.

In 2004, Matchbox released a 1957 Chevy BelAir as #37 in the range, and for 2005 they decided to go with the Porsche 959.  As you can see, this model made it all the way to the FEP stage, where they were mocking up the model inside the blister.

A sample run of 50 examples were produced as a test, and things were going well.  But then; at the last second; it stopped.  It was said that the Porsche 959 casting had a flaw around the wheel arches that caused the casting to fail.  It was going to take a while to fix, so rather than try to pursue that route, they looked at the previous model and just went with another Chevy Bel Air.  So this model never made it into production after all.

It is a real shame as it was a lovely little model, and the first we had seen from the 959 for a few years.  This is one of those 50 models.

Of course this was the last it was going to see of its package as it had to be set free.

To be honest, it doesn’t really look too bad around those arches.  Maybe it failed after they run these 50.  As was often the rule, test runs were normally made of models of anywhere between 20 and 2,000 models depending on what they wanted to check for. 

Bye bye box.  It was nice sitting on you for a while.

There was not a lot of additional printing on this particular model.  Although the rear would have not been noticed anyway due to the body color being similar to the red needed.

This is perhaps the last we will ever see of this model, as by now the casting will have lay destitute in the factory for the best part of a decade, and is likely not in any fit state for use at all now.  It is a shame, as these supercars of the 1980s and 1990s were very popular in the Matchbox range at the time.

 

But if you want to be one of the 50 lucky people interested in this, there is an example on eBay right now.

 

Rare Matchbox Superfast Porsche 959 on ebay

 

Here is a shot of the model with some older versions of the casting.

Or if you prefer, how about with a group of other pre-production examples of the 959 that were never made.

Rare Matchbox of the Mattel Era, Part 11: 2014 Cadillac CTS Coupe with chrome interior (by David Tilley)...

Lamley Co-Founder David Tilley was lucky enough to get his hands on the latest Matchbox variation rarity.  Rare enough to already join on ongoing series on hard-to-find Mattel-era Matchbox variations.

Enjoy...

You are not reading this wrong. This model may be a newbie from Mattel for 2014, but we think it is safe to say that this will be another in a long list of rarities from Matchbox.

This is a 2014 MB12 Cadillac CTS Coupe. After an absence of 2 years we finally see a new example of this model. It debuted in 2011 in silver, and a First Edition 10-pack model in black also appeared the same year, and then.... it vanished! The CTS Wagon continued to be made, so there was not a legal issue with it. Mattel just decided not to use this casting. It was a real shame as it was a lovely addition to the range. When we heard they were finally bringing it back for 2014 we were happy. Very happy! But why is this being called a rarity we hear you ask? We are sure just about everyone who wanted one has found one in stores.

Well, this one comes with a chrome interior. Yes, that’s right. The rarity factor with this model sits inside the model.

The normal “common” issue sits in front of it in this picture. This model is supposed to come with a black interior. 99.9% of them are coming with a black interior. But there is tiny run with an unusual chrome interior.

Having all that chrome does look good. Of course there are some who hate the idea of chrome interiors at all, but they do show off the details very well. As we said, this batch has so far, from what we can tell, only been found sparingly in a single batch of models on ROW short card in central Europe dated G03 which is the third week of January 2014 (this particular example came from Germany). It is not the entire batch either as others dated G03 in that Euro batch have the standard black interior. It really does look like only a handful were done this way. The Americas, Australasia, and the UK have not been noted as finding any of this model. How this particular variation came about is unknown. Perhaps the factory was supposed to be chroming another body part for a different model and somebody accidentally put a tray of CTS interiors in there too. We may never know. But this is proving to be a rather unique and unusual variation, and one likely to only ever be found in that one particular batch.

So it may be worthwhile looking at central Europe if you really need to find an example with the chrome inside.

First Look: Matchbox Gift-pack Exclusive Opel Frogster (plus the whole Frogster family), by David Tilley...

Lamley cofounder and Matchbox guru David Tilley is back, with a look at the curious 9-pack exclusive just released by Matchbox, the Opel Speedster:

I do like a surprise now and then.  Matchbox on occasion do like to pull out a casting from the vault and throw it in the mix again.  This year is no exception as the first batch of 9/10-packs has surfaced and one of the 2 exclusive models being used is the Opel Frogster. 

Believe it or not, this is the first time we have seen this model since 2005.  That was 9 years ago.  And what is more amazing is that it was only ever used for 3 years.  It only debuted in 2003.  However in 2004, when the current Matchbox team based in El Segundo took over the reigns from the old team who were in Mt Laurel New Jersey, they decided that one of the things that Matchbox was to move away from was the concept vehicles.  So although this was a relatively new vehicle, as it was a concept they quickly phased it out.  Over the years we have seen odd concepts still come and go, but sadly this one sat in a corner, gathering dust and left unloved.  So to finally see another example came as a bit of a surprise. 

One thing that is startlingly obvious is just how crisp and clean the lines still are.  With so little usage there has not been much of a chance to start showing signs of wear and tear. 

Another thing I notice is how close they kept to the original concept vehicle with this latest addition.

It is the first time that the rear hatch has received the logo that the concept vehicle did.  The shade is a little lighter, but we have seen a closer shade in the past, so I am fine with that.  It is a shame we could not get more tampo printing, as I would love to see a fully tampo-printed example with all the detailing picked out.  The old Matchbox team in Mt Laurel did do a fantastic job of recreating the real vehicle in miniature, but due to the low price point and limited tampo passes, we have never seen a fully detailed example in miniature.  But I digress.

I am happy to see a new version of this model again.  It was a pleasant surprise.

So this is the third version of a green with red interior example, and although much lighter than previous examples, it has the best detailing of all of them.

The family:

2003 basic range MB74.

2003 basic range MB74 with additional Hero City logo (first 10,000 examples).

2003 licensed 5-pack Looney Tunes.

2004 basic range MB19 ROW only (not available in USA).

2004 5-pack Team Players.

2004 licensed 5-pack Jimmy Neutron.

2005 basic range MB17.

2005 licensed 5-pack SpongeBob Squarepants.

2014 9/10-pack exclusive.

All 9 versions together in a single picture for the first time.

Up-Close with the unknown promotional Matchbox International Brush Fire Truck, by David Tilley...

Our favorite DLMer David Tilley is back, this time taking at look at the still-in-limbo Matchbox 60th Anniversary International Brush Truck.  Leave it to DT to be the first to rip one open...

(And just in case, there are still a handful that got out before Mattel removed them from stores.  Find them here...)

(Enjoy.)

Well, this is a model that has been confusing collectors for the better part of 2013.  When it was first announced early this year that there was going to be a special 60th Anniversary model this year, many were curious as to what it could be, and where it would end up.  Then an example appeared on eBay, followed by a second one, and a few more.  These were from the same seller, and as it turned out, they were accidentally put out in one of the Mattel stores.  Then things went quiet. 

 

Recently, a bunch have appeared on eBay again, and I was one of the people grabbing them.  It sounds like this too could have been an accidental store release, as there is a rumbling that they could be used by their original recipient after all.  Or they could just be put back into storage (a library item as Mattel calls it).  Either way, I am glad enough to have an example now regardless of the outcome.

This is the biggest and best example of the 60th Anniversary celebrations that Matchbox has done.  The package comes inside a Matchbox logoed clamshell (the Matchbox logo is on the back).

When you open the clamshell, you find that the package is also a very thick card. 

With the back receiving some love too.  They did put a lot of effort into this model.  They really should have done the entire series like this.

 

But this is me, and this sort of stuff is not the type of stuff that I have in my collection.

So take one last look, as this model is about to be liberated....

 Now that is better.  One loose model.  To begin with I start with the usual 3/4 views front and rear.  This model does look really good in the orange, black and white livery, with just a touch of gold and chrome to finish it off.

As you may notice, one side does feature the 60th Anniversary logo that all models in the special series (and 9/10-packs too) received for the year.  But I have to admit it does not really detract from the overall look.  It does sort of fit in, especially with the color combination.  The rest of the livery is very simple and tidy.

It does work well with the color breaks in various parts.

Also, as a bonus we get a metal base on this model.  It is the only metal base release of the year, and as such makes the model pretty hefty.

The front features a few little light touches too.

As does the rear.

If you were wondering, this is pretty much identical to the last time the model received additional printing (and metal base) in the Lesney Edition.  To date, these are the only double diecast or premium models on this casting.

But I have to say, this one looks a lot nicer to me.  I was never as keen on the blue/yellow combination.

 

So there you have it.  One “library” issue, that may end up appearing in a store or in a promotion at some time in the possible maybe perhaps conceivable future. 

It does look good in larger pictures too....