PAUL'S MATCHBOX FORD GROUP 6: ITS SUPERFAST!

Hi,

Among the models I picked up at the most recent model fair in Auckland was a Matchbox Ford Group 6 racing car. I already had a Group 6 racer, which I have had for a good 50 years. The new model being in different colours.

The launch of Hot Wheels in 1968, with their low-friction wheels and high performance, saw the sales of Matchbox models drop, especially in the important American export market. Matchbox (and other brands) responded by fitting new low-friction wheels to many existing models, and launching many new models which had Superfast wheels from the outset. The colours were also jazzed up, and metallic shades were introduced, just like Hot Wheels.

The Ford Group 6 car was the third Matchbox model to be given the number 45, and is referred to by collectors as 45c. It replaced the much more sedate Ford Corsair.

It has the copyright date 1969 on the baseplate, although it actually came out in 1970.

The Ford appeared in several striking colour schemes. First, a normal green car. Then metallic medium green, metallic lime green, and finally metallic purple. Window and baseplate colours varied. Early cars had the race number 7 on the nose, but most had 45.

My original car, which I have had since it was new, is a metallic lime green version. The interior is white (or ivory, according to some listings), with a chrome engine, amber tinted windows, a pink baseplate, and the number 45 on the nose.

The box this came in shows a darker green car, with clear windows and the number 7 on the nose. But it is original.

My new model is a darker metallic green, with a white interior, chrome engine, a black baseplate, and the number 7 on the nose. In fact, the car shown on the box of my original model ! This one did not come with a box.

As a boy, I did not care much for the Superfast models, preferring the realism of the Regular Wheel models, despite their lower performance. But there were a few models which I thought really suited the new Superfast wheels, including the Ford Group 6, which was an excellent runner.

The Ford Group 6 was eventually replaced in 1976 by the BMW 3.0 CSL coupe.

Paul Adams from New Zealand