[REVIEW] Lesney Matchbox D Type Jaguar

Lesney Matchbox time again. I hear the D-Type is popular around here, today we look at a casting from the same time as the real car. This is Matchbox 41a, which entered the range in 1957 and was replaced by another D-Type in 1960. This is a charming little model that has remained popular:

This is a quite small casting - about 2” in length. Scale must be small, maybe 1:75 or so. 41b which replaced this casting was larger. Nothing opens, it’s 1957, and it’s a race car, you don’t need anything else. I also have the larger version, which will eventually make it to a review. This little car has accurate detail, and looks just like the real car, which was still in production when this casting was introduced. From all angles, it looks like a real race car:

The front and rear have similar detail, as we all know, this is definitely a car with a face:

Base is what one expects of the era:

This model is lucky enough to live in its original fresh small B box. With this and metal wheels, it was made in 1957-58:

Really a neat piece from all angles, I am glad to have it:

Some pics of the real thing, from howstuffworks and themonsieur.com: