THE BEST OF THE CORGI 007 CARS

Or, which of these three die-cast models would you have wished for on Christmas Day?

Aston Martin DB5

The Corgi 007 Aston Martin came about following a meeting held by Eon Productions in the summer of 1965 to discuss the merchandising that would assist Thunderball appeal to a broader audience. By the mid ‘sixties, it was apparent that the Bond films were attracting a young audience, and the fifth in the series would feature a cameo from the DB5. A spin-off model appeared a logical step.

Corgi was able to adapt their existing DB4, but the cost to the parent company Mettoy Playcraft Ltd. was still £45,000. In addition, early attempts at a silver paint finish were unsuccessful as management thought the result looked like zinc. As the Aston Martin was scheduled for an October 1965 release, two months before the premiere of Thunderball, the firm had little time to rectify matters. They eventually painted the AM gold in tribute to the previous Bond film.

The DB5 was not Corgi’s first cinema/TV theme product – they launched The Saint Volvo P1800 earlier that year – but it was the most successful. There was no equivalent model from Dinky, Matchbox or Spot On, while a relatively steep price of 9/11d did not prevent toy shops from being sold out within minutes. One assistant at John Lewis also told the press the shop was receiving about 2,000 enquires per week but still lacked stock.

The Swansea factory had to work around the clock to satisfy their retail customers, but Mettoy’s advertising manager informed The Daily Mirror:

We never in our wildest dreams expected such phenomenal sales. We have now doubled production but many children will not be able to get one for Christmas.

But if you were one of the fortunate recipients of Corgi’s masterpiece on 25th December 1965, all seemed right with the world. Elder sister keeps playing Rubber Soul on her Dansette, father is grumbling about “giving the MBE to those beatniks”, and mother is looking forward to watching “that nice Bruce Forsyth” on ITV. Meanwhile, you are the proud owner of a ‘Bond Car’ that came with “top secret documents”, which had to be kept hidden at all times. After all, who knew when a Sceptre agent might next strike, and you had long harboured suspicions about your deputy headmaster.

Toyota 2000GT

Two years later, father is now plotting to have all Flower People exiled to The Falkland Islands as the rest of the family attempt to watch The Seekers on The Ken Dodd Christmas Show. Meanwhile, Santa Claus has left you TV21 Annual 1968, a box of Maltesers and, best of all, a second Bond Car. You Only Live Twice was the 007 picture that established three rules for any self-respecting supervillain. A. Wear a Nehru suit, B. Commission a fleet of Mini Mokes for your underlings, and C. Make use of a pool of homicidal aquatic life forms. It also starred a Toyota 2000GT, and for their scale model Corgi rather enterprisingly installed boot-mounted rocket launchers.

However, the next ten years proved comparatively fallow for the die-cast Bond car enthusiast. There was no Aston Martin DBS of OHMSS fame, while the Moon Buggy and the Ford Mustang of Diamonds Are Forever did not capture the public imagination, even if you could win the former in a Look-In magazine contest. As for the first Moore Bond film, there was no gadget-laden vehicle in Live and Let Die, although Corgi did miss a trick in not producing a scale model of the AEC Regent III. Nor, surprisingly, did Mettoy capitalise on the AMC Hornet stunt in The Man with the Golden Gun, but in 1977 they made up for lost time with the Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me.

Lotus Esprit

As Bond Film No. 10 was Roger Moore’s finest hour as 007, it merited a tribute Lotus from Corgi of the highest standards. Better still, it was priced at a mere £2.25 and within reach of both a young enthusiast and parents who secretly wanted the die-cast model themselves. The Esprit was also a vital part of the publicity for The Spy Who Loved Me, and Giles Chapman notes in his fascinating book Britain’s Model Car Wars:

Corgi was so much part of the launch of the film that it was involved a year ahead of release so examples could be presented to VIPs on its opening night, the first being handed to Princess Anne.

The Corgi Lotus went on sale in July 1977, and it went on to become their most successful product since 1973. Forty-four years ago, it was also as eagerly anticipated a part of the festivities as The Queen’s Speech, Morecambe and Wise’s last BBC show and a box of Meltis Newbury Fruits. At the very least, the Esprit was more entertaining than Christmas Sale of The Century.

And as parents indulge in Wincarnis and debate whether Johnny Rotten or the wardrobe of Nicholas Parsons was a greater threat to civilisation, you have a very special mission to undertake. Surely the warning on the box not to use their latest Bond Car water was somewhat exaggerated…?