About Matchbox Cars

Name

• Matchbox cars were named after an one of the founders of the company produced a miniature steamroller that could be placed inside a matchbox due to stringent school rules for toys his children could bring to school (see Resources).

Die Cast

• The cars are die cast metal, so they are nearly indestructible. The founders originally had experience in die casting (pouring molten metal into molds) from their time in the British Armed Forces during WWII (see Resources).

Start of an Era

• The Queen's coronation coach was their first official matchbox-sized product. It was a huge success when it was released to toy stores in 1953.

Price

• Matchbox cars cost less than a dollar. Originally costing about 40 cents in the 1950s, they cost about 99 cents today.

Detail

• Matchbox cars are extraordinarily well detailed. The design process compares to the real car at every step of the process, ensuring that small details like tire treads and wing mirrors are appropriately scaled to the Matchbox size.

Fun Fact

• There are always 75 products in the Matchbox line.