http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/toys/2007-12Dec104.jpg
The car on top has been fitted very neatly with 2 brass screws in place of rivits.I bought it along with 9 others and 10 Playarts, all in excellent condition, all made in either 1971 or 1972 from a woman who specialised in estate clearances about 3 years ago.
I SUSPECT this was a wide wheel conversion base fit factory trial car that was later given out as a sales sample, its too much trouble for most folks to replace rivits with screws when new toys are so cheap in relation to the job time to fit these screws?
Nobody will get spanked on Hobby Talk for engaging in speculation as to the origins of this toy -and there is a poll for those who wish to secretly be counted ;)

WHAT NO SPANKINGS???? awwww...

thats a joke right? Why on earth would screws like those be used in the first place? There are diecast that have used screws in the bases out there and 1. They are ont brass. and 2. they are not that big. Come on man... I ain't into Mbox but why would one speculate that as a "trial car"...it's kind of obvious.

Looks like a repair job to me.

The person wouldn't make it a gunsmith "bookering" screws.

Likeliest scenario (IMO):

The car was child's favorite and didn't want to give it up. The parent figured he/she would use a big household type screw so he wouldn't have to fix it more than once. :thumbsup:

Likeliest scenario (IMO):

The car was child's favorite and didn't want to give it up. The parent figured he/she would use a big household type screw so he wouldn't have to fix it more than once. :thumbsup:
Maybe - it has some wear to the wheels, 5 small chips plus a rub to the front hood edge so it has been carefully played with.
The screws are small - used for piano hinges or clocks typically.However the body was secured to fit the screws the are no marks to the paint or distortions to the casting - very careful work.Perhaps this was a badly rivited car that popped open on purchase

WHAT NO SPANKINGS???? awwww...

Chris....chris...chris....tsk.tsk.tsk......We will beat you later by putting you into the cage with Pat Terek for all those bad ths you said about Azteks.....Oopps...that was me....Oh well...What are friends for.


I guess my only question on the Lambo would be: Are there other sample cars with the same type of Brass screws in the base configurations?.

I think it's realy interesting. I mean - it must be realy rare for a car to be so poorly
riveted that it comes apart - and this car has TWO RIVETS in the rear!! I've never seen one come apart
Does that even ever happen?
At the same time though if this was some sort of trail car why wouldn't they have just
started with a fresh casting? This thing just doesn't make any sence to me.
That's why I like it!
"Come on, man!!!" :p :thumbsup: How dare you speculate!

Chris....chris...chris....tsk.tsk.tsk......We will beat you later by putting you into the cage with Pat Terek for all those bad ths you said about Azteks.....Oopps...that was me....Oh well...What are friends for.


I guess my only question on the Lambo would be: Are there other sample cars with the same type of Brass screws in the base configurations?.
Pat likes me! I drive a toaster. I would never poke fun of another car.

Chris....chris...chris....tsk.tsk.tsk......We will beat you later by putting you into the cage with Pat Terek for all those bad ths you said about Azteks.....Oopps...that was me....Oh well...What are friends for.


I guess my only question on the Lambo would be: Are there other sample cars with the same type of Brass screws in the base configurations?.
Yes - some Dinky toys in photographs. But the few Lesney pre-pro or trial cars that I have seen baseplate pix of have all been rivited.The only reason to drill out the rivits would be if the baseplate needed to be removed multiple times for inspection, if its a factory wide wheels trial.But if I truly believed
that this is a factory screwed baseplate I would have posted pix of this years ago when I got this car.I am actually hoping somebody can comeup with some other brass screwed Lesneys photo evidence so that I can upgrade this from a curiousity to a pedigree :)

This might be hard to tell but when you take it apart I wonder if it looks like the
plastic suspension wheel holder-er thingy has been pryed. Maybe they changed
the wheel a few times and it might show some scars from this activity.
Come on man.

My question would be is there anything else about the car that makes it look like a pre-pro car, like hand painted details or off-colored paint.

This might be hard to tell but when you take it apart I wonder if it looks like the
plastic suspension wheel holder-er thingy has been pryed. Maybe they changed
the wheel a few times and it might show some scars from this activity.
Come on man.
It looks standard inside, although the screws are perfectly chosen size wise, and there are grooves cut in the old rivit base stump so that the screws glide in tightly - very professional work with the drill.This car is lighter gold than all my other 33 Lambos.I havent seen a colored baseplate on a skiiny wheel issue -I wonder if the colored baseplates (red,pink red,orange red) were introduced for the switch to wide wheels....

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/toys/2007-12Dec121.jpg

My question would be is there anything else about the car that makes it look like a pre-pro car, like hand painted details or off-colored paint.
That's an excellent question.
And at the opposite end, is there anything else about the car that suggests it's a custom?
That's interesting about the Dinky pre-pros being screwed together.

It looks like a custom to me. These screws are plain wrong. As a note, Glue was used to adhere pre-pro bases as well. I have a few that I suspected might have been home made customs until Paul Car visited (former Matchbox Employee) looked at them and confirmed they were true pre pros.

It looks like a custom to me. These screws are plain wrong. As a note, Glue was used to adhere pre-pro bases as well. I have a few that I suspected might have been home made customs until Paul Car visited (former Matchbox Employee) looked at them and confirmed they were true pre pros.
Thankyou - I have been 80% sure this past 3 years that this is not a Lesney screw job although we have explored the 20% doubts I feel possible here -somebody sure went to a lot of trouble fitting these clock screws so tidily but i will probably never know why as it came from an estate clearance

I think it's realy interesting. I mean - it must be realy rare for a car to be so poorly
riveted that it comes apart - and this car has TWO RIVETS in the rear!! I've never seen one come apart
Does that even ever happen?



Of course: my son's Wicked Wagons Hearse flew apart on its 1st downhill run at Johnny Jam last summer. It sploded each time after that as well. :p