Volume VIII, Number 9/10

Matchbox and the Famous Fords
by Doug Breithaupt


Here is an interesting comparison. In recent years, Matchbox has produced all of the most famous Fords of the 1960's and the current cars they have inspired. Ford has finally decided that retro cars are popular with the public and the 1960's were great years for Ford designs. The original Ford GT40, Shelby Cobra and 1968 Mustang have become collector favorites. The new versions may be as well and Matchbox is covering all the bases.



The classic Ford GT40 was re-cast for the new Superfast series of 2004. The new Ford GT came along in 2005 and makes for a nice comparison.



The AC/Ford/Shelby Cobra 427 by Matchbox first appeared in the Elvis series. It has now been joined by the recent Ford/Shelby Cobra concept car.



The 1968 Ford Mustang provided the strongest inspiration for the new Mustang. Matchbox did the original some time back and the current example is actually the concept car of 2004.

With the success of the current retro-cars, Ford may look at other classic models as inspiration for new cars. The 1941 Continental, 1956 Continental Mk. II or 1968 Continental Mk. III would be good choices for Lincoln to consider. The 1967 Mercury Cougar would be about the only model from this marque worth considering. Volvo should consider an update on the P1800 and Mazda could do the original Cosmo. Jaguar has already keyed their current models to the great classic cats but some would say they have not gone far enough. The new XK8 looks more like an Aston Martin wannabee, which may also work for sales. A true retro version of the XK120, 'E' type or XJ6 S1 could be just the ticket to wring more cash out of Jaguar. On the European side, a retro Capri might be worth considering and I bet the Aussies would go for a hot Falcon sedan based on the late 1960's muscle car.

Ford tried and failed with their bland re-make of the 2-seater Thunderbird. A four-seater with some DNA from the 1964-66 T-Bird family might be a much better bet. They can always add a roadster cover for the back seats.

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