Sunday, March 8, 2020

The Distler 1950 Ford Tin Toy

Right after WWII West Germany was trying to get back on its feet and probably made more tin toy cars than VWs to the early 1950s. It seems that many of these made it to the U.S., as reflected in Ebay sales and the wide geographical distribution of the sellers. These tin toys came in a number of models, including the 1950 Ford shown and a Packard. Other Distler cars inlcuded a BMW and a Mercedes, as well as a a highly prized battery-powered Porsche 356 designated the Electro 7500.  I had a blue 7500 as a child and would give anything for one today.  They are very pricy on Ebay, with good condition examples starting at about $750 or so and going up to $1500 or more.

The two examples shown are mine. They are key wind-up with a clock like mechanism as a motor. They feature 3 forward speeds and a reverse, along with a neutral. They go quite good and are durable, although most in the US were smashed and thrown away years ago.

By the way, does anyone know where to get the black rubber tires for these cars? I need four!

They are testimony to the resilience of the German people to come back with little resources initially, but plenty of determination.




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