Clockwork tinplate toy cars were about as close as boys and girls could get to the real thing in the early 20th century, they contain a coil spring that winds up when the car is reversed – and then rapidly unwinds once it’s released. The same basic mechanism is still used on countless toy cars nowadays of course, but it’s hard to say if any of the modern toys will survive anywhere near as long as these two have.
The red toy is a model of the 1000hp Sunbeam landspeed racer from 1927 and the gold toy is a model of the Golden Arrow from 1929 – both hugely famous cars both then and now. Bonhams will be selling them both as a single lot on the 13th of May with an estimated value of €1,200 and €1,500, if you’d like to read more or register to bid you can click here.
Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
This article was written by Nathan Duff, the founder of Retromotive Magazine and a contributor to a number of magazines including Top Gear, CAR, Wheels, and MOTOR. Andrei Shinkarenko likes things that are rare, different and unique. He’s refreshingly left of centre and unashamedly so. I had that impression even before we meet, as I park…
The Ford Falcon XY GT-HO Phase III is one of the most valuable Australian-made cars in history, but it’s largely unknown outside its home country. It was built in the early 1970s as the third version of the GT-HO that had been specifically developed to win both the Hardie-Ferodo 500 at Mount Panorama in Bathurst,…
The Meyers Manx dune buggy driven by Steve McQueen in the Thomas Crown Affair is undeniably one of the most famous screen cars of its era. It’s due to come up for open auction with Bonhams in a few weeks time and it’s almost certainly going to become the most valuable Meyers Manx beach buggy…
Just 5 examples of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona NART Spider were ever built, the car was a special order from Italian racing driver turned US Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti, it has the underpinnings of a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona with a sleek body penned by celebrated Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti. Chinetti commissioned the first Michelotti…
This is the DeLorean documentary by Pennebaker Hegedus Films, it’s a full-length film about the DeLorean Motor Corporation, the DMC-12, John DeLorean, and the trials and tribulations that the company confronted before the launch of their iconic car. Filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker are icons of the direct cinema approach to filmmaking, they typically…
This Land Rover Defender 1:10 scale remote control model from Tamiya sits on a full four-wheel drive chassis with lockable differentials, oil-filled coil over dampers on all four corners, a live rear axle, and independent front suspension. The Land Rover Defender is a 4×4 that needs no introduction, it’s a descendant of the original Series…
