Lesney Matchbox is here again. Today we examine Lesney Matchbox 41b, the D-Type Jaguar. This casting entered the range in 1960, remaining until 1965, and is a memorable model:
The Jaguar D-Type is a remarkable racing car, both for its eye-catching design and performance. The Matchbox casting of this vehicle is almost iconic in terms of vintage casting, 41b and the slightly smaller scale 41a that it replaced are longtime favorites among collectors. This casting does an excellent job of capturing the real world vehicle, detail and proportion are quite accurate, the number decal looks appropriate, and the casting of the driver adds a little charm. I suspect scale is somewhere in the 1:60s, around the standard for small scale. From all angles, one can imagine this famous racer zooming around the track and collecting trophies:
Front and rear have ample detail, with the open mouth grille catching the eye, and the aforementioned decals adding realism while the rear fin attracts attention:
The base contains maker and model data and shows off the grey plastic wheels - this casting also exists with wire style wheels and red disc wheels, both of which are fairly rare variants:
This model is lucky enough to live its clean original Type B5 box, indicating production around 1960:
I assume the original owner cut out the catalog illustration and glued it to the box (that catalog has some value today):
I'm more than happy to have this model in my collection, this is a popular casting with a lot of eye appeal. Pictured with an old dime for scale:
Images of a similar car from classicdriver.com:
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