One of the regular exhibitors at the Cirencester Toy and Train Fair is Wiltshire-based Jason Fernandez, who is bringing this tinplate toy racing car shown left made c.1948 by Mettoy.
Its retail price then was less than £1. Priced now at £750, the 15½in (39cm) long car has wheelcontrolled steering and a powerful clockwork motor. “A hint of Maserati 4CM crossed with Mercedes W25,” said dealer Marcus Potts.
Mettoy was founded in 1933 by Philip Ullman, a German immigrant, who had previously owned a toy manufacturing company in Nuremburg.