Christmas 1965 was a special time if you were a small boy. It marked the release of what became the most famous and, so far, best-selling toy car of all time. And given that small boys don’t seem to play with toy cars much anymore, preferring virtual versions, this is a record which is likely to stand for all time.

The model I speak of is the Corgi James Bond Martin DB5, which had featured in the film ‘Goldfinger’. It was the special features on the model, unique at that time, which made it stand out. Twin machine guns popped out at the front at the touch of a button, while if you pressed in the exhaust pipes at the rear, a bullet proof shield shot up behind the rear screen. But it was the ejector seat which was the ultimate in play value.

Aston Martin

Inside the car sat a James Bond figure behind the wheel, while alongside him was the ‘baddie’ arms folded and pointing a gun at Bond. Press a button on the side of the car though and a hinged opening on the roof flew open while the passenger seat simultaneously sprung upwards, hurling the small plastic figure through the air. You then spent the next five minutes locating where it had landed before popping it back into the seat, pressing the roof down until it clicked and roaring the car off around the living room carpet in order to repeat the process. As I recall, the model came with a spare ‘baddie’ just in case you lost the original, which was not uncommon.

Being released in time for the Christmas market meant that the model was a top seller and Corgi was unable to keep up with the demand for this much sought-after toy. Surprisingly, it wasn’t completely accurate, being painted gold to fit in with the name of the film, despite the fact that the on-screen version had been silver. It didn’t matter. It was still the best toy you could ever have had if you were ten.

The model is still in production, albeit in updated form and in the correct colour, but it’s not as good as the original which, especially if still in its box, can fetch silly prices at auction.

Corgi went on to produce some other excellent film-related models over the next few years - the original Batmobile immediately springs to mind, as does the Oldsmobile ‘Man from UNCLE’ car, which featured two figures who alternately popped out of their respective side windows firing handguns when you pushed down on the siren on the roof. Oh, happy days.

Batmobile

The kids of today, with their iPods and Wiis, just don’t know what they’re missing.