Model: Matchbox MB071 Ferrari 308GTB
Release: 1981 MB70
Why is it in the collection: Memories of when I first saw it
My parents may remember this story if they were to read this article. It is a memory that stuck with me. I would have been 8 or 9. I was born in the middle of the year, so couldn’t say if the model was found before or after my 9th birthday. Not all the memory is crystal clear, but some parts are. Every 2-3 weeks my parents used to drag myself and my sister to a town called Wellingborough. It wasn’t too far from where we lived, but they found that it was better for shopping, parking was free and easy (it still is), and was better than heading into the local town each week.
We had a car park we would always use, and then it was a quick walk through a row of small independent shops to the main shopping area. As you reached this zone, there would be a pelican crossing (a UK name for a crossing zone) to get across the main road, and immediately as you crossed, there would be a hobby shop on the corner. It was the best part of the trip for me. We always used to pop in there at first, and for a lot of the time, there would be a Matchbox display on the end of the first aisle as you headed in. That would be my first (and often only) port of call. It was THE best place to find all the newest stuff. Sadly it is no longer there (it is a McDonald’s now). I still remember when the Ferrari first appeared. The display in this store was mainly a rack style with long vertical strips going down made of wires, and it was just full of boxes with models inside. The end flaps would be facing front and you would just scan down the models to see what was there. They had a vague order for them from 1-75. I scanned through, and right near the end was this new Ferrari. OMG!
I pulled the box out, opened it and was in awe. This thing was lovely. I pleaded, my parents relented and bought it for me. Thanks mum and dad. We then proceeded to head off into the main shopping area. But I couldn’t help myself. The model was out, and was being rolled along every surface going. While in one department store I could see patterns in the carpeted area which I used for rolling the model along pretending they were a road. There I was busy rolling the model around other people who were trying to get by. All the time having my parents shouting at me to stop being a nuisance and get up off the floor. Sorry guys. I stopped. As soon as their backs were turned, I was on the floor again. I was having fun. I was extremely lucky they didn’t just take the model away from me. But as we walked around the shopping centre this car was rolled along floors, down steps, along railings, basically anything going.
I have to admit, this is not the original model. This is a later purchase of a mint replacement. But this brings me to the second part of the tale of this model. When first released, the model was supposed to have the same upper paint job as lower paint job. The factory at Lesney had a very difficult time matching them up.
The upper half would more often than not be a darker shade to the lower half. They tried during the first year to get it right, gave up and decided to go with some tampo printing to cover it up, and when that wasn’t enough they just went with a silver lower half.
So the all orange, no tampo variant was only around during the first year. It wasn’t actually a planned change, just they were trying their best to cover up the issues in production. This was also the first year of the new style to bases. Lesney England, instead of Lesney Products & Co Ltd, Made in England, becoming the new shortened write-up. The Superfast logo going. Plus, they started adding scales to the models too. But daft fact. Did you know this was close to being copyrighted in 1980 and was going to be sold as MB8? Pre-production samples exist with the copyright year of 198 (as they didn’t know when it was going to be dated) and No. 8 on the model. But as was often the case, things got switched around late in the day, and it got moved to MB70, so 8 was wiped and 70 added. A 1 ended up being added to the end of the year too. Because these bases were also orange, there are a few random ones that ended up being sent out. Very rare. I am not worried about finding them. Mine is a regular-detailed base.
But whenever I see this model I still remember that first look of enjoyment when I opened the box and saw this. Good times.
This was a great model. When it came out I’d just started work in Manchester as a model maker. (They’d done work for Dinky, but before I started) Sadly I can’t remember where I got mine – Woolies, WHSmith, Bradford Model Railway Exchange (Which was in Manchester) Beatties? As I remember tis model was a step forward with the seat unit also forming the trim line.
Great story. Those stories definitely make the hobby. I’ve been watching you for about 4 years and I know very little and just watch your videos and continue to learn. I love the muscle era of Hot Wheels and I like some Europeans but most definitely the old school Hot Wheels. I’m in the RLC club and I look at all the diecast companies mini GT and Auto world and so on and so on. I love your videos because you go and have a rapport with these designers of Hot Wheels and all the other companies and it’s just really interesting to get their insight on how they make these incredible diecast vehicles. To me it’s all about the scale 164th and the detail and paint jobs on the models are just absolutely crazy. My wife doesn’t understand but I keep telling her that these vehicles do go up in price. I do myself have some that have very much increased in value. Thanks for the stories and I just look forward to 2026 and beyond.
Thanks lamley 👍😎
Great trip down memory lane, David. That 80s era really was the wild west for Matchbox. I actually just found what looks like a genuine ‘Ghost’ from that same period: a No. 43 Steam Loco with a Green body but the Red 4345 tampo and a Macau base. It’s completely unrecorded in the usual guides. Id be really interested to know if you have ever seen this specific production cross-over?
A green Macau base but with red 4345? I have never heard of that. I have the 1981 green body with the 4345 sticker from the red model, and I have a 1988 Macau base green with white 4345 tampo printing from the MC-250 set, but have never heard of a green body with 4345 printed in red from Macau.
Hi David, thanks for the reply and apologies for being unclear in my original post, the tampo is actually white, not red.
To clarify, it is a green painted body with the white 4345 tampo (the one usually found on the red body).
The key differentiator is the base, it is stamped 1978 and Made in Macau, with no patent number. My understanding is that the 1988 MC-250 version you mentioned usually uses a different base tooling/date. This looks like a much earlier transitional ‘Mule’ from the initial Macau move. I have clear photos of the 1978 date stamp and the white tampo on green print if you’d like to see them for your records?
I think you posted this on the Mattel Creations forum? If so, it is the exact same one that I have. The MC-250 issue. Most were in red, but some were made in green. Green is not an easy one to find. The baseplate looks to be the standard Macau base.
Great story, takes me back to when I was 8-9 years old and my parents took me into town on a Saturday morning. The toy shop was called Jennings and they jad exactly the wire rack that you described. I have very fond memories of the nostalgia your story brought back!!