Whizzwheels revisited: red spots spotted in a catalogue

 

A reader has brought to my attention this page of a leaflet printed in August 1969.

It shows the Lamborghini Muira with 'red spot' wheels. This gives us a little more of a clue as to when the decision was made to switch from Golden Jacks to Whizzwheels, initially of this 'red spot' type. 

Here in a 1969 Catalogue, printed in September 1968, we have the Lamborghini with its 'take-off' wheels illustrated. So, assuming that the decision to fit Whizzheels instead of Golden Jacks was taken at a similar time to Whizzwheels being the way to go for models generally, it will have been around Spring 1969 that 'red spot' Whizzwheels would have been produced and the Ferrari gets to lead the field with them in September 1969.

Clearly, there must have been some reason for withholding the Lamborghini issue until February 1970, by which time 'red spots' were coming to an end. Looking at the illustration, the wheels on the Lamborghini do look slightly different. Illustrators for these catalogues and leaflets did not work from imagination but would have had actual models on the desk. In 1968 they had a fairly familiar red car and a black bull but by 1969 they were provided with what looks like a much richer shade of red and a brown bull! The Chevrolet Astro is shown on the same page in a very shiny gold and we know that Corgi were experimenting with liquid, very reflective finishes which made their way onto the issued Chevrolet Corvette models (and later the Toyota 2000GT). Perhaps an early sample was in a similar finish. The wheels, though, are unlikely to have been made deliberately larger by the artist. Perhaps it is just the tyres. Whatever the case it is odd. I wonder whether the 'red spot' wheels that were fitted for the sample did not rotate smoothly on this model, maybe rubbing on some part of the body? This delayed its actual issue to dealers and, with the new plastic variety then becoming the norm, which did fit and rotate without any problem, that's simply what the Lamborghini got.

Like so many questions we have about Corgis from this era, we may never know the answer unless a reader just happens to have been on an appropriate production team in the late 1960s.

Update: a few minute after publishing this, I see this photo on a Corgi Collectors Facebook page!

I am due to meet the owner before long so will enquire as to how genuine he reckons this is.

I have made a table of the Whizzwheels models and am slowly adding the different types of wheel that I have seen fitted to original models. For the early models, there would just be three types as illustrated below (in order of appearance).

red spot

pepperpot

four crowns

Below is just a section of the table for the first few months. The full tabel can be viewed at this link.

Issued		Cat. No.	Model name	Red spot	Pepperpot	Four crowns
1969	September	344	Ferrari 206 Dino Sport	1	1
1969	October	347	Chevrolet Astro 1 Experimental Car	1	1
1970	January	343	Pontiac Firebird	1	1
1970	February	303	Roger Clark’s Ford Capri	1	1
1970	February	311	Ford Capri - 3 litre V6	1	1
1970	February	342	Lamborghini P400 Miura		1
1970	May	380	Alfa-Romeo Pininfarina P33		1	1
1970	May	371	Porsche Carrera 6		1	1
1970	May	202	Renault 16 Whizzwheeel		1	1
1970	May	375	Toyota 2000 GT		1	1
1970	May	201	The Saint’s Volvo P 1800		1	1
1970	June	374	Jaguar E Type 2+2		1	1
1970	June	377	Marcos 3 litre Volvo		1
1970	June	509	Porsche Targa 911 S Police Car		1	1

I hope this is helpful to anyone looking to collect these models and, if you do have any genuine examples of different wheel types then do let me know. I am, however, very suspicious of 'red spot' wheels on any models later than February 1970. They are so simple to change. The Lamborghini remains a bit of a mystery, though.

Lastly you may not have heard that Corgi, through the Corgi Model Club, are launching a Corgi Whizzwheels Club, to be run along similar lines to the existing subscription arrangement. Initial promotions have been limited to see what reaction they receive. This will be the second, or maybe third, attempt to see whether there really is sufficient demand to make the project worthwhile. I have seen illustrations of a range of models and members who have signed up are now receiving a Porsche Carrera Six. That's a cheap option for Corgi as they've already issued two of that casting.

I do not propose to join this one but will keep an eye out for anything interesting. So far, though, no sign of any 'red spots'!

Whizzwheels and their predecessors: a list

Many of the Whizzwheels models from 1970 to 1972 were essentially existing models that had been around earlier and just got a different paint finish, base and wheels.

Here is a list of all the Whizzwheels models that had 'normal' predecessors, with many retaining the same features. With a few exceptions, these models were not produced for very long, nor sold well and now can be expensive as they're hard to find. Although we do not have sales figures for all of them, it is my view that the pink Chevrolet Corvette, blue Chevrolet Camaro, green Ghia Mangusta de Tomaso, orange Lancia Fulvia and purple Toyota 2000GT would rank high with the Rover 2000TC and blue Mini-Marcos in a list of Corgi's scarcest issues from this period.

1970	May	371	Porsche Carrera 6
1970	May	202	Renault 16 Whizzwheeel
1970	May	375	Toyota 2000 GT
1970	May	201	The Saint’s Volvo P 1800
1970	June	374	Jaguar E Type 2+2
1970	June	377	Marcos 3 litre Volvo
1970	September	376	Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Stock Car
1970	September	372	Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato
1970	September	378	MGC GT
1970	September	383	Volkswagen 1200 Beetle
1970	October	203	Ghia ‘Mangusta’ de Tomaso
1970	October	280	Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow
1971	March	282	Mini-Cooper Rally Car
1971	June	418	AustinTaxi
1971	August	281	Rover 2000TC
1972	January	308	Monte Carlo Mini 339
1972	February	204	Morris Mini-Minor
1972	February	304	Chevrolet SS 350
1972	February	305	Mini Marcos GT 850
1972	June	387	Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupe

I have found illustrations of each of the above, with one of their predecessors for comparison. In many cases there will have been variations of one or other, or both models. 

NO Corgi Whizzwheels Club!

 It appears that the recent promotion by Corgi to introduce us to the Corgi Whizzwheels Club and invite us to pay just £9.99 for a Ford Cortina MkIII GXL (and the Graham Hill character and an impressive-looking sign) was just a bit of test marketing to see what level of interest there might be for this. I guess the models advertised would have been nice mint originals.

From what I can read elsewhere, the test was intended to reach only people who were not already members of the Corgi Model Club but how on Earth they expected to restrict that in this day and age is beyond me. So a bit of a blunder, although I expect they will have learned that there is a strong appetite for this series amongst existing members, at least.

I know that many Corgi collectors dislike Whizzwheels and would not wish to have them. However, if they were to appear as a normal Club issue they would need to go to the trouble of contacting the Club and specifically asking to miss that one. That's a hassle and many would probably not bother and just sell the model or give it to some children to play with. I have several issues that I would prefer not to have had sitting in boxes here which I couldn't be bothered to cancel. So the concept of a separate Club does make some sense but they really should simply have come up with a less annoying way of assessing interest in the campaign.

One can't help feeling slightly 'played'. However, at least I am not well worn as well and my suspension appears to be holding up!

So if you did place an order then you will get an email to tell you 'sorry, there will be a delay' or words to that effect. Although this is probably technically correct, I think they could have been a little more honest and just admitted that they were simply testing the market and apologised.

We are being credited with £10 towards any purchase form the store so let's not moan too much and look on the bright side; we're a penny up on where we were a few weeks ago!

Just before learning about the non-existence of any Club Cortinas I did actually place a second order and used the £10 discount code to minimise the cost to £2.99. I couldn't use the delivery discount code twice but, as and when they do get this under way I'll have a couple of models. I think they'll be popular and I already have a customer for one.

The Corgi Whizzwheels Club

 

Surprising most of us this week, Corgi announced the launch of the Corgi Whizzwheels Club. I certainly had not seen any hints of this. We get plenty of advance notice of new models and even get asked what the Corgi Model Club should consider reproducing from time to time and sometimes I spot a model in a photograph of a selection that are in early stages of production but they managed to keep any Whizzwheels models well hidden.

That might be because members who love the early era models can often be pretty dismissive of the Whizzwheels types that started to appear in 1969 and the Club might have been concerned about losing people. That, in turn, might explain why this is, in fact, a totally separate Club. And with the new Club comes the same sort of great offer as we had before. This time for just a penny short of £10 the Ford Cortina Mk III GXL in metallic blue will be delivered, with no charge for postage in the UK. 

The model comes with the Graham Hill character too and this display sign. All this seems a pretty good deal. Looking at the promotional stuff, it looks like the Bond 750 three-wheeler are on the menu for release soon, along with the Roger Clark edition of the Ford Capri (with pepperpot wheels) and, strangely, the Kojak Buick is illustrated. Now that's a 1:36 scale model so an odd choice and one I could certainly do wothout.

I am not likely to keep any of the models illustrated and hope one of my customers will be happy to take them from me at something like cost price once I have taken some photos and checked them out. However, there are a few Whizzwheels models that are particularly hard to find and I get the impression that there were not many produced. the 304 Chevrolet Camaro in blue with a white roof comes to mind, as does the 387 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray in pink. These I would like to have as it's so hard to find originals in good condition - one of the reasons being that Whizzwheels did tend to be 'whizzed' around and crashes would be more damaging!

Who knows, we might even see a Gift Set 20 with the blue Mini-Marcos GT850 (which makes the Pop Art Mini seem common)!

Another rare find abroad

 

A long time ago, in April 1960, the first Austin Taxi was issued. Model #418 would prove to have a very long life indeed, still going strong with Whizzwheels in the 1970s until eventually being abandoned for the 1:36 scale in February 1978. In all that time the casting seems never to have changed, only the base and wheels. And it is those wheels that have fascinated my friend Andi in Germany and myself for some considerable time.

At some point the taxi gets shaped wheels - probably quite late in its production as they seem a lot less common than the smooth type - but they remain fixed to the axles. However, with production not being ceased until 1965 it would seem pretty likely that there would be some models from the later period with free spinning shaped wheels. These were, indeed, fitted to the Gift Set 35 models, which had one of two drivers behind the wheel - either a serious looking small chap in uniform looking very much like the driver of the Green Hornet or the portly and cheerful remake of Simon Templar as Fred Housego in a nice jacket and bow-tie.

Despite this edition being produced, we have singularly failed to find a normal #418 issue with free-spinning wheels and no driver. Until a little while ago when my friend found this is France and it has finally arrived here on my desk.

Assuming that we simply haven't just not spotted the free-spinning wheel versions, this has to be either an extremely scarce model or a Gift Set 35 edition which managed to get away from the factory without having a driver installed. 

Whilst the 'factory error' is a possible explanation, I am inclined to the view that there simply must have been some free-spinning wheels editions made at the end of its production run and they would have been made for both the #418 box issue or sent down another channel at the factory to have a driver popped into place and then onward to join a bus and the policeman in Gift Set 35.

The Gift Set 35 first appeared in July 1964 and every model we've found with a driver has free-spinning wheels so it seems reasonable that sometime in 1964 all the last #418 taxis were being fitted with them prior to their getting Whizzwheels in June 1971. 

Another strange thing is that the #418 is supposed to have been discontinued as a boxed issue in 1965 and the Gift Set 35 edition ceases to be available in 1968. So there is a three year gap before the Whizzwheels editions appear in a box in June 1971 and the revised London Gift Set 11 in August 1971.

The 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1969 Corgi Catalogues show the Gift Set 35 edition only. There is no taxi in the 1970 catalogue and in the 1972 Catalogue it is the Whizzwheels #418 that is shown, as well as being available in the revised Gift Set.

I can't think of another model where production ceased and was then resumed several years later without any change to the casting. All the other switches to Whizzwheels occurred with the new edition replacing the old more or less immediately and usually with some changes to the colour schemes and some features. The taxi, however, stayed black (initially at least!) and, although the interior for most seems to have been changed to red, there are plenty around with the same lemon flavour inside.

So it seems perfectly reasonable for the Austin Taxi to have continued in production, getting free-spinning wheels fitted and placed in #418 boxes between 1965, when it was supposedly discontinued as a boxed model, and 1971 when the Whizzwheels took over. If that were so, however, why have we not seen any?

So putting a value on this model is not easy. As a factory error it would be worth around £250.  As a scarce late production model then, purely because I have not seen another in over 15 years of looking, I value it as highly as those I have seen several of, like the blue Mini Marcos GT850, Kingfisher blue Chrysler Imperial or PopArt Mini and several others which regularly fetch around £1000.

So, for now, until I know more about this mystery, that's what anyone will have to pay for this to leave my collection.