MATCHBOX LESNEY - diecast BMC 1800 Pininfarina

MATCHBOX lesney superfast - BMC 1800 Pininfarina 1969. Made in England
This BMC-Pininfarina 1800 predates the Citroen CX by seven years - one wonders how BMC may have fared had they the courage to put this beauty into production - it would have certainly appealed in Europe and undoubtedly would have created a high-technology reputation for the (by then) struggling manufacturer. Matchbox started making it in 1969, you will see it in gold, peach and orange and sometimes with Gulf and racing number 17 decals.
The BMC 1800 Pininfarina (56c) was introduced in 1969 in metallic gold with Superfast wheels. There was no transition model at number 56. The Fiat 1500 was discontinued with regular wheels and this car replaced it. The car was recoloured to peach and then orange for the rest of the run from 1971 to 1973 and orange is the most commonly found colour. Look out for peach coloured cars or gold with Gulf decals and racing number 17. There is a pre-production prototype in silver, yellow or blue which is quite rare and valuable