Vintage Postbag - Models, October 1973

Sir,

I have just come across the letter from Mr. G. E. Porrett in the June issue and was very interested to read his comments on toys and models of yesteryear. I wonder how many of your readers remember the Brenco model car in the early 1920s? This was made of quite heavy tin plate and had a winder in the front of the bonnet. I would very much like to have some details on the background and where these are made.

Westcliff-on-Sea. D. PRESTON COBB.

[I don’t think I saw them but I do remember having a very realistic 7.5. clockwork Citroen bought for me at the Piccadilly showrooms of Piccadilly (10/6d, in a cardboard box) circa 1925 and I still have a larger clockwork Hispano-Suiza tourer and the remains of the aforesaid Citroens, 11.4s in this case. Contemporarily with the toy 7.5 Citroen I had a 14/40 Delage saloon with battery-operated searchlight. Would that toy cars came in similar sizes, like those covetable P2 Alfa Romeo models, today and that one of the miniatures makers would do a series of Brooklands outer-circuit single-seaters. [Ed.]