Mebetoys

Mebetoys Innocenti Mini Minor Monte Carlo Rallye from about 1969. Note that all six front lights are jewelled. This is a replica, then, of the Mini made in Italy.

Mebetoys was an Italian toy manufacturer that produced die-cast model cars during the 1960s and 1970s. For most of that time the company was owned by Mattel.

History

The Gran Toros website says that Mebetoys was started by the Besana family in 1959 as a toy die casting company, in Oleggio Castello, Novara, Italy (close to Milan). The name comes from MEccanica BEsana TOYS. A diecast car line was started in 1966, a rather late entry into diecast vehicle production. In detail and proportion, Mebetoys joined the triumvirate of superior model producers which included French Solido and fellow Italian Polistil. Models were exact to scale with many moving parts, and generally more sophisticated than venerable British producers Corgi and Dinky Toys.

Model Details

Some Mebetoys models were very clever such as the Autobianchi A66 Elaf petroleum with a roof luggage rack with two large plastic oil barrels affixed there, or the Porsche 912 Rally (a 911 in rally form) which had rock guards in thin yellow plastic strips covering the front windshield and hood and also featuring red and chrome body and bumper supports which extended from front bumper to rear. The car, in 1:43 scale, was topped off, literally, with three spare tires on the roof. Other models were unique because they were not offered elsewhere, like the ISO Fidia S4 grand touring sedan. Politoys had the Rivolta and Corgi and Matchbox made the Grifo ubiquitous, but nobody else made the Fidia S4.

Sinclair's Auto Miniatures, largely responsible for bringing the diecast collector hobby to the United States, discussed that many people were not aware that Mebetoys also made a few promotional issue diecast cars (Sinclair's 1977; Levine 2009). In the 1960s the company issued a couple of 1:24 scale Alfa Romeos, referred to as the "le veterane" set. These two cars were a 1925 Grand Prix car and a 1951 Alfetta racer. They had exquisite detail with rubber tires and were mounted on a wood base with a decorative identification plate and covered with a clear plastic display box. These were reissued in the late 1970s (Sinclair's 1977).

Changes by Mattel

In 1969, Mebetoys was bought by Mattel, which carried on Mebetoys models and began to market new 1/43 scale cars (Force 1992, pp. 146-147). At first, these were the same realistic Mebetoys European models and had many opening features, rubber tires, and excellent detail.

Incrementally, however, Mattel changed many aspects of Mebetoys. Hard plastic 'speed' tires replaced rubber and new California custom body designs were introduced in 1:43 scale and marketed as Hot Wheels Gran Toros, though they still said Mebetoys on the base. Thus the marque became less 'European' with more Mattel influence.

In order to attract buyers in the U.S. market, models like the realistic Toyota 2000 GT were augmented with ones such as Tom Daniel's fantasy custom Twin Mill (a model still used in the standard Hot Wheels line). The Hot Wheels flames-off-the-wheel emblem was applied to some Mebetoys packaging. "Hot Wheels" was translated into Italian as "Sputafuoco", or literally, the cars that "spit fire". Thus Mebetoys were marketed as a sort of larger Hot Wheels range. The 1:43 scale line was discontinued entirely around 1983.

Diecast Legacy

From the Gran Toros website again, it states that Mebetoys was founded by Ugo and Martino Besana in 1959. Mario Besana joined the company in 1967, one year after the company started producing cars. After selling the brand to Mattel, the Besana brothers set up Martoys. This firm made car models in 1/24th scale for only two years, from 1974 to 1976. Then because of confusion with Louis Marx and Company, the name was changed to Bburago, with two 'Bs' (the first B stood for the creator's name, Besana, while the remainder was for the town of Burago di Molgora where the models were made). Bburago became probably the most well-known and popular producer of 1:18 scale models through the 1980s and 1990s. Bburago's assets were sold in 2006 to Maisto.

References

• Force, Dr. Edward. 1992. Classic Miniature Vehicles Made in Italy. West Chester, PA: A Schiffer Publication.
• The Gran Toros Website. [1]
• Levine, R. F. 2009. David Sinclair in the Driver's Seat. Lake Erie LifeStyle, web published December 1. [2]
• Sinclair's Auto Miniatures. 1977. Typewritten newsletter, flyer focusing on Cursor. August. Erie, Pennsylvania.

External Websites

• The Gran Toros Website