The
Great Book of Corgi
PAGE LAST UPDATED:29 March 2020
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|
The
Great Book of Corgi
PAGE LAST UPDATED:29 March 2020 |
|
| I've arranged this site chronologically,
using Marcel van Cleemput's Pocket Book companion to the wonderful &
essential Great Book of
Corgi as a guide. Each year gets its own page and on each of those pages
I list all the new models released that year. If there's one in my
collection there's a link to pictures of it, where I don't have one yet I'm open
to offers if you have one for sale. Please browse and enjoy.
You may
make copies of anything on the site; all I ask in
return is an acknowledgement and a link back to this website. Remember - wherever you are on the website - all the little pictures are clickable links either to more information or to bigger pictures |
| 1956 + | The brand is launched with a fine range of British cars centre-stage supported by no less than 6 versions of the Bedford CA van. |
| 1957 * | Firsts in 1957: First Major, first foreign car, first racing car, first Land Rover, first Karrier shops, first Gift Set |
| 1958 * | The year of the missiles - two competing systems, very realistic and the beginning of the military models. |
| 1959 + | Farm machinery arrives and the beginning of 'Glidamatic' suspension and detailed interiors, Chevy Impala debuts |
| 1960 + | Bluebird, the first Chipperfields and the first opening bonnet, S upgrade models arrive and the Mini bursts on to the scene |
| 1961 + | Seats and spring suspension are the norm, the Bentley Continental, Ecurie Ecosse transporter, Fordson Major, Golden Guinea |
| 1962 + | Detail, detail - opening everything, more Chipperfields, the Jag Mk 10, some very sexy Americans and new versions of old friends |
| 1963 + | Many more features, trans-o-lites, luggage in the boot, building kits & rally cars. The Ghia sets new standards in detail |
| 1964 + | The 'Classics', the London Bus and the first Monte Carlo Mini-Cooper, fine engineering with working wipers and the Simon Snorkel |
| 1965 + | One of the biggest years; James Bond, The Saint, musical Ice Cream vans, loads of military, VW Safari Rally, long long list, all good |
| 1966 + | Batmobile, the Avengers, Man from UNCLE, Rally cars, Cortina Estate - all classic mainline Corgis at their peak |
| 1967 + | Holmes Wrecker, Daktari, Green Hornet, Bertie Wooster, James Bond's Toyota, MGB, one of the best years ever |
| 1968 + | Chitty chitty bang bang, the Monkees, take-off wheels and the Mini 'Magnifique' less newness, but every model is brilliant |
| 1969 + | London to Sydney Hillman and a few other great new models - the beginning of Whizzwheeels |
| 1970 | Whizzwheels take over, working features begin to disappear. There are still some great new products but the rot has begun. |
| 1971 | Dragsters & Beach Buggies, appearance of the 'Corgi Technocrats'. Mazak models begin a new era of poor modelling |
| 1972 | Products sourced from Hong Kong, Whizzwheels models, no clever engineering, nothing worth much at all. |
| 1973 | More dumbed-down models and fewer recognisably 'Corgi' products, Nothing new, just rehashes of mediocre stuff. |
| 1974 | As last year, nothing new worth a mention. |
| 1975 | Another fallow year with little fresh to see |
| 1976 | A few Majors showing newness, but nothing to get worked up about at all |
| 1977 | A few rehashes of old models are worth looking at - just |
| 1978 |
No models released in this year made my collection, there are some pictures here of models from Chris Davidson's collection however |
| 1979 | The year of character merchandise - almost half the new releases are TV, comic & movie themed and most of the rest are rehashed old models. |
| 1980 | I'm beginning to add some 1:36 scale models here, some from the collection of Chris Davidson |
| 1981 | More of Chris' pictures and increasingly more of my own |
| 1982 | The Corgi brand is struggling to survive by diversifying into electronics |
| 1983 | The spectacular crash |