Models of Yesteryear Y-10/1; 1908 Grand Prix Mercedes

This is really quite a small model so that when I first saw one I assumed it wasn't a MOY but a normal Matchbox model of an old car. It is however part of the very first MOY range. It is a very small model of a very large car. There is a casting variation on the seats in this car, there is a raised portion on the sides, inside the bodywork in the green painted area. On early models this is a vertical bar cast into the side of the car, later on in the production run it becomes wider, almost square.

This car won the 1908 French Grand Prix at an average speed 69mph, beating the second place Benz by almost nine minutes. This race was notable for the fact that Frenchman Henri Cissac was killed when his Panhard-Levassor lost a tyre and crashed. He and his mechanic, were the first recorded fatal casualties in motor racing.

The 1908 Grand Prix Mercedes was the first MOY to have the number Y-10 and was made from 1958 to 1959. It is seen in white or off-white, the seats are in shades of green. The pure white is the one to go for.