The 1953 US Dinky Toys catalog pictures a small red racing car that many collectors might not have seen before.
In fact there are other cars in a little set. These were originally introduced in 1936 and called the “Small Auto Set”, and numbered 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d. Therefore, some collectors call them the 35 series. They were tiny, only a little over an inch long, and made to OO scale. They were all discontinued in 1941 due to the war and then reintroduced in 1946.
- 35a is called the Saloon Car and has the appearance of an early Triumph. It was made until 1952.
- 35b is the Midget Racer and is modeled after an MG Type R race car, and was the longest made, being deleted in 1957.
- 35c is the M. G. Sports Car and based on the M. G. Midget or Type P. This was deleted in 1952.
- 35d is the Austin Seven Car, modeled on the Austin 7 Opal 2‑seat touring car. One source says it was deleted in 1948, but it appears in the 1951 US Dinky Toys catalog.
The pre-war 35d models were fitted with a wire windscreen; however, this was deleted when the model was reintroduced during the post-war years. My example, shown below on the right, is the only pre-war model of this set that I have, and it also shows the pre-war style white tires and thinner axles.
The price lists from the early 1950’s catalogs show these as being priced at $0.35 each, and they always came in trade boxes of six. Here is another photo of this little, very antiquated set of tiny Dinky cars!
