Name: Peugeot Cycling Team, Peugeot D3A Van, Dinky Toys, c. 1960s/70s, "small" 1/43 Scale
SKU: Car-054
Price: 185.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Peugeot Cycling Team, Peugeot D3A Van, Dinky Toys, c. 1960s/70s, “small” 1/43 Scale

$185.00

This charming Dinky Toys van really has “the look. A wonderful addition to any peloton

This charming French Dinky Toys Peugeot D3A van, reference 25B, is a classic Peugeot Cycling Team race support vehicle, the kind of compact service van that would have looked perfectly at home in the caravan of mid-century European road racing. Finished in deep green with pale side panels, checkerboard striping, bold Peugeot lettering, and a BP roundel, the model has wonderful period presence. The van does have “flat tires,” a common issue with old rubber wheels after a toy has sat in one position for many years, but this only adds to its authentic, well-loved character.

The Peugeot Cycling Team is one of the most important and enduring names in cycling history, with roots stretching back to the sport’s early days and a long record of success in the Tour de France, the Classics, and international road racing. Instantly recognizable by its famous black-and-white checkerboard, Peugeot sponsored generations of great riders, including Tom Simpson, Eddy Merckx, Roger Pingeon, Ferdinand Bracke, Bernard Thévenet, Phil Anderson, Robert Millar, and Stephen Roche. That rich racing heritage makes this little Dinky van especially appealing to collectors.

Dinky Toys was one of the great names in early die-cast collecting. Produced by Meccano in both Britain and France, Dinky models became hugely popular from the 1930s through the postwar decades. The company was known for sturdy metal castings, simple but evocative detailing, and a wide range of cars, trucks, buses, military vehicles, aircraft, and commercial vans. French Dinky models, like this Peugeot D3A, are especially admired for their national subject matter and colorful advertising liveries, often capturing the everyday vehicles seen on French roads in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, Dinky Toys are collected both as nostalgic playthings and as miniature documents of automotive, commercial, and graphic design history.

Maker: Dinky Toys, Made in France
Diecast Metal, “small” 1/43 Scale

Size: 3 ¼ inches long (8.5 cm)

This is a one-of-a-kind item; please look carefully at the photos to determine the condition.

Only 1 left in stock

Description

Toys with Soul

During my dad’s childhood in the 1960s, toy soldiers, a.k.a little green army men, were go-to toys for young boys in many parts of suburban America. Overseas, however, it was different. Europe had its equivalent of the green army men: the little peloton riders.

The peloton riders, much like the toy soldiers in America, were at their peak of popularity in the 1950s and ‘60s. However, unlike the cheap plastic toy soldiers that were commonplace in the U.S., every cyclist figurine was made of metal and painted by hand, resulting in a beautiful, straightforward toy. Beyond the familiar pose of a rider in the drops, there were follow cars, caravan motos, riders posed as race winners or drinking from a water bottle, soigneurs, fans, and finish-line banners. Like the green army men, the riders helped children play out their dreams, reenact their favorite moments from races, have epic battles on the famous climbs of the Tour, or anything else they could think up.

With time, the hand-painted metal figures gave way to cheaper metal output with decals and, ultimately, plastic riders. Today, the era of these toys has largely passed. With few exceptions, contemporary availability of this genre is limited primarily to reproductions of vintage Tour de France caravan vehicles.

Like many things collectible, people seem to be enamored with repurchasing their childhood. No visit to a collector swap meet in France or Belgium is complete without reviewing a seller’s table searching for metal riders and vintage die-cast caravan vehicles. The reason for wanting these mementos can vary between collectors, and they go beyond simply replacing a memory of a toy from their childhood. It could be the historical significance they carry or perhaps aesthetic and decoration. Whatever the reason, these figurines have cemented themselves in cycling nostalgia, and even if all the paint wears off, that will not change.