Matchbox Superfast MB34-d Formula 1 Racing Car

The #34d Formula 1 Racer was one of many new generic castings for 1971, this one based upon the then current Formula 1 racing body styles with fins and spoilers that some collectors regard as Ferrari styling. It was added to the 1-75 series specifically to supercede the #19 Lotus and to directly replace the #34c VW which was the last surviving of the regular wheels models with the traditional solid black plastic wheels. It was packaged in a G box or any blisterpack with copyright dates between 1970 and 1974 as well as Giftsets and Games.

The racer was initially painted with pink clearcoat over silver primer, fitted with standard 12.5x4mm 4 slot truck tyres front (short run used spiral wheels from #19 Lotus) and rear, clear windshield, white driver and race ´16´ with one short run featuring special promotional ´Wynns´ stickers of this era.
This casting was recoloured to bright enamel yellow in 1972, but is otherwise unchanged. Plans were afoot by 1973 for this casting to be included in Giftsets & Games in pairs, so an enamel orange version (same shade as #23 VW Camper) appeared alongside the yellow issues in these sets.

On the real life race tracks cars were getting wider so the #34d was updated with higher fatter tyres that were created for the #24d Team Matchbox racer which joined the range in 1973. The #34d alongside the #24d restored the balance to the 1-75 series which traditionally featured two F1 designs until the #52 BRM was deleted in 1969.
From 1973 onwards Maltese cross patterned front wheels along with even larger and wider 5 slots rear wheels became standard. Short run examples of the very common yellow issue were made with Maltese cross wheels fitted all round as well as the largest 5 slots fitted all round although the orange cars discovered so far keep the larger 5 slot wheels on the rear with Maltese cross tyres on the front once the original 4 slot truck tyres were obsolete. These wider wheels #34d in both yellow and orange switched from yellow race #16 stickers to blue race #16 stickers for the last 2 years of UK production.

In its final year of production both the yellow and orange #34 F1 racers gained amber tinted windscreens and a special gift set only metallic blue issue (to replace yellow) which always had the Maltese cross wheels on the front and largest 5 slots on the rear. The blue #34d issues were all race #15 and the very last ones made feature a horizontal strengthening brace along the rear quarter body. Many Giftsets from 1974-75 typically featured an orange and a blue #34d alongside a red and a green #24d.
Roly Toys of Brazil purchased #34d components and labels which were painted in various colours before final assembley in Brazil which included both the 12.5x4mm wheels and the later fatter #24d wheels.