Matchbox Superfast 8-e Ford Mustang

The SuperFast issues of the 1965 Mustang Fastback and their initial release ´F´boxes are arguably the most sought after transitional casting. Simply looking at the artwork for the F box which shows a trackset on the box side, non-Superfast generic speedwheel hubs and the lack of ´SuperFast´ branding shows that this box was if not the very first then certainly very early indeed being produced by the box artist.
The 2nd run of F boxes for this casting had the standard black ´SuperFast´ branding added. Pre-productions or sales samples are known to exist in penny numbers in white with thin solid 10.5mm 5 slot wheels and both white or red seats although so far there is no evidence that this version went into volume production.
However Lesney identified the obvious need to make its first wide wheels for this casting, and perhaps this delay to create the first 10mm wide 5 slot wheels explains the low volume distribution of the no 8 F box. All of the 10mm wide 5 slots genuinely fitted by Lesney to no 8 Mustangs lack the thin inside lip on the tyre designed to reduce rolling friction by minimizing track surface area contact which became standard once the decision was taken in 1971 to convert all thin wheeled castings to redesigned reduced friction 4mm wide wheels.

The initial few moulds for wide 10mm 5 slot wheels featured tiny squarish slots and much more chrome than featured on subsequent production, and these wheels have only so far been documented fitted to red and orange no 8 Mustangs (including all known in red with red seats) and the early issues of the no 8 Wildcat, no 13 BP Wrecker and no 62 Rat Rod. However, the very scarce white bodied examples feature common rectangular slots that were used on the bulk of SuperFast Mustang production. These white issues are as scarce as the rare SF 33 Muira dark bronze transitionals and may well have been mostly or only issued in tracksets and giftsets.

The Mustang was recoloured tomato red for its main volume SuperFast production with its shade becoming progressively more orange and less red as the G box run was made. Leftover red seats from the regular wheels version were used up on both the red and orange bodied cars apparently mixed in with white seats which also appear in red and orange cars in much greater quantities.
A note of warning to collectors, it is very easy to fake or make customs that appear to be genuine no 8 white Mustangs due to the ease with which the baseplate can be removed without damaging the rivit significantly and the ready availability of playworn orange SF and white RW examples. The hardest part for a good customiser to fake would be the correct unworn hot foiled 1969 solid milled edge 10.5mmx2mm for code 11 below (or for pre-pros 11.2mm would have large slots and numbers between 1 and 50 stamped in tiny letters on their inner face). For the 10x4mm wide 5 slot wheels issue, the 1970 completely flat rolling edge tyres are much harder to find with chrome intact on an alternative casting than the very common low friction versions made in tens of millions 1972-80.
This casting was also for a short time only assembled & painted in Brazil in a variety of lovely colours from UK provided components circa 1971, otherwise identical to UK issues, which includes both early tiny 5 slot wheels and the normal rectangular 5 slot wheels..