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Two tone green, green and maroon Spykers were all preproduction items. The "White Book" listing is wrong for the maroon version, as too late in the casting time line. In the rewritten listings, the maroon version is listed as issue 1 as some were released onto the market. Metallic rose red examples have been seen before, but there provenance always been a bit murky.

Have now been able to check out the sellers pictures of this model, and none of them are of sufficient quality for me to see the detail I need.
So for the education of members here that might wish to acquire one of these rare models, this is what you need to know.
These three are all preproduction models, (although the maroon examples were found on general sale and are classified in the revised 2015 1st series listing as issues 1, 2, & 3 which relates to trim levels and wheel type).


Two tone green.


Mid green


Maroon. NB. This model can be found with normal gold trim as per the early yellow issues, or with Y6 Bugatti wheels.


Attention should be given to the shape of the O in MODELS OF, and No16. On prepro bases they will always be as shown in this example.


On production examples the 0 will be as here.


Under the rear axle there will be one ejector pin impression. On production examples, there are two in front of the rear axle.


The windscreen and steering wheel centre will be the types shown here.

There are other minor variations, but these are the key points.


Only one example of a standard yellow Spyker has been found with the prepro baseplate so far.

A cream coloured Spyker is also known, but I have no casting details of this model

None of these extremely rare models are mine unfortunately, although I do know where they all are!

Thank's Bob for your Spyker details, very informative as we know all 'Yesteryear' models tend to be!

Ghosthunter.

Extract from UK Matchbox magazine.

I can confirm the statement about trial models being distributed as normal models, with first hand sightings of this happening with 3rd series 'Yesteryears', when I visited Brian Harvey's 'Grand Prix Models' on a regular basis, so regular they told me I have become their unofficial Fourth member of staff, Every Saturday for quit a number of Years up to the mid 1980's. Brian's business was import and export of many brands of model cars, he was a close friend of Mr Ken Wetton, chief model maker at Lesney and when Ken left Lesney, he worked as a freelance model designer for Brian with regular visits to Brian's office until he sadly died late in December 1981.

Ghosthunter.

Thanks Bob for very nice photos and, for me, very interesting remarks. I thought that the green Spyker is lost forever. I think this is one of the rarest MOY, perhaps only 1-2 exemplars could survive to this days. I have in my collection the maroon Spyker with gold/silver trim.
Antonin

The picture on the gift set was for me the only trace and proof of the existence of the green Spyker
Antonin