Obituaries: Jack Odell, UK biggest car producer!

[nopanic - neil]

Found this on a web site, - Died July 7th - at 87.

Jack Odell became the founder and chief designer of Matchbox, the iconic miniature toys that have entertained car-crazy kids for half a century.

After creating a miniature steamroller for his young daughter, who wanted something that would fit into a matchbox to show her classmates, Mr. Odell -- who died last Saturday at age 87 in Herfordshire, England -- realized he had stumbled upon a product that the company he co-owned, struggling Lesney Products, could sell.

After producing such early models as a cement mixer and a dump truck, the company had its first hit with a miniature of Queen Elizabeth II's horse-drawn golden coach -- produced in the year of her coronation, 1953. More than a million of the coaches sold for the equivalent of about 40 cents in U.S. currency at the time; online today, they sell for hundreds of dollars. [...]

Mr. Odell, who left school at age 13, held odd jobs before enlisting in the Army, where he repaired fighting vehicles during World War II and had a profitable sideline of repairing Primus stoves.

Meanwhile, a pair of unrelated ex-servicemen named Smith -- Leslie and Rodney -- founded Lesney in 1947 in a bombed-out London pub called The Rifleman. The pair struggled to find die-making work for electrical sockets and other products. Soon, they brought in Mr. Odell, and Rodney Smith sold his stake and left the company.

When Lesney went public in 1960 it was producing one million cars a week. Production eventually rose to one million a day, and employed about 6,000. "We produce more Rolls-Royces in a single day than the Rolls-Royce company has made in its entire history," Mr. Odell told the New York Times in 1962.
His eye for detail and abilities as a die-cutter led to realistic dashboard dials and hoods and trunks that opened. Car companies, sensing free advertising, eagerly provided blueprints to ensure accurate reproduction. Clad in a white apron and sporting a close-trimmed mustache, Mr. Odell could be found checking on quality on the factory floor

Who can not say thanks to this guy, everyone must have had one or two of his models, racing them on the floor, smashing them up in multi-plie ups, and leaving them on the stairs for your dad to stand on!

Thanks Mr Matchbox.

What was your best matchbox model?

[Pieter]

My best Matchbox model was definitely a light blue Iso Grifo! Loved that model when I was a kid.

[Brian(Liverpool boys)]

here are 5 of mine

[clkgtrlm1]

Iso Grifo

[Nordic]

Ferrari Sharknose.

[Pieter]

Iso Grifo

That's the one!  ;D

[Leftie]

I much prefered Dinky and the Corgie as they were bigger.

But yes, he was brilliant. It's a real shame that there seems to be no up -n-comming versions of him.

[vqdave]

i used to rather like my dodge challenger, mine was red with a white roof though as i remember.

[Andy Zarse]

here are 5 of mine

No wonder they went bust Brian, the definition on those models is really fuzzy  ;) Nice red Ferguson though!

[Andy Zarse]

I loved Jim Clark when I was three. Mainly cos my Dad told me he was the best! I had one of these:

[Brian(Liverpool boys)]

here are 5 of mine

No wonder they went bust Brian, the definition on those models is really fuzzy  ;) Nice red Ferguson though!

Andy, it's called hang over shake, would not mind having a few of these in the loft.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Matchbox-Series-No-15-Monte-Carlo-Volkswagen-Superb_W0QQitemZ150143005942QQihZ005QQcategoryZ56350QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[neilsie]

omg didn't realise these were worth anything - have a couple of hundred in my parents place lots (non in boxes though).


RIP to afore mentioned chap too!

[Brian(Liverpool boys)]

Neilsie, see the guys other items, the prices shocked me  :o



http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZmintboxedtoys