Matchbox 14a/14b; Daimler Ambulance

14a the first version of the Daimler ambulance was first sold in 1955, to be replaced by a slightly larger casting of the same vehicle in 1958 which stayed in the range until 1962. The earlier release, 14a, is 49mm long and the later release 14b is 59mm long. There is a baseplate on 14b but 14a is an open hollow casting.

I've no idea where the number 14a toy in the pictures below came from, it has just always been around, I've owned it ever since I was a little kid. It is tiny and fun, an excellent little toy. The full size version of the Daimler DC27 Ambulance had a half-ton slab of concrete in the floor to give a smoother ride - not a lot of people know that.

There are some rarer versions of 14b to look out for. The one to have is off-white with metal or silver plastic wheels, The 14b below is the most commonly found , cream with metal wheels, the other common version is off-white with grey plastic wheels. Cream bodywork with grey knobbly plastic wheels is said to be slightly harder to find.