Matchbox 41d; Siva Spyder

The 'S160' began life as a project for Marcos as a GT with a Hillman Imp engine. However, Marcos dropped the concept and SIVA re-designed it into the SIVA S160 Spyder. The car debuted in the 1971 Racing Car Show. The revised 'Spyder' being based on a VW beetle floorpan. The Spyder was unique in that all the car switchgear was housed in the driver's door. A bare bodyshell was available for £525 or a completed car was available for £895. There were 12 'S160 Spyder' produced in total. Just a small point... Aren't cars called 'Spyder' usually an open roadster? This one had gull-wing doors and a fixed roof.

In a range of largely fictitious supercars from Matchbox in the early seventies this is unusual in being based on a real car, however I'm not sure a British kit-car based on the Hillman Imp and the VW Beetle can truly be called a supercar - at least it looks a bit like one. The car was added to the Matchbox range in 1972 and was originally ginger in colour the black stripe-roll bar thingy was either black or plated silver. In 1975 the colour was changed to a purply/blue shade, a Streakers issue with stars & stripes tampos, remaining this colour until it was deleted in 1978. In 1977 a US Roman Numeral issue was light blue.

Values are fairly consistent across the versions with none being particularly outstanding.