Matchbox 31d; Volksdragon

Matchbox seemed to have a bit of a thing about producing hot-rods & funny cars based on the good old Type 1 Volkswagen, or Beetle as it is better known. This effort is from 1971 and it remained in the range until 1977 with a subsequent re-release in the US in 1978. It is quite a fun little package and at least the designer got the idea that VWs have their engine in the boot, which is not always the case.

All the UK issues are red with a plated air-intake/engine unit on the back, windows are purple and bases are silver or unpainted. The US issue is black. The red ones can have stickers on the bonnet which are either googly eyes or a flower. The other variation to look out for is the top surface of the air scoop. Some have three ribs moulded in, some are smooth. The ones to look out for are red with a flower label or red with the smooth air scoop. The US black release is also priced a bit higher.