Examples of LEGO Cars from a 1967 Idea Book:A few excerpts of...

[AACA Library]

Examples of LEGO Cars from a 1967 Idea Book:

A few excerpts of vehicles from the 1967 LEGO Idea book, back when the number of parts was less diverse than it is today. But look at all the neat things you could make. That bus still looks amazing!

The earliest version of the LEGO brick first appeared in 1949 and was marketed as the Automatic Binding Brick. By the mid-1950s, LEGO was marketing their product as the LEGO System of Play. Sets consisted of small buildings and specially produced HO 1:87 scale vehicles. These little cars might not look like LEGO, but you can identify them by the LEGO logo which is embossed underneath each one. 

LEGO’s initial purpose for making HO scale cars was to make the toys attractive to model railroaders. In fact, in the 1950s the toys were marketed to both kids and adults. These 1:87 vehicles were produced in the 1950s and 1960s and consisted of a mix of European and British cars, including those from Volkswagen, Mercedes, Jaguar, Citroen, Morris, etc. 

Young builders who wanted to incorporate wheels into their models would have to wait until 1962. The first set to incorporate them was no. 315, an antique car. Since then, LEGO cars have been a popular subject to build and they have become the world’s largest toy company…and tire manufacturer!

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