The Dinky Ferrari Racing Car. The Ferrari racing car. In March 1963, the Meccano Magazine announced the introduction of its new racing car series and the first model in that series, the Ferrari 156, F1, model 242 went on sale in the same month. Subsequently, Dinky introduced three further models in the series.

At a 1:42 scale, the 3.5 inch (89mm) long, 1.75 inch wide and 7/8ths inch high racing car cost 3/11. Finished in Ferrari’s famous red livery, the black, prancing horse logo was on either side of the car’s ‘Shark-nose’ cowl. The model had four wheel suspension and a removable rear cowl, which gave access to the detailed mid-engine. A plastic windscreen surrounds the driver wearing a white overall and green helmet.

In 1961, Ferrari replaced their Dino racing car with the Ferrari 156. The enforced reduction of engine capacity from 2.5 litres to 1.5 litres caused Ferrari some difficulties and the race competition proved fierce, with challenges from BRM’s Graham Hill, Lotus’s Jim Clarke and American Dan Gurney driving for Porsche.

Designed by Carlo Chiti, the Ferrari 156, ‘Shark-nose’ made its debut in 1956, at the Monaco Grand Prix. During that season, the American, Phil Hill, drove the car to the world championship. Other famous drivers won grand prix races in the ‘Shark-nose’, American, Richie Ginther, Britain’s John Surtees and Italy’s Lorenzo Bandini, who won the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix, the last race to be won by a Ferrari 156, before it was replaced by the Ferrari Aero.

Introduced in March 1963, and shown in Dinky catalogue No5 in May 1969 for 4/11 the Ferrari racing car was deleted from the French Dinky catalogue at the end of 1970, when it was replaced by model 1422 a more modern Ferrari F1 car. In the UK, the car was withdrawn in 1971. The original price was 3/11 . It was available in red, light red finish at 1:42 scale. Released as Dinky 242 in 1963 withdrawn as Dinky 242 in 1971.