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World Racing Cars (Merrysweets).
There are several sets of motorsport-related cards in this section of the site now. The collector's cards shown here are part of a set which numbered 48 in total, I have just a selection of them and these are featured below. They were issued by Merrysweets of London in 1959 I believe. Both racing cars and circuits feature in this collection, I bought these from a toy fair in 2005(ish). They turn up for sale quite regularly so I don't think it'd require much effort to acquire the "missing" cards, although sourcing the album that they go in may take a little more digging.
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Return to the transport-related trade cards section.
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Here are the cards that I have at present ... with the descriptions given on each card's reverse side.
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Tojeiro-Jaguar
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No.7 Driven by Ivor Bueb, this Tojeiro-Jaguar belongs to the famous Scottish "Ecurie Ecosse" racing team. It is the largest car yet designed by John Tojeiro, designer of the prototype AC Ace sports car, and has a 3.8-litre D-Type Jaguar engine of 300bhp in a tubular space frame, with independent suspension and disc brakes. Top speed is about 170mph.
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OSCA
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No.10 With an engine of only 750cc, but developing nearly 70bhp, this tiny Italian sports racing car surprised everyone by winning the index of performance in the 1958 Le Mans 24-hour race at an average of 87.6mph. Its co-drivers were the Argentinian Alessandro de Tomaso and Colin Davis, whose father S.C.H. Davis won the 1927 Le Mans race in a Bentley. The Osca is built by the Maserati brothers at Modena.
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Vanwall
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No.15 Most successful British Grand Prix car in history, the Vanwall created a sensation in 1957 when Stirling Moss drove it to victory in three successive races at Aintree, Pescara and Monza. In 1958, Moss won the Dutch Grand Prix, while Tony Brooks (in picture) brought his Vanwall home first in the Belgian, German and Italian Grand Prix. The 2.5-litre engine uses fuel injection in place of carburettors and gives 270bhp. (A set of cards solely relating to Moss may be found here, also on OCC).
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Lola Climax
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No.21 Typical of many "specials", the Lola Climax was built by two cousins, Eric and Graham Broadly, in a small lock-up garage. It has an 1100cc Coventry Climax engine, Austin A30 gearbox and modified Morris Minor steering. Following its successes in many short races at Snetterton, Brands Hatch and Crystal Palace, several enthusiasts would like to buy a similar car, but no production plans have yet been made.
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Maserati
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No.24 Although the Maserati company has withdrawn temporarily from Grand Prix racing, its cars continue to be seen regularly in the hands of private drivers and teams. This one, being driven by the American Carroll Shelby, belongs to the Italian Scuderia Centro Sud team, and has a 2.5-litre 6-cylinder unsupercharged engine giving 270bhp.
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Crystal Palace circuit
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No.26 This scene during an 1100cc sports car race is typical of the thrills and excitement which the Crystal Palace circuit has brought to Londoners since it was re-opened after the war. The lap distance is 1.39 miles and the lap record of 82.2mph is held jointly by George Wicken and Tom Bridger, both driving Cooper Climax cars.
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Le Mans
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No.28 At 4pm on a Saturday afternoon in June each year, the world's greatest sports car drivers begin racing round an 8-mile circuit at Le Mans in France, in the famous 24-hour Race. As they drive on through the night and the following day, vast crowds cheer their favourites and pack the fairgrounds, dance-halls, restaurants and camping sites that give Le Mans its unique holiday atmosphere.
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French Grand Prix
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No.30 Only superb skill and trust in one another's capabilities enables Grand Prix drivers to travel almost wheel-to-wheel at around 160mph, like these cars on one of the straights at Reims. They include Fangio in a Maserati (No.34), Moss in a Vanwall (No.8) and Behra and Schell in BRMs (Nos. 14 and 16).
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Spa
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No.34 Start of the 1958 Grand Prix of Europe on the Spa Circuit in the Belgian Ardennes. One of the fastest and most beautiful road-type circuits in the world, it winds in a series of uphill and downhill curves through thick pinewoods, with only one slow hairpin corner, and Mike Hawthorn has lapped its 8.76 miles at 132.36mph.
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This page will be updated if/when more cards in this Merrysweets collection turn up.
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Return to the motor-related trade cards section at oldclassiccar, to find other collections of cards similar to those featured above.
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