Here is a short-lived range of cars that I knew nothing about until recently called ‘Go Cars’ which were made by Proctor & Gamble and given away with washing powder around 1971 – 72.
The orange 72 Mercury Cougar came to me a while ago in a general job lot of cars from an eBay auction and all it has on the base is No 757 Made in Hong Kong so I had no clue on the maker but I did think it looked very similar in detail to a 63 Oldsmobile Starfire I had.
This one was marked on the base Blue Box Made in Singapore but it had a friction motor whereas the Mercury did not but it did have two holes in the rear bumper. More recently another job lot that I purchased contained the answer in the form of a yellow 71 Ford Torino GT which still has some of the sticker on the base showing the missing makers details. These models are surprisingly well detailed, the Torino having ‘GT’ moulded in behind the front wheel and Torino lettering on the rear corners above the marker lights. My car does have cracked windscreens but I think its done amazingly well to survive over half a century as it is made from very thin and hard plastic so would not take very much play use. There seems to have been about half a dozen or so different Ford and Mercury models made in 1/40 scale and they came with a spring-loaded launcher which is probably why not many seem to have survived.
If you’re a die-cast collector or just love discovering lost gems from the past, keep your eyes peeled—these Go Cars are a rare find, and their backstory is as unique as the toys themselves. Who knew doing the washing could lead to such automotive treasures?
