Heading out to Cyprus last week for a welcome break, I included in my hand luggage a couple of Hot Wheels models: the Meyers Manx and the Custom ’62 Chevy Pick Up with surfboard, both seemed ideal for taking to the beach. As a child in the early seventies on beach holidays around UK, I would take one or two Matchbox vehicles to play in the sand, usually diggers and dump trucks to “help” build sandcastles. Now past 50 years old, I’m playing less and photographing more.

I took the photo of the Chevy at the salt lake in Larnaca, the dried salt almost looks like surf.

Matchbox made three beach buggies in the seventies, all three were fantasy models: #30 Beach Buggy (released 1970, withdrawn 1977) in a metallic deep pink with random yellow splatter, #13 Baja Buggy (released 1970, withdrawn 1977) with an unrealistic high mounted exposed V8 engine and #47 Beach Hopper, a Rola-Matic model (released 1974, withdrawn 1979). The driver figure is flicked up by a spur on the inside of the driver’s side front wheel as the car rolls along. This is the only one I have now, a previous owner gave the car it’s current paint job.

Usually, I prefer Matchbox to Hot Wheels but with the beach buggies, I like the classic iconic look of the Meyers Manx, a car first produced in the year of my birth (1964). A fibreglass body was attached to a shortened VW chassis.

The Hot Wheels Meyers Manx was introduced in 2003, perfect for taking to the beach whether you are five or fifty-five!