I have a yellow Matra Rancho. When I was a kid, it fell out of a 10th floor balcony - good thing it didn't hit anyone. It fell about 30 metres, and there was not a scratch on it (OK, it landed on the grass, not on concrete, but still...). Tough little thing.

A local company copied these (and some other Matchbox vehicles) here in Hungary in pretty poor quality. I think I have one in my chest-o-Matchboxes.

Yeah, loved that one. Another futuristic kick-ass Matchbox I loved was the Peugeot Quasar.

OK, that's it, I'm going on ebay to buy one of those. I have three different CXs, a Traction Avant, but no DS, although it's probably my favourite car ever.

Oh man, this post and the replies sure bring back a lot of memories...

I absolutely loved the 'suspension' under these. One like yours and a red one.

I had (and still have) three of these - one yellow version, a blue 'Duckhams' one and a color shifter (white/pink/purple). But I always wanted a black Texaco one. :)

I still have one of those in the same color, I think. Sadly, mine is far from mint condition. The doors are missing the paint is very worn and the axles are bent, so it won't roll properly.

This old and pretty worn Dodge Wreck Truck. This was not my first Matchbox car (that was a rust brown Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II), but my father's first. Back in the late 1960s Matchbox cars were extremely hard to come by in Hungary - therefore it was ridiculously cool back then, some 15 years before I was born.

Yeah, I also had a gold one. It was also special because it was made in Bulgaria, if I remember correctly.

A friend of mine was stopped by the cops (just a routince check - he wasn't given a ticket). He forgot the starter motor in his car was broken and shut off the engine. The two cops gave him a push.

Saying anything other than "I have no idea" when the cop asks you if you know why he/she pulled you over.

In fact, the Beetle was one of the few "western" cars that made it into the country in larger numbers before 1989. Another was the FIAT 500.

Unfortunately not, since I was only 4 at the time. But I remember watching a lot of F1 on TV with my dad.

Back in the socialist era, you couldn't just buy a car in the Eastern Bloc - or at least in Hungary. Unless you were someone famous or had very good connections (or perhaps loads of hard currency).

I have to admit, even if I look like an asshat: I drive as fast as I can (as long as it's safe).

With the engine in the front and FWD, it could still be good. I mean, the concept itself is 100% viable - cars like the FIAT 500 and the new Mini proved that. The problem with the first New Beetle was that its base, the Golf IV was not a very good car. It was OK as an average family hatchback, but for a trendy retro…

VW Beetle. All the hype about the design, but the car was pure crap in every single way.

Cadillac BLS diesel. Also the Lancia Betas with the recall scandal. The company hasn't fully recovered from the rusting junk image since then.

I took this picture (sorry for the crappy quality) last week in my hometown. Black BMW, two handicapped spots...