Tekno 933, 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado

I do not remember this, and I am glad you showed it. Looks very interesting.

Very interesting indeed! I've never seen this before. Very cool.

The opening features are remarkable, especially how small their gaps are. And that engine bay is incredibly good. Thanks for posting this David!

@ed-davis+1.

I had one of these as a kid; I remember being amazed that everything opened.     I have NO idea what happened to it; I suspect I lost it.  🙄 🙄 🙄 

This Toro has an interesting history.  The tooling and molds were never passed on to other companies.  Kirk made this model FOR Tekno; in fact all the 900 series Tekno were designed and produced by Kirk!  Both companies were located no too far from each other in Copenhagen.  The Tekno/Kirk came in white, blue, red, or gold.  A couple versions were also made with black hood and trunk.  Here are the Tekno and Kirk boxed versions.

The model was only made for 3 years but in large numbers, so it is fairly easy to find for a Tekno. Introduced for Christmas 1969, the model was sold with the instructions so a kid could take it apart and reassemble it.  What a great design by the Kirk designers!  In 1970, the long term agreement between Kirk and Tekno expired, so Kirk 'rebranded' and sold it with Kirk on the baseplate in their own black box (or as an MPC Strip n Steer kit in the US/Canada).  Kirk went out of business and Tekno took it back in 1971-72. Sadly Tekno then went bankrupt in 1972, so the story ends there. 

Several Tekno collectors, including me, have looked at the Pilen (not Joal) copy and determined that it is not from the same mold.  There are enough minute differences.  So Pilen probably reverse engineered it and made their own molds.  It is doubtful they came up with it independently.  Here is the Pilen:

The 1:43 Toro by Tekno might be their best effort ever and the best toy car ever made in the 1960-70s!  You need one in your collection!

Cool! Go figure!!

@karl 

Thank you Karl for the comprehensive history, especially the background for Kirk. I do have that M307 Pilen somewhere in my collection.

For anyone not familiar with this Tekno Toronado, it really is a fascinating model.

I have a red version.

The body is accurate, with a decent paint finish, nice wheels and bright-plated front and rear trim and side sills. The doors open and the front seats can be slid fore and aft. The boot/trunk opens. Press lightly on the bonnet/hood and the concealed headlamps pop up (showing two pairs of nice “jewel” lenses). Flick a small lever hidden below the front bumper and the hood springs open to reveal the well-detailed engine bay.

The front wheels are independently mounted on cleverly angled, spring-loaded pivots. Press down on the right side of the car and the wheels pivot to the left, so unlike the silly system Dinky Toys sometimes used, where you had to lean the car into the turn to steer the wheels, the Tekno system gives an accurate “car turning left and leaning over to the right” response (and the same for right turns, obviously). The rear axle is coil-sprung.

I also have 1:43 Toronados by Solido, Pilen and Corgi, but none of them is remotely up to this standard. It’s a terrific model.

Tekno also did a pretty neat Mercedes 230SL roadster with the same working features, in civil and Police versions.

@graeme-ogg 

Excellent assessment Graeme. Thanks.

Posted by: @david-green

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@graeme-ogg 

Excellent assessment Graeme. Thanks.

@perrone1 +2.

The Spanish Toronado's are copies of the Corgi Toys version and to the same 1:51st scale.

Mettoy, Corgi Toys brand owner, weren't exactly overjoyed with Pilen and Joal's antics of copying their models.

Politoys and Solido also produced Toronado's in 1:43rd scale and impressive companions to the Kirk/Tekno versions.

Solido's casting being particularly superb along with the opening door feature when the interior lights up. Just need a Mercury 1.35v battery or equivalent.

Here is the Pilen vs Corgi comparison, since Chris brought it up!