Yesteryear Collection - 1909 Opel Coupe

The actual vehicle on which this model is based is the Opel Coupe 4/8 PS, especially built for the middle class by the German automaker Adam Opel KG from 1909 to 1910.
This two-seater car, being small and agile, was used by many doctors and quickly got the nickname the 'Doctor's Car'. Opel advertised the Type 4/8 PS with statements such as 'Simple mechanism' and 'Incredibly easy to use'. It was also the first car from this manufacturer to bear the 'Opel' lettering on the radiator.

The (Y4-3) 1909 Opel Coupe was the third MOY to have the number Y4. It was made from 1967 to 1984.

Variations/Rarities:They were usually cream or off white in colour with brass 12 spoke wheels.
The roof was brown plastic which had no rear windows and a smooth finish and the seats were maroon or red plastic.
The roof strut locating pins were cast in to the sides of the body but soon they were removed and molded into the end of each armrest on the plastic seat.
The grill insert was usually red or maroon plastic to match the seats.
The grille shell, bulkhead with sidelights and the two handbrake and gear-levers were all brass plated metal. The steering wheel was black plastic.
The last two runs of white Opels were fitted with a rear windowed textured tan hood. Fakes have however been seen whereby the rear windows has been cut out of the plastic, so check ones seen for sale carefully! There are distinct colour shade differences between light tan, tan and light brown.
Colour trial seats have also been seen; pale blue, green, pink, beige and mauve but it is unlikely that these were intended to be released as production models.
The model was recoloured to orange with a gloss or matt black chassis and a black hood with rear windows.
It was fitted with maroon seats, light cream grille and chromed 12 or 24 spoked wheels.
Whilst the white Opel model was fitted with three different baseplate components, the orange model was only issued with a Type C baseplate.
The major casting modification was to the rear mudguard struts; these began as fully open, but with time, a strengthening wedge was added.

The real rarity is the white one with a rear window textured tan hood. Of the rest, the cars with a maroon grille and hood are a little harder to find.

The 1909 Opel Coupe was also re-released in 1984 as part of the Connoisseurs Collection in two-tone red with a tan hood. It was released again in 1996 as part of the 40th Anniversary Collection from the Matchbox Collectibles series.

This model was also released as both a silver-plated and a gold-plated version in the Matchbox Giftware series.

In 1998 a quantity of white bodies were found in a warehose in Germany. These 'Doctor's Coupes' had been used by Fisons in Germany to promote their Intal inhalers. The model and inhalers were packaged in a black windows box (Type M).


White body & chassis	Orange body & black chassis	Bright red body & dark red chassis from the 1984 Connoisseurs Collection	Yellow body & chassis from the 1996 Matchbox Collectibles 40th Anniversary Collection	Rear windowed textured tan hood.


Left, the early version with the roof supporting pins cast in. Right, the later issue with the pins molded into the seats	Left, the earlier open type rear wing struts and right the later closed type with webbed lower corner	Type A baseplate	Type B baseplate	Type C baseplate

Information as from "The Yesteryear Book 1956-2002"
Issue	Year of Release	Colours	Hood	Body Pins	Seat Pins	Hood Window	Seats	Grille	Wheels	Rear Mudguard Struts	Baseplate Type	Baseplate	Rarity	Box
1	1967	White body & chassis	Light Tan smooth	Yes	No	No	Maroon	Maroon	Brass 12 spoke	Open	A	LESNEY ENGLAND	VR	E
2	1968	White body & chassis	Light Tan smooth	Yes	No	No	Maroon	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Open	A	LESNEY ENGLAND	D	E
3		White body & chassis	Tan smooth	Yes	No	No	Bright red	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Open	A	LESNEY ENGLAND		E/E1
4		White body & chassis	Tan smooth	Yes	No	No	Maroon	Maroon	Brass 12 spoke	Open	B	LESNEY ENGLAND	VR	E/E1
5		White body & chassis	Tan smooth	Yes	No	No	Maroon	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Open	B	LESNEY ENGLAND	D	E/E1
6		White body & chassis	Tan smooth	Yes	No	No	Bright red	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Open	B	LESNEY ENGLAND		E1/F/G
7		White body & chassis	Tan smooth	Yes	No	No	Bright red	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Open	C	LESNEY ENGLAND		F/G
8		White body & chassis	Tan smooth	No	Yes	No	Bright red	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Open	C	LESNEY ENGLAND		F/G
9		White body & chassis	Tan smooth	No	Yes	No	Bright red	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke, 11.4mm small	Open	C	LESNEY ENGLAND	S	F/G
10		White body & chassis	Tan smooth	No	Yes	No	Bright red	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke, 11.4mm small	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND	S	F/G
11		White body & chassis	Light brown smooth	No	Yes	No	Bright red	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Open	C	LESNEY ENGLAND		F/G
12		Light cream body & chassis	Light brown smooth	No	Yes	No	Bright red	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND	S	F/G
13		White body & chassis	Light brown smooth	No	Yes	No	Bright red	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND		F/G/M
14		White body & chassis	Light brown smooth	No	Yes	No	Maroon	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND	D	F/G
15		White body & chassis	Tan textured	No	Yes	Yes	Bright red	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND	VR	F/G
16		White body & chassis	Tan textured	No	Yes	Yes	Maroon	Bright red	Brass 12 spoke	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND	VR	F/G
17	1975	Orange body & gloss black chassis	Black textured	No	Yes	Yes	Maroon	Light cream	Chrome 12 spoke	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND	D	H
18		Orange body & matt black chassis	Black textured	No	Yes	Yes	Maroon	Light cream	Chrome 12 spoke	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND		H
19		Orange body & matt black chassis	Black textured	No	Yes	Yes	Maroon	Light cream	Chrome 24 spoke	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND	D	H
20		Darker orange body & matt black chassis	Black textured	No	Yes	Yes	Maroon	Light cream	Chrome 12 spoke	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND	S	H
21		Orangey tan body & matt black chassis	Black textured	No	Yes	Yes	Maroon	Light cream	Chrome 12 spoke	Closed	C	LESNEY ENGLAND	S	H
22	1984	Bright red body & dark red chassis	Tan textured	No	Yes	Yes	Ruby red	Black	Gold 12 spoke	Closed	D	MATCHBOX� 1984 LIMITED EDITION ENGLAND		K
Rarity: D - Difficult; S - Scarce; R - Rare; VR - Very Rare; ER - Extremely Rare
Box: E - Picture of model on end flap; E1 - End flap picture plus 'Matchbox �'; F - Pink and yellow see-through; G - Purple and yellow see-through; H - Woodgrain effect with clear panel; K - Connoisseur Set; M - Non-Manufacturers' Packaging