c.1955 Yonezawa, #153 Atom-Car in Original Box
Outstanding example of Yonezawa's awesome 16" long "Atom-Car", open cockpit torpedo style racer. Resembling some kind of futuristic racer it was one of the most beautifully designed toys to come out of Japan during the 1950's. It's in pristine condition grading excellent+ to near mint! In addition it comes with its original box that still has 100% of its original paper label. The car is scarce especially in high grade. But having the box in any condition is indeed a rarity. Since the early 1990's I've seen possibly three, maybe four boxes for this toy that were complete, or nearly so. It grades excellent. Most importantly the Atom-Car is complete with all of its original parts. The driver's head, rear fin, every piece of chrome, and all four black rubber tire overlays with chrome bubble hubs are present. The tires are merely rubber shells stretched over plastic orange/yellow wheels and are frequently cracked, warped, or entirely missing. Functionally it works great; the friction motor turns easily without binding, while producing a loud "grrrrrrrr" noise from underneath the chassis! The two-piece box was inexpensively produced using thinly corrugated cardboard which becomes extremely brittle as it ages. The applied cover print includes a simple color illustration of the Atom-Car without most of its detail. The box was produced by Kyodo (KDP) trademark. It was printed along with Yonezawa's "Y" in opposite lower corners on the cover. Two additional versions of this car were produced by Yonezawa as Atom-Car #8 and Atom-Car #27. These differed in some of the lithography colors, as well as a different driver. #153 was the only Atom-Car produced with the round head, brown helmeted driver. Size: 16". Sold: May 2013
Price Sold: $ 4050
