We found a neat Matchbox car on the pegs at the grocery store yesterday. It’s called the Push’n-Puller. Take a look.
Now, from the side, especially on the card, mixed with other vehicles, it doesn’t really stand out. But if you give it a close look, it has odd proportions. It’s symmetrical! Even closer, it’s like two front ends of the same car welded together.
Those front ends appear to be from an early Ford Cortina, although they are generic enough to possibly be other cars. Upon closer look, even more fun details emerge. It has rear-view mirrors on all corners. Think about it, most 1/64 cars don’t even bother with mirrors, but this one does it to make a point. Also, it has a steering wheel on each end of the cockpit, with a single driver’s seat on each side.
Great original idea… but have we seen this before?
Well, the T-4-2 from Hot Wheels pulled/pushed the same trick. This car came out in 1970, a Ford Model-T-inspired jalopy with engines on both ends and two steering wheels inside. It’s great to see such a strange concept come back to life, especially with the seemingly Ford-based connection.
Oh, one fantastic detail on the Push’n Puller? The base has the text information stamped in it on both sides of the chassis. That’s right, the name, copyright info, date, and even the Matchbox logo are mirrored to truly make this car even more symmetrical. Aside from a tiny clue in the side graphics, there is no real distinction to tell front from back.
No matter how you look at it, this kind of attention to detail, whether it matters historically, or is just there for fun, is why we collect.
