Bedford CA Kodak Van. Dinky Toys Number 480

Meccano made this particular model type, the CA van from 1954 until 1960.  The Kodak version had a short life, only being on release from 1954 until 1956.  If this model was mint and boxed it might be worth £100 or so but the box was lost many years ago and this reduces the value, because it’s not too badly marked to maybe £20-30.  This is the only Dinky Toy I have left from my once extensive collection of Dinky commercial vehicles.  

Over 370,000 actual Bedford CA vans were built in Luton from 1952 until 1969 by Vauxhall/Bedford. Vauxhall was founded in Vauxhall, London in 1857. The manufacturing moved to Luton in 1905 and the name Vauxhall Motors adopted.  The company was acquired by American General Motors in 1925.  Bedford commercial vehicles were built until 1994.  The French PSA group, a multinational manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles sold under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall brands, bought Vauxhall from GM in 2017.   The PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) signed a merger agreement in 2019.