Lledo

Lledo was a British manufacturing company founded in 1982 by Matchbox co-founder Jack Odell, and Burt Russell,[1] and based in Enfield.

"Lledo" was a reversal of Odell's own surname, a mnemonic device from war days in the African desert so as not to forget his wireless call sign.

[2][3][page needed] Lledo set out to specialise in replicating early Matchbox series styles, particularly the Models of Yesteryear range.

[7] The London Double Decker bus was a popular promotional; it appeared in many forms like "Vimto-Keeps you Fit", "Madame Tassaud's Wax Museum", or the "Boys Brigade" model whose intent was to raise funds to provide safe drinking water for third world countries.

[11] Called "Land Speed Legends", the vehicles included the 1935 Sir Malcolm Campbell-Railton Blue Bird (the first car to break 300 miles per hour); the Railton Mobil Special driven by John Cobb; Craig Breedlove's second Spirit of America, and Richard Noble's Thrust 2 which held the Land Speed Record from 1983 to 1997.

These models were a big departure from the multiple-livery classic vehicle fare that Lledo normally made – they were entirely new castings and were not subsequently reproduced in any other promotional form.

[11] Though Lledo also made a fifth land speed record car replica of the record-breaking Thrust SSC piloted by Andy Green, the company did not often return to such deviations from its 'liveried classics' format.

[12] With Hillmans, Jowetts, Wolseleys, Rovers, Triumphs, Vauxhalls, Austins, Morrises and Jaguars, many traditional British marques were represented and the range grew to more than 40 different vehicles.

For example, the handsome Sunbeam Alpine Mark II featured accurate decals for logos and scripts on the body of the car, chrome petrol cap, door handles and trunk hinges.