Take a road trip back to the golden age of toys!
🚗💨 This is a fantastic 1985 softcover book of "Cars: Tin Toy Dreams" by Teruhisa Kitahara, the world-famous collector.
This isn't just a book; it's a perfect piece of vintage home decor. It makes a wonderful coffee table book, where its vibrant, full-color photos will delight and entertain your guests. It’s a guaranteed conversation starter and a great vintage accent for a bookshelf, studio, or living room.
📜 This book is considered by many to be the "bible" for collectors of 1950s/ 1960s tin toy cars. It’s a whimsical concours d'elegance assembled from the incredible 10,000-toy collection of author Teruhisa Kitahara. This 127-page volume features over 250 full-color photographs of these amazing creations.
It’s a pictorial reference that showcases the best of Japanese tinplate models, including cars, trucks, limousines, buses, and the incredible "dream cars" of the fifties and sixties. There's a special emphasis on the fabulous fins, shimmering chrome, and intricate grills that defined the era. It even depicts the elaborately illustrated boxes the toys originally came in!
One of the most fascinating parts of the book (as noted on the flaps) is its insight into the manufacturing. To make a tin toy car in the 1950s, a couple of hundred molds were required. Today, it would cost over $80,000 just to make the molds, not to mention the manual labor! They simply don't make them like this anymore. This book is a true celebration of a lost art.
Published by Chronicle Books (USA) in 1985, this is a must-have for any enthusiast.
📐 Size: 10 ⅛ inches tall x 7 ¼ inches wide x ⅜ inches thick (approx. 25.7 cm x 18.4 cm x 1 cm)
- Weight: 430 grams (0.95 lbs)
- Type: Quality Softcover
- Pages: 127 pages, heavy coated gloss paper
- Language: English
- Edition: 1985 Second Edition Softcover (no dust jacket, as issued)
✔️ This book is in very good vintage condition, especially for its age. It shows minor, natural wear from handling and time, such as light scuffs to the cover or gentle bumping at the corners. The spine is strong and the interior pages are clean, bright, and unmarked. Please check all the photos for a detailed look!
This is a fantastic and thoughtful gift for tin toy fans, miniature vehicle collectors, model car enthusiasts, or anyone who appreciates the art and design of the mid-century. 🎁
📦We ship fast—usually the same day or within 2 business days!
Questions? Ask me.
🛒Visit my shop: https://vintagebyfatima.etsy.com
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♻️
❤️ "To our U.S.A. Customers only:
We've simplified the import process for you. If you are buying from the United States, this item already includes an estimate of the U.S. import tariffs. You won't have to pay these customs duties upon delivery. 🤠
--Disclaimer: This policy covers the import tariffs. It does not cover any additional or non-standard handling fees that your local carrier might (though rarely) charge."
Cars Tin Toy Dreams by Teruhisa Kitahara 1985 | Vintage Coffee Table Book | Japanese Tin Plate Toy Collector Reference of 1950s Cars
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1-2 business days
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Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
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Last updated: July 2025
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