Mercury (toy manufacturer) Marklin, the company was started in 1932, by Attilio Clemente and Antonio Cravero, but its first toy was a gun produced about 1939 (Batazzi et al 1974; Force 1992, 5; History of Mercury 2013; Ralston 2009, 62). The company first began making toy cars just after World War II, so is one of the earliest diecast model makers preceding Corgi and many others and it was the earliest producer in Italy (Richardson 1999, 134). In Italy there was little competition for Mercury through most of the 1950s (Force 1992, 5). Early cars were more Tootsietoy-like with simple cast bodies, wheels
Maytag Toy Racer cone clutch for power transmission, and later models used a double-purpose hand lever to adjust drive-belt friction and to apply braking action. Maytag Toy racers manufactured beginning in October 1937 used the Model 72, twin cylinder, Maytag Multi-motor. Records show that 498 Maytag Toy Racers were built, and approximately 25 survivors have been located to date. Maytag Toy Racer The Maytag Toy Racer was a small 1-passenger automobile built by the Maytag Company between October 11, 1934 and December 1, 1941 and powered by Maytag Model 92 one-cylinder or, later, two-cylinder air-cooled Multi-Motor engines. Previously in 1932 the Winston Corporation