MBX Road Trip | `63 Austin Healey Roadster

A Roadster is an “Open Two-Seater” or “Tow-Seat Tourer.” The term was coined dating back to the 19th century that started with horse drawn carriage, which expanded to push bikes and motorcycles until it was redefined as a two-seater sports car with an open top. The term has been redefined these days that a roadster can also be something of a fun car to drive on weekends or road trips. Matchbox has produced several licensed cars and even the obscure fictional ones. But the Austin-Healey 3000 is one of those iconic British cars that defined it.

The Austin-Healey 3000 is the most popular among the “Big Healeys” which is a collaboration of designers, engineers, and fabricators that produced the earlier versions from Donald Healey, Leonard Lord, managing director of Austin, and Jensen Motors putting together the Austin-Healey 100 (named due to that it can make 100 MPH) then followed with several models.

Whenever you talk about roadsters a few things come to mind is the current crop of cars known for it like the BMW Z3 and its variants as well as Mazda’s popular MX-5 or in Japan simply known as the Mazda Roadster. But the Austin-Healey 3000 is this underrated classic icon ever produced by the now defunct British Motor Corporation manufactured from 1959 to 1967 with its own variations that also featured a hardtop.

But the Mk2 being the last ever produced was the iconic car that stuck to those who have grown up in Europe to ever see the actual car. It is considered one of the early roadsters or convertibles that define the ‘fun drive’ on weekends. Today you won’t call it a fast car but rather a ‘fun ride’ to take on short road trips or sometimes just going around and just drive around the city. Asian countries would rarely know this car which is dominated by sedans and hot hatches produced in Japan.

For the youth of today they would say it is an outdated and boring car, but for those who have seen this little convertible it defined the early days of car manufacturing. The design in today’s standards may not be sleek and sporty but it was a roadster.

Key Features of the Austin Healey Roadster below:

Year Release: 2018 | New Casting
Base Color: Grey | Plastic
Window: Blue Tint
Tampo: Detailed Trim
Interior: Brown









MBX Road Trip | 63’ Austin Healey Roadster

The most iconic of “Big Healeys” is the 3000 Mk2, which Matchbox produced starting in 2018 for its mainline an all new casting based from the model based from the 1963 model. The first year introduced this red car followed with the Metal flake Light-Blue (2019) with almost similar wheels from the first release, and the current edition in cream with a different set of wheels matching the red seats.

This first edition is iconic with its red painted body that features brown interior having a blue tint on the windscreen The packaging for 2018 elevated the product with its new photorealistic art of the car driving up to the hills for a roar trip, which is also indicated the sub-theme for the mainline that was originally called “Explorers” from the previous year was changed to “Road Trip” and then currently with “Off-Road” for 2020 mainline designation for all vehicles that takes land travel.













Convertible Sports Car Icon

This Austin-Healey 3000 Mk2 packs details in and out of the car itself. Though it may not have removable hardtop and kept the iconic look of the convertible it looks like you’re getting for its worth as the card art almost matches the actual product down to its details from headlights and rear badge that it’s the 3000 model.

The interior brown seats and the grey plastic base marries the look of what the car would appeal to those who have known this model namely the flooring and the little details like the gas, clutch, and brake pedals. It’s interesting how the Matchbox team put little nods on this tiny car when you can notice their other models lacking those things that supposed to make them look interesting.

If Lesney was still in business producing this they would include suspensions the way Tomica is still producing the same type of cars from their early days. But Mattel have streamlined that all their diecast cars including Hot Wheels won’t have them with exception to probably the premium editions.





Roadsters to Roadster

These days, you won’t see those curvy aesthetics that made British classic cars like the Austin–Healey an icon despite no longer being manufactured and has been defunct since 1968. But when you park it beside another roadster it really stands out despite being under powered and only having a 3000cc engine.

The craftsmanship and the design aesthetics would simply catch your attention if this was driven in one of those last Sunday of the month Cars & Coffee meet-ups in one of the local shopping mall’s car park early in the morning.

The Matchbox team certainly made this an interesting model to get despite little interest from collectors from Southeast Asian region and it’s understandable because the actual car never made it to this part of the hemisphere and it was discontinued after the company folded.



Overall a fun model to display or capture it in photos taken outdoors. The colors certainly pops and matching it with the blue tint has made it all the better. The 2020 edition is great too with the cream paint job showing the distinct lines. But this first edition definitely makes attractive due to the photorealistic card art almost matching the set of wheels that surely makes you want to take it out and drive it on a Sunday.



“'63 Austin Healey Roadster” is numbered "MB87" overall die-cast under the "MBX Road Trip" series for the mainline released for Matchbox in 2018 and it was acquired at Toys R'Us Express inside Robinsons Department Store in Robinsons Galleria for PhP 120.00 Pesos ($3.42 AUD **) during the extended month long Holiday Sale that ended on 12 January 2020.

Matchbox is distributed and sold in the Philippines by Richprime Global Inc originally retailed at PhP 149.75 Pesos ($4.28 AUD **). Matchbox is distributed and sold in the Philippines by Richprime Global Inc!

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