Collector and collection: Richard Ayling's motorsport models

Richard Ayling has a very large collection of motor sport models indeed. He has nearly 6,000 models in a variety of scales from 1/8 to 1/64. The majority are diecast in the popular 1/43 scale, although the collection also features plastic and resin kits. 300 models alone are white metal and resin Formula One specials.

When did you first discover motor sport?
I suppose it was in the late 1950s, watching flickering black and white images of the European grand prixs, Le Mans and British races covered by BBC commentators, Raymond Baxter and Murray Walker.

What was your first memory of collecting motor sport toys?
Like most young lads, I was given Dinky Toys, Corgi and Matchbox racing cars as birthday and Christmas presents. I remember feeling very good when I swapped some farm animals for five or six Dinkys to increase the size of my racing grid! I still have some of those cars, although very much in ‘used condition’...

This is an excerpt of the article 'Life in the fast lane' first published in Collector Gazette's March issue. To see which issues of Collectors Gazette are available to buy online, click here.