Gebrüder Märklin & Cie. GmbH (MÄRKLIN) was founded in 1859 by Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin and is based in Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It originally specialized in doll house kitchen accessories, but after 1891, the sons of Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin focused on tin toys and trains when they acquired the toy firm of Ludwig Lutz. Although they were most famous for trains, they also produced some beautiful tinplate and diecast toys also. The VW toys were initially meant as accessory for the train sets. In the early 1950's they started producing plastic toy cars as well.
MÄRKLIN introduced their first plastic car models in 1953 in the 'Thermoplastik' or '860' series for accessories to their train sets. Plastic body with solid windows and good details of front VW emblem, door seams, side air louvers and rear "barndoor" engine lid. Body represented the VW Type 2 of 1952/53 without the rear bumper. No chassis and the pin axles with black plastic wheels are melted onto the body. The early version which came in 1953 had no markings; the 1954 versions had MÄRKLIN – MADE IN GERMANY marked on the inside. Some models had a single color and others had the top half painted to create a two-tone color scheme. Some had the windows painted silver as well. MÄRKLIN catalogue No. 860/5.
