Distler’s range ran from small tinplate toys to a car with gears

The tinplate lorries in our museum show one part of Distler’s output. The Nuremberg company also made an unusually elaborate battery car: the Electro Matic 7500 FS, based on a Porsche 356 cabriolet.

A study of the example in the Lower Austrian state collections describes a working ignition key and a flexible remote-control shaft. The shaft fitted over the steering wheel and gear lever, allowing the operator to steer and select gears from a distance.

Even accessing the batteries involved a small mechanism. Sliding the rear engine-vent grille released a latch so the rear seat could be removed.

The same maker’s name could therefore appear on a straightforward tinplate vehicle or on a car with controls, removable parts and a miniature gearbox.