Splittin' Image (1969)

The Splittin Image was one of the first concept
cars that sprung from the fertile imagination of Mattel designer Ira
Gilford. Released in
1969, the distinctive Show & Go car features twin cockpits
astride a single supercharged engine. Besides being issued in a
standard
blisterpack and in track sets, the car was included in a rare 4-car
Show Team boxed set along with two other Ira Gilford cars (the Torero
and its more famous
cousin the Twinmill), and the Silhouette. Because of its original
look,
it is well remembered by children that grew up in the redline
era.
Production of the car continued until 1971, and it was only
manufactured in the U.S.

A yellow Splittin' Image with an
off-white interior.
The Splittin Image was issued in at least 14 colors, and there are
also a number of in-between colors for the collector to find.
Some
Splitters were made with silver painted headlights, and these have
been found in
lime, orange, green, antifreeze, lavender, dark brown, purple and
olive. Additionally, some have been found with black detail paint
above the tail lights on the rear grill, including those in pink and
dark
brown. The Splittin Image tends to suffer from dulling of the
base, and on many
cars the chrome on the motor tends to be pretty weak. But even a
shiny
mint spectraflame example of this model will be relatively cheap by
redline standards, even in the more rare colors.

In 1973 the Splittin Image along with 9 other models was modified for
inclusion in a line of cars given out for promotional purposes at Shell
gas stations. These Shell promo issues differ from the original
1968-71 cars by having flat enamel finishes, no interior, black plastic
un-ribbed windows, and no red taillight paint. In general these
1973 cars
command higher prices than the spectraflame models.

A Shell promotional Splittin'
Image in dark blue enamel.
The Splittin Image design concept has since been tapped numerous times
by Mattel over the years. The first of these reissues was in 1993
for the 25th anniversary series in which the car was issued initially
in 11 colors exclusive to Toys R Us stores, and then in 11 more colors
for general
sale in Vintage Collection blisterpacks. These 1993-1994 cars
were
issued with modified redlines in which the red stripe was printed on
the wheel,
rather than embossed. These reissues are also easy to distinguish
from
the original spectraflame cars because the word China is etched into
the
base, as is the 25th anniversary logo.

Don't be fooled! "Vintage"
issue Splittin' Images (L) are often confused with originals (R).

Splittin Image bases (L to R):
1969-71 spectraflame, 1973 HK-made enamel, 1993 25th Anniversary. 1994
"Vintage",
recent Malaysia-made issue.
Redline versions of the
car
were also sold at FAO Schwartz stores in 1994 and 1995.
Indicative of the
fondness that Mattel has for the design, the Splittin Image has been
released numerous times as a non-redline issue, including as a Treasure
Hunt
model (1994), in a collector set with a watch (1998), in a 100% Hot
Wheels
black box collector set (2002), and a heavily modified Splittin
Image II
which first appeared in 1994 has since been issued in over 18
variations.
Color chart
US COLORS (1969-71):
|
COMMENTS:
|
antifreeze
|
common
|
aqua |
common
|
blue |
common
|
gold |
common
|
green |
common
|
orange |
common
|
purple |
common
|
red
|
common
|
copper brown
|
uncommon
|
dark brown
|
uncommon
|
"root beer" brown
|
uncommon
|
lime
|
uncommon
|
olive
|
uncommon
|
rose
|
uncommon
|
yellow
|
uncommon
|
creamy pink
|
hard to find
|
light blue
|
hard to find
|
magenta
|
very rare
|
SHELL
PROMOS (1973):
|
COMMENTS:
|
dark blue
|
uncommon
|
light blue
|
uncommon
|
red
|
uncommon
|
green |
hard to find
|
fluorescent lime green
|
hard to find
|
yellow
|
rare
|
fluorescent pink
|
rare
|
A brown Splittin' Image in the
original blister pack!
A very rare magenta Splittin'
Image.

An orange Splittin' Image with a dark interior.
An awesome ice blue Splittin'
Image!
A Splittin'Image in creamy pink.
Photo
& info credits: Gary
Nabors

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