You’ll be totally charmed by this 1965 newsreel visit to the Lesney factory in England where Matchbox toy cars were designed and made. Watch this and smile. 

Before there were Hot Wheels, there were Matchbox cars, the whimsical but realistic toy vehicles marketed by Lesney Products in England. Introduced in 1953, the original Matchbox cars were of no specific scale; rather, they were built to what was called Box Scale. All the models, from Mini Cooper to earthmover, fit inside the same familiar two-inch yellow carton resembling a matchbox. Children of all ages collected the tiny, well-made vehicles, and they still do today. (Both Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars are now marketed by the same company, Mattel.)

In this lovely little two-minute newsreel clip from British Pathe News, we get a fascinating look inside the manufacturing process as it was in 1965, from drawing board to final inspection. A five-times-scale hardwood die model is carefully carved by hand, then translated into die-casting tools via pantograph—no CAD or computers here. From there, assembly takes place on a miniaturized version of a standard automotive production line, if you will. Watch the video and see the magic unfold.