Description: The Vespa 400 is a strange curiosity: Italian by name and by Piaggio, but designed and built in France by ACMA, which already assembled the famous scooter. Presented at the Paris Motor Show in October 1957, this microcar, less than 2.90 m long, accommodated two adults and a child, powered by a 393 cm³ two-stroke twin-cylinder engine pushing the 375 kg vehicle up to 90 km/h. It was this tiny and charming silhouette that Dinky Toys France chose to reproduce starting in 1959, at a time when Meccano was introducing its new dual numbering system — the Vespa 24L–529 was precisely one of the first to feature it. The charm of the toy lies in its very small size: at 6.5 cm, it is one of the smallest Dinky ever cast, with a zamak body riveted to a black steel chassis, inserted windows, a generously silver-painted grille, convex chrome-plated steel wheels; very good paint quality (satin finish); model in excellent condition. Two colors shared production until the reference was withdrawn in 1963: the common bright blue with a dark grey soft top, and the frankly rare orange with a grey soft top, reserved for the last 529 boxes. The example offered is the classic blue version, complete and original, simply marked by a few minor chips from use on the edges and the soft top. A charming little star, ideal for completing a Dinky Toys France display case at little cost.