With cool details and realistic touches, this Barbie vehicle makes a great gift for 3 to 7 year olds. INVESTING EXPLAINED: What you need to know about PIK Financing - where borrowers aim to save money by not paying interest during the loan term This comes as carwow has seen a 70% surge in customer enquiries for convertibles since May compared to the same period last year. Barbie, the leggy doll that Mattel brought to life in 1959, recently celebrated her 60th birthday, and although she can be a bit controversial (hey, she didn’t choose her measurements), she’s much more than just a pretty face. Nobody accumulates Barbie’s car collection without being smart, successful, and handy with a wrench (albeit a plastic one).

The doors open as well! Even the steering wheel works -- spin it to watch the wheels turn in tandem. Barbie had a lot of these home-away-from-home vehicles through the years—including a monstrous 3-foot Traveler Camper in the mid-1970s—but the Country Camper was the boss. It even had its own theme song (set to country music, naturally): The Autumn Statement winners and losers: LUNCH MONEY on what you'll save on NI, NatWest shares and tax cuts we didn't getSo what about Ken Carson? (Yes, he has a last name too .) The muscle-bound doll—sorry dude, we can’t really call you an action figure—is two years younger and a half-inch taller than Barbie, but he looks up to her in the automotive department. In fact, we could find only two just-for-Ken automobiles: the 1984 Ken Dream ’Vette and the 2012–13 Ken Mini Cooper. (Not to rub it in , but Barbie’s little sister, Skipper, owns two Mercedes-Benzes.) Over the years, Barbie has proven herself a true petrolhead. Her first car was an Austin Healey 3000, and she has been behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz 190 SL and Ferrari 328 GTS. This time, all eyes will be on her trademark pink Chevrolet Corvette. There's little for Hagerty to put a real-world value on this unique Barbie car other than the closest equivalent that changed hands recently - a 2003 Scuderia Ferrari F1 chassis sold by RM Sotheby's last year.

Graced with a vintage silhouette, this gleaming Corvette® sports retro finishes, white wall tires with chrome rims, and -- what else? -- two Barbie® license plates. And what did the fashionable 11.5-inch-tall doll drive in ’62? A Corvette, you say? Nah, Babs didn’t own America’s Sports Car until America celebrated its 200th birthday in 1976. An iconic Volkswagen Beetle? Nope, that came later too. Mattel decided the perfect car for a teenage girl living in cold-weather Wisconsin was … wait for it … an Austin-Healey 3000 MKII. Maybe it had snow tires? One thing it didn’t have was a top. Radio 4 broadcaster Paul Lewis reveals: My whole pension is in CASH and not shares... after all I am Mr Money Box It was a Ferrari F1 machine that was exclusively offered for sale at the 2004 International Barbie Doll Collections Convention in Chicago. Government allows houses to be split into flats without planning permission: Who wins and who loses from this controversial policy?Ford's legendary pony car, the Mustang, has also been a favourite of Barbie's through the years, with fans fondly remembering her cherry red 1994 example.

After the Chancellor declares ‘it’s time to get Sid investing again’... Where to shop for ‘bargain’ UK small capsDuring the 11 years after Barbie scored her first ’Vette, she also received a purple 1978 Donny & Marie Osmond van, a remote-control Corvette, a Volkswagen Golf, an unbranded off-road vehicle, a Jeep 4×4, and more ’Vettes in more colors than we care to count. Then came a bright spot: a 1987 Ferrari 328 GTS. Take home a part of Barbie™ The Movie with a collectible Barbie® Corvette®! Inspired by Barbie’s car in the film, this bubblegum-pink beauty looks like it cruised right off the big screen. Barbie® doll's signature style shines through with a personalized license plate and silvery Barbie® silhouette hood ornament. And at the turn of the Millennium, Ford got another slice of the pie when it sold Barbie a 2003 Mustang GT convertible. Barbie® doll is ready for anything dressed in a pink dress with graphic white print, strappy pink shoes and sunglasses perfect for a sunny drive.

There's little for Hagerty to put a value on this unique Barbie car other than the closest equivalent in the real world, which was a 2003 chassis sold by RM Sotheby's last year for CHF16.4million With the British sports car maker embroiled in an arms race with Porsche, Barbie opted to switch allegiances in the late nineties.

Mat Watson, Chief Content Officer at carwow commented; “Not only is the Barbie Movie providing dream convertible inspiration but the UK’s enjoyed a streak of hot, dry weather since May too. On carwow, we’ve seen this translate into a larger than usual boost of online searches, inquiries, and sales of convertible cars. With consumers catching Barbie fever when it comes to other products, we anticipate we’ll see a big summer for convertible sales too.”