William Dozier brought The Green Hornet to television screens on September 9, 1966. Starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee, the series followed the success of Batman, which Dozier had launched for 20th Century Fox earlier that same year. Based on the crime-fighting characters created by George Trendle and Fran Striker, the series followed newspaper publisher Britt Reid, who secretly fought crime as the Green Hornet. Assisting him was chauffeur and martial arts expert, Kato, along with their heavily modified Chrysler Imperial known as the Black Beauty.
Equipped with a 440 cubic-inch V8 engine and a range of fictional crime-fighting gadgets, the Black Beauty became one of the series’ most recognizable elements. Features included concealed weapons, a rear-mounted surveillance scanner, and a distinctive blacked-out appearance.
Shortly after the show’s North American debut, Corgi released a die-cast version of the vehicle. When the toy reached store shelves in the United Kingdom in November 1967, The Green Hornet had not yet aired there, but the model still sold more than 800,000 units. Production continued until 1972, and the car was later reissued in 2001.
Corgi has now announced a new edition of the Black Beauty in 1:50 scale. Measuring just over five inches long, the model includes free-rolling wheels, a matte-black finish, green-tinted windows and headlights, semi-spoked wheels, and a Green Hornet logo emblazoned on the roof. Play features include a hidden missile behind the grille and a radar scanner concealed in the trunk, both activated by external levers. Interior figures of Kato and the Green Hornet are also included, along with a display plinth, instruction leaflet, and spare projectiles.
The Black Beauty is now available for pre-order through Corgi’s website at a listed price of $54.99 USD and is expected to ship in May 2026. So grab your fedora and domino mask, because justice returns to the streets this spring!
