The new world - Univers Autojaune

Discover a selection of models that will be on sale this week from tomorrow Monday December 2, 2024 until Thursday December 5 on our site

AUTOJAUNE COLLECTION

Solido - Willeme Horizon semi remorque ridelelles - Solido - Berliet 300cv semi remorque porte derrick - C.I.J. - Renault Dauphine bicolore - Norev - Citroën 15cv police

on sale this week : Solido – Willeme Horizon semi remorque ridelelles – Solido – Berliet 300cv semi remorque porte derrick – C.I.J. – Renault Dauphine bicolore – Norev – Citroën 15cv police

i remember...

I remember…my childhood marked by the conquest of space. With my eyes wide open, I looked at the moon and wondered how it was possible to go there and come back. It seemed so far away…

In 2024, we have forgotten what a feat, what an exploit it was. I experienced this adventure through the words of the adults around me. Television had little place at the time and the child that I was did not watch it. It was the competition between the two superpowers to plant their flag on the lunar soil, rich in symbols, and the consequences of the “cold war” that animated the conversations of adults. To the point of transforming this conquest of space into an ideological struggle between East and West. I was also too young to have experienced Ford’s conquest of Le Mans. But I found similarities in the approach of the press and the public for this other adventure. The same passion, the same profusion of resources on the part of the Americans, the same media coverage to the point of having consecrated the 1967 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, “the race of the century”. Ford’s opponent, Ferrari, dressed in red, in the role of the one who had refused to sell to the Detroit giant, acted as challenger. Everything was in place. At the beginning of 1967, Ferrari had inflicted a bitter defeat on Ford on its home turf at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The scenario was ideal.

This week we have several miniatures that illustrate this “great” story, including the winning car. Ironically, it is indeed red but it is not a Ferrari. It is the Ford MK IV.

on sale this week : Solido – Ford Mark IV Le Mans 1967 170

Initially, this car was supposed to serve as a hare and lead the Ferraris in pursuit to wear them out.

Ferrari did not fall into the trap and saved its cars. After the race, some observers declared that Ferrari had been too cautious.

The Ford team experienced setbacks including the loss of three cars in a mass accident. Solido offered an exceptional reproduction of this car. It is equipped with an opening hood. As a child, I loved this miniature. T

he asymmetrically positioned rearview mirrors, the wiper and the rear lights, the opening of the hood are details that make it a very large miniature.

One of Solido’s masterpieces.

I invite you to decline the colors, it is fascinating, even if in reality this car only had four different colors.

Ford Mk Solido Palette de couleurs- Collection personnelle AutoJaune Espinasse

Personal collection

Solido’s Ferrari 246SP did not have any different colors.

Over the course of its production, the car will simply have nuances, ranging from burgundy red to orange red.

on sale this week : Solido – Ferrari 2.5L Targa Florio jantes rayon 129

It was difficult at that time to offer a Ferrari in another color.

This model is a great success. Its fluid line and its original front end synthesize the beginning of aerodynamic research at Ferrari and the move of the engine to a central position.

In this Ferrari had only followed the English manufacturers who had paved the way. The latter had understood that the power of the engine was not everything and that the chassis, the weight of the whole were also important to win…

Ferrari will comply with this design and this 246sp is the first in a line of models that will impose themselves on all terrains.

Solido’s choice to reproduce this innovative car is excellent.

Solido Ferrari 2.5L boite de 6 - collection personnelle AitoJ

Solido Ferrari 2.5L boite de 6 – collection personnelle AutoJaune

The low price of this miniature allows to decline the variations of shades and rims without breaking the bank (we have both types of rims for sale).

on sale this week : Solido – Ferrari 2.5L Targa Florio jantes acier chromé 129

You can collect 9 of them. The tenth, a transformation based on Solido by Raymond Daffaure in the livery of the one that won the Targa Florio in 1962, is the holy grail of the series in my eyes.

personal collection

personal collection

SOLIDO MARX - SOLIDO DALIA

Jean de Vazeille, who took over the reins of Solido with his sisters in the mid-fifties, always expressed his distrust of the American market. However, the potential was immense, especially since the quality of its products opened up great possibilities. When he retired, he declared in 2000, during an interview on the MSW website, “we did good business in Southern Europe and Japan, but with difficulty in the United States.

Americans, even though they are rich, only have one idea in mind: buying a product in huge quantities at very low prices. We were not made for them.”

That says it all. Solido tried an adventure in America with Marx. After the war, Marx was the largest toy distributor in the USA, before groups like Mattel arrived. With a good knowledge of the American market, Marx subcontracted the manufacture of sheet metal, plastic or zamac toys to many toy manufacturers, more or less important, not hesitating to relocate very early on, to Japan and emerging Asian countries. These different pharmacies produced under the name Marx very varied toys and of different qualities.

Marx Mack citerne Hess et Buick prototype- collection personnelle AutoJaune

At the end of the sixties Marx approached Solido.

Four models, manufactured in France were delivered with packaging in the American language bearing the Louis Marx logo. This week we have the legendary Chaparral 2F and its Solido Marx box. It is finished in silver. This color is not realistic of course.

It seems that Marx is at the origin of this request. It is possible that a large quantity of 2F all finished in white scared the decision-makers. By varying the colors, they could offer resellers a greater variety of products. Thus, in addition to the white and silver described above, an orange (color borrowed from the BMW 2000cs), a turquoise (color borrowed from the Lamborghini Miura), a red (color borrowed from the Ferrari P3) were made for Marx. Note that the surplus of these original colors was distributed in Europe.

on sale this week : Solido Marx – Chaparral 2F 169

The Louis Marx adventure was cut short. In the logic described above, Louis Marx rented the tooling of two models, the Ferrari 330P3 and the Porsche Carrera 6 in order to produce them at low cost in Hong Kong. The American firm even had the Chaparral 2F overmolded. Injected in plastic and fitted with an electric motor, it would fill electrical circuit boxes. Although he avoided the American market, Jean de Vazeilles included many American cars in his catalog.

From the Junior series (dismountable) they are very present in the catalog.

In 1963, Solido offered a beautiful Ford Thunderbird coupé. This week we have a very interesting variant. It comes from a commercial agreement with the Spanish firm Dalia, which had started at the time of the father, Ferdinand de Vazeilles, and which continued until the early seventies. This brand is a delight for collectors as there are so many variants. This Ford Thunderbrid is rare. It receives a different chassis, color and finish from the French version.

on sale this week : Dalia – Ford Thunderbird coupé 63 31

We also have a very nice Ferrari 250GT 2+2 made by Dalia. I like two details that allow, besides its color, to differentiate it immediately: its steel rims and its stenciled license plate, in white and not black as on the French version.

on sale this week : Dalia – Ferrari 250 GT 2+2 123

american CORGI TOYS

Corgi Toys, an Anglo-Saxon firm, quickly introduced American models to its catalogue in order to satisfy customers in Uncle Sam’s country. The Swansea firm surely remained too dependent on this market. The staggering production and export figures made the heads of the managers spin, who were unable to anticipate the changes needed to keep a younger and less demanding clientele. It also failed to anticipate the arrival of Hot Wheels miniatures. 1968 was a black year for Corgi Toys. It followed a record year. The significant drop in sales over two years precipitated the management into making risky decisions.

This week we have several models of American cars that illustrate this period. The Chevrolet Impala fire chief sums up the time when everything was going well…very well even. This miniature is one of three variations made from the famous Impala. This model was a success. The many variants that were released prove it.

on sale this week : Corgi Toys – Chevrolet Impala fire chief 439

Another Impala is on the menu this week. It is a playful version carrying dogs. The presence of the dogs, very well reproduced, ensured its success. I doubt the veracity of this car. The toy is well designed and it must have captivated a certain number of children.

on sale this week : Corgi Toys – Chevrolet fourgonnette Kennel club 486

The customized 1967 Chevrolet Sting Ray raises questions. Corgi Toys must have been aware of the preparation and manufacturing of Hot Wheels. I would say, more precisely, of the spirit: miniatures covered in chrome with colorful decorations. This variation of the customized Corvette designed on a model created in 1963, can be seen as a test. It does not have what will be the real plus of Hot Wheels: needle axles and one-piece nylon wheels limiting friction. Today it is quite difficult to obtain because few enthusiasts at the time acquired it.

on sale this week : Corgi Toys – Chevrolet Corvette Stingray customisé 337

What to do with such a decadent-looking miniature in a window? I remember that when I opened my store 40 years ago, it interested no one despite its low price… it took time for enthusiasts to accept it. The same goes for the Ford Capri dragster. The storm has also passed. It is 1971. This miniature corresponds to the new demand. It is also difficult to obtain in new condition in box.

on sale this week : Corgi Toys – Ford Capri the Santa pop Glo Worn 163

A final word on another American car. Corgi Toys has chosen to stand out from the rest and introduced the 1/36. This AMC Pacer is much more interesting than it seems. It is 1977. This compact car raises questions. For people of my generation, American cars rhymed with chrome and excessive size. With this Pacer we are very far from these standards. It prefigures the great American automobile upheaval.

on sale this week : Corgi Toys – AMC Pacer X 291

The 1976 Mazda pickup, with its removable bungalow system, also on the program, is another excellent example of the transformation of the American automotive landscape. It is not the ingenious system that I remember, but the nationality of the car: Japanese. The Japanese very cleverly circumvented American protectionism, by building factories and cars on site. Little by little, they would steal the world’s number one spot from the Americans. This recalls another story, very current here in Europe. These miniatures deserve our interest. Once again, who thought of buying and keeping them?

on sale this week: Corgi Toys – Mazda Camper 415

my favorite of the week for this 3 dinky toys hong kong models

My “American” favorite is this series of US cars from Dinky Toys relocated to Hong Kong in 1965. This series, produced primarily for the American market, was subcontracted to a Hong Kong firm. The goal was clear. Produce at low cost to generate significant profits. A certain unity emerges from this series. The scale of reproduction is common. The quality is very close to the models produced at the time in Great Britain. At first glance, there is nothing to indicate this relocation. This leads to questions. Production seems to have been chaotic.

on sale this week : Dinky Toys Hong Kong – Ford Thunderbird coupé 57/005

This foreshadows practices that will become widespread forty years later and destabilize the planet. The toy industry was one of the first to relocate to Asia in order to increase its profits. We now know the economic and ecological consequences of this movement. I remember that in 2006, I was surprised to discover that a handbag from the French luxury brand Céline bore a label “made in China”. It still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth today.

on sale this week : Dinky Toys Hong Kong – Chevrolet Impala bicolore 57/003

How did Dinky Toys’ customers, who were willing to pay large sums of money, react? Can a so-called “luxury” product be associated with the desire to produce it at the lowest possible cost? Hot Wheels were also relocated, but their image was unpretentious and their selling price accordingly.

on sale this week : Dinky Toys GB – Buick Riviera 57/001

Vincent Espinasse

also coming this week :

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