#50 GUILOY – MATRA SIMCA (Ref. 60152), RENAULT 12-S (60155), MASERATI (60156) and VOLVO 66 DL (60159) (Around 1984)

Guiloy is famous for its motorbikes (#2 and #31), but they made cars too. These are an example of some cars of their 1:43 line (they also built some models in 1:64 (or similar) scale.

The 1:64 scale line was started in 1977 to compete against Guisval or Majorette in the Spanish market. The experience gained in this field got Guiloy to start the 1:43 line in 1984, buying the casts from another known brand: Pilen (#45). Both companies were settled in Ibi.

With those casts, Guiloy made around 14 different models, with a very eye-catching decoration (bright colors + colourful stickers). These were available in a display stand with the name: “Sport-Car” (12 units each stand). First they were available in jewel boxes like those in my pictures, but later it was just the car set in the polystyrene display. 

Most cars were available in just one decoration, some others in two different. As the casts were reused, the cars these models represent were already a bit old (mid-70s), but all of them were still on the market or had been replaced by another models at that time. The Maserati was also produced in black colour, with red stickers on the doors with the word “fantástico” (fantastic), as a reference to the TV-series “Knight Rider” (in Spain, “el coche fantástico”). This crude knock-off will be shown some other time, as I own one of them. They were sold again in stand displays of 12, all of them exactly the same model, so we can say that Maserati Ghibli cast was very profitable. 

This “Rally” collection was a success, since a second wave of car casts were made. The new models, however, were made with worse quality, and were focused only in sports-cars: no Seats or Renaults, but Porsche 911, BMW M.1., Lancia Stratos, Audi Quattro,… models that were only to see on the TV, not on the streets.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: MATRA SIMCA (Ref. 60152), RENAULT 12-S (60155), MASERATI (60156) and VOLVO 66 DL (60159)
• Scale: 1:43
• Year: 1984
• Company: Guiloy (Spain) / Pilen (Spain)
• Size: approx. 9 cm