#103 GUILOY – CHOPPER SPECIAL “WILD CAT” (Ref. 274) (1975)

The whole 1:24 Motorbike series by Guiloy comprised 19 models, being most of them reproduction of real motorbikes, or at least real motorbikes decorated as police motorbikes. I searched google for police motorbikes like the Honda 750 cc, but I found nothing, I guess they just putted that typical windshield, an antenna at the back and they thought: “well, here’s a motorbike for a policeman”).

 

This model is one of the two exceptions in this line, one of the two “choppers” available at the time. The name given to this motorbike, which I think it’s an invention, or maybe a reproduction of a “custom” model was “Chopper Special Wild Cat”, and the reference number 274.

 

The motorbike takes its name from the feline in the gas tank. Most notable features of this model are obviously, the handlebars and front wheel, the long seat (for two people) with the bow at the back to lean against and very stylized exhaust pipes.

 

Here’s again a catalogue image, in which we can observe two differences with the real model. First is the colour of the handle bars, and second is the colour of the cylinders. From the few models that I have seen of this toy, all of them were like mine, so I guess the catalogue image was a prototype, that later was manufactured with other colours.

 

The same model was available by the Italian company Mercury, being the Italian model slightly different, first the handle bars are brighter red, the “wild cat” is depicted over red background and the chromed chassis is less bright, more “metallic” than “chromed”.

Picture scanned from a Guiloy Catalogue (1975), courtesy of Ángel Cabrera (artecar24.com, not active any more)

 

Update: Here is the picture of the motorbike in its original jewel case.

If you remember, in entry #2, a similar motorbike made by the italian company Mercury was presented. Now that I also own a boxed Guiloy motorbike, we can see the differences in the jewel cases between one and the other.

 

Guiloy (left) has printed its logo in front of the rear wheel

The way in which the motorbikes are attached to the case is very similar: Guiloy (above).

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: CHOPPER SPECIAL WILD CAT (Ref. 274)
• Scale: 1:24
• Year: 1975
• Company: Guiloy (Spain)
• Size: approx. 11 cm