#803 MAJORETTE – RENAULT 5 MAJORETTE MOTOR (1985)

MONTH OF THE BOOTLEG AT TOYS FROM THE PAST!

Not only small toy companies copy other bigger toy companies, sometimes it happens the opposite. The Darda Motor cars were invented in the 60s (1964) and they were quite popular in Germany.

Many years later, in the 80s, Majorette designed and patented a similar pull-back motor that was supposed to be as strong as the Darda motor. Note that the base of the car has an US patent number. Of course the motor is different from Darda´s, otherwise no patent would have been granted, but the concept is the same and the motor looks also very similar, and is used in the same way. Even the cars are slightly cartoonish, like Darda´s.

Unfortunately, I don´t know what happened with this series, only that it was cancelled only a few years after it was launched. What was the reason? Aparently, the motors were not so durable.

As it was stated in the catalogues, the motors could deliver a speed of 5 meters per second without batteries, just by pulling back the car a few centimeters.

There were 4 cars in total made, each of them in two different decorations, although other colours were added probably later, since other colours are known.

• Reanult Alpine A110
• Renault 5
• Porsche Turbo 911
• BMW Turbo

Several circuits were also made especially for this line, most of them with loopings.

In 1987, the cars were modified with  a red button on the roof that would start the car when pushed, that is, the motor could be loaded, and would remain loaded until the button was pushed, this way it was easier to use the circuits with more than one car. This series would then be called “Start Motor”.

The Motor series (or the Start Motor series) should not be confused with the “Turboom” series. This other series had the same motor, but was prepared to “explode” when crashing. We will analyse this series in some next entry.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: REANULT 5 “MAJORETTE MOTOR”
• Scale: Around 1:64
• Year: 1985
• Company: Majorette (France)
• Size: approx. 7 cm