#1031 CORGI JUNIORS – CITROEN DYANE, 2CV and 2CV (1975, 1985 and Around 2005)

Each die-cast manufacturer usually focuses on the car brands that are more popular in their own countries, and specifically on those that are manufactured there. It is, after all, a business, so cars that are well known sell better. I say this because Corgi Juniors is based in Wales, United Kingdom, while Citroen is a French car manufacturer, so the models shown here are kind of rarities. Really? Well, yes and no.

The 2CV model appeared (in yellow with a duck stickers) in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only from 1981, and Corgi always released models from 007´s movies. Besides being an iconic model, appearing in a James Bond film and had been used in several versions and decorations (too many to mention all of them), it is a profitable and popular model by Corgi (many French, Spanish, German, Italian… manufacturers also did it). The red version shown here corresponds to a release from the mid 80s, probably from 1985. This later version should correspond to serial number 53455, although I am not completely sure. The version with flowers on the doors has been spotted in the kind of box shown in entry #497, so it could be slightly older than the one shown above with coloured roof.

The orange version is done out of an alternate and improved casting (but simplified construction), and is already from the 2000s.

The Dyane model represents a much less popular car, and it can be mistaken by the previous one. It was intended as the successor of the 2CV, and came in several versions. I like a lot the fourgon versions by Majorette or Guiloy, but this standard version is also excellent. It has a practicable trunk, which is not so common in the Corgi Juniors line. There are basically three versions: bright yellow, gold yellow and purple. The second one comes with the roof painted black, the first and third ones don´t. This model was released in 1975 with number 89 (89-A1 Yellow gold model, 89-A2 Gold model, 89-A3 metallic purple) and was available until 1982.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: CITROEN DYANE (Nr. 89-A1), 2CV (Nr. 53455) and 2CV (Nr. Unknown)
• Scale: Around 1:64
• Year: 1975, 1985 and Around 2005
• Company: Corgi Juniors (Great Britain)
• Size: approx. 7 cm