CIJ is the acronym for Compagnie Industrielle du Jouet (or "Manufacturing Company of Toys"). It was a classic French brand of diecast metal toy vehicles. It was founded by Fernand Migault in Paris in 1920. [1] The company name originally was Migault S.A. at the time that Migault's cousin Marcel Gourdet joined the firm.
On the grounds of contracts signed by André Citroën himself in 1922, the company produced exclusive model cars made of either metalware or wood in 1:20, la 5 CV Trèfle and la B14 Citroën included. Solely authorised Citroën [1] dealers distributed these model cars. Still the company wasn't allowed to advertise their cooperation with Citroën.
The metals workshop in Briare that Marcel Gourdet had brought to Ferdinand Migault's company burned down in 1929. At that time, the Bapterosses family provided capital to rebuild the company. [2] The company moved its headquarters back to Paris, eventually employing more than a hundred people, mostly in the Briare factory.
The exclusive fabrication of model cars for Citroën ended in 1934 when Citroën went into administration and was eventually taken over by Michelin. [3] Many years later CIJ signed a less binding contract with Louis Renault concerning numerous types of Renault model cars in scales from 1:10 to 1:43, partly made of lithographed metal ware or in particular of zamak. But this time CIJ was on its own in regards to the distribution. An agreement with Shell about miniatures of filling stations including the transporter Shell Berre was signed in 1950. This model car was made of an alloy called ramec (which blended aluminium, copper, zinc and magnesium). [4] On 27 December 1964 new works were inaugurated in Briare. But one year later, after the company had bought the stash of its former competitor JRD, [5] the company CIJ actually disappeared. The Bapterosses family kept on producing exclusive series' of artisan type models in the Rivotte farm (in the vicinity of the factory) but the works in Briare were engrossed by ITT and produced henceforth parts for telephones. [4]
The first model cars were completely made from iron sheet or wood (scale from 1:6 to 1:43) and because of the high quality CIJ could compete with other contemporary producer such as Dinky Toys and Norev. In April 2007 Norev bought the brand CIJ and announced 13 model cars made from zamac and two lithographed models from iron sheet (4CV Renault and Juvaquatre), which were new editions of the original CIJ model cars. Still these CIJ models were reintroduced as a brand under the Norev umbrella around 2005.
Groupe Renault is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans and in the past, has manufactured trucks, tractors, tanks, buses/coaches, aircraft and aircraft engines, and autorail vehicles.
Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat S.p.A. and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by Italian Henri Pigozzi. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and, after Simca bought Ford's French subsidiary, became increasingly controlled by Chrysler. In 1970, Simca became a brand of Chrysler's European business, ending its period as an independent company. Simca disappeared in 1978, when Chrysler divested its European operations to another French automaker, PSA Peugeot Citroën. PSA replaced the Simca brand with Talbot after a short period when some models were badged as Simca-Talbots.
The Peugeot 407 is a large family car (D-segment) produced by the French automaker Peugeot, from 2004 to 2011. It was available in saloon, coupé and estate variants, with both diesel and petrol engines. The petrol engines ranged from 1.8 to 3.0 litres displacement, whereas the diesels ranged from 1.6 to 3.0 litre engines.
The Citroën Ami is a four-door, front-wheel drive economy (B-segment) family car, manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1961 to 1978.
Berliet was a French manufacturer of automobiles, buses, trucks and military vehicles among other vehicles based in Vénissieux, outside of Lyon, France. Founded in 1899, and apart from a five-year period from 1944 to 1949 when it was put into 'administration sequestre' it was in private ownership until 1967 when it then became part of Citroën, and subsequently acquired by Renault in 1974 and merged with Saviem into a new Renault Trucks company in 1978. The Berliet marque was phased out by 1980.
Jouef is a French brand and former manufacturing company specialized in scale model railroads. The brand name is currently owned by Hornby.
Heller Hobby GmbH is a French manufacturing company established in 1957 in Paris. Currently headquartered in Radevormwald, Germany, Heller produces plastic scale model kits of cars, aircraft, ships, and military vehicles.
Majorette is a French toy manufacturer which mostly produces small Die-cast scale model cars, commercial vehicles, aircraft, and other vehicles, particularly in 1:64 scale. This is a normal 2.5–3 in (64–76 mm) size, thus Majorette has sometimes been called "the Matchbox of France". Traditionally, production was centered in the urban area of Lyon, but models are now made in Thailand.
Solido is a French manufacturing company which produces die-cast scale models of cars, military vehicles, and commercial vehicles. Vehicles are usually made of a zamac alloy in varying scales. Solido's main competition in France was Norev, but internationally it is Polistil, Corgi Toys, Dinky Toys, Mercury, and Tekno.
Norev is a French manufacturer of die-cast scale model cars. traditionally based in Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon. It has normally produced modern and vintage European vehicles, especially those of French origin – though Italian, German, British, and American vehicles were also produced. Norev's closest competition was Solido, but that company had more pan-European influence, while Norev was more national in orientation.
Eligor is a brand of collector's diecast model cars and trucks mostly made in 1:43 scale. Models have always been made in France, but the company has gone through several ownership changes. Today, though now focusing on model trucks, Eligor is one of the few diecast modelers still making its vehicles in Europe.
Minialuxe is a French manufacturing company that produces and commercialises plastic scale model cars and trucks. The original Établissements Minialuxe was based in Oyonnax, producing models usually made in 1:43 scale, but some larger 1:32 scale vehicles were also manufactured, for example, a Peugeot 403.
Pilen S.A. was a Spanish manufacturing company headquartered in Ibi, Alicante, which produced die-cast scale model cars from the 1970s through the mid-1990s mostly in 1:43 scale. A majority of the castings were inherited from French Dinky. The company was started in the 1960s, diecasting items like colorful metal sailboats and key chains. In the late 1980s, Pilen was apparently bought by AHC of the Netherlands.
France was a pioneer in the automotive industry and is the 11th-largest automobile manufacturer in the world by 2015 unit production and the third-largest in Europe. It had consistently been the 4th-largest from the end of World War II up to 2000. It is 16 % of sales of French manufactured products.
Emaux de Briare is a French company specializing today in mosaics. Whilst the manufactory in Briare originally started with earthenware pottery, the factory founded in Paris by Jean-Félix Bapterosses (1813–1885) initially began manufacturing porcelain buttons in 1845. They merged in 1851, at which date its international development started: 1851 in The Great Exhibition, UK and as early as 1853 in the United States.
The Renault 1 000 Kg is a light van, initially of a one ton capacity, introduced by the manufacturer in 1947. A 1,400 Kg version followed in 1949, and the Renault 1,400 Kg soon became the more popular choice. A name change in 1959 saw the vans branded as the Renault Voltigeur and the Renault Goélette, but in retrospect the Renault 1,000 Kg name is frequently preferred.
Société Anonyme de Fabrication d'Injection et de Recherches was a French manufacturing company that produced diecast metal classic veteran and contemporary plastic race cars and other vehicles in the 1960s through the 1970s. It arose out of the previous French toymaker, "Jadali".
Paul-Marie Pons was a French naval engineer who became a senior civil servant. He is remembered for the Pons Plan which restructured the French automotive industry in the second half of the 1940s.
The Château de Trousse-Barrière is a historic manor in Briare, Loiret, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
