History
In 1952, a French company called Jadali was started by Léon Gouttman and his son Jacques-Henri Gouttman. 'Jadali' was an acronym of "Jacques, Daniel, and Linette, the names of Gouttman's three children. Jadali made a variety of toys, including cars and trucks, space man, and cowboy pistols that were often D.C.M.T. (Model selections
Safir made models of mostly classic French vehicles with the occasional Italian or German marque thrown in. This was similar to fellow French companies like Minialuxe orContemporary Line
Like many of the companies producing classic / veteran diecast vehicles like Minialuxe or Ziss Modell, Safir also had contemporary offerings, usually in plastic. These were often called Safir Champion and may have entailed a company takeover as many of the contemporary models say ''Champion'' on their bases with no mention of Safir. Included were models of Land Rovers and a Renault Estafette delivery van. A Citroen 2CV 'Deux Chevaux' with decals of the Paris-Persepolis rally was also appealing and typical of the Safir Champion models. Twelve smaller Grand Prix / F1 models like the Matra MS11 V12 driver by Jean-Pierre Beltoise and a LeMans style T-70 Spyder were available in smaller 1:66 scale called "Championettes". Finally, Safir was known for its detailed plastic 1:43 scale models called "Champion" and "Super Champion". There were 18 different models, but mostly these were LeMans Ferrari 512Ms, Porsche 917s in short and long tail, Chaparral 2Ds, and Ford Mark II GTs. These latter cars were made in the 1970s, packaged in clear plastic display cases, called ''Safir Racing'', and were apparently the company's last products.Detail and Rendering
The original Safir models had good detail. Most of the time their bodies were plastic as were most pieces, but certain parts – usually the fenders – on veteran models were diecast metal. Undercarriages had surprising detail, probably the best of any contemporary model in 1:43 scale, showing – in plastic – chains and other drivetrain parts. Unfortunately the Peugeot, Delahaye, and Decauville models shared seats, parasols, fenders and body parts which the original vehicles did not – and so did not appear as uniquely designed models – with reduced realism. For all these models, rear fenders flared upward, as did front fenders as well, which is more reminiscent of the actual Decauville and Delahaye, but not the actual Peugeot's which were more full and rounded in shape. Some Safir wheels were normal plastic spoke designs similar to the cheap renderings of early Ziss models. Unique to Safir and only seen elsewhere on a few Minialuxe models, were the clear plastic discs with radial 'spokes' appearing simply as etched or molded lines. The look is somewhat similar to jeweled headlights on Corgi or Dinky models – rather attractive, but not having much realism.Promotions and Packaging
Earlier Safirs came in attractive orange boxes with white lettering and white and black trim. They had pictures of different models around the base of the box. Some special Safir CIKY boxes were thicker board but came in the form of an old French garage that could be formed with sloped roof with the appearance of terra cotta tiles. Later models came in typical clear plastic display cases. Some Safirs came with special packaging aimed at promoting different companies. Mobil Oil was one client and special rust colored or blue boxes with white trim said "Mobil" on the end flaps. Later, the clear plastic cases had "Mobil" embossed on the lower part of the display plastic. Other promotions were Nestlé and Sopad, a food division of French Nestlé.Copies
Sometime in the late 1970s to early 1980s, a few different Hong Kong companies acquired some of the Safir tooling and reproduced the Peugeots, Delahaye and Decauville models. These were easier to construct because they shared parts (fenders, seats, etc.) which damaged accuracy and realism. A further crudeness, was the melted plastic evident at the joints of plastic parts and the wheel hubs. The models were offered in clear plastic display boxes almost identical to those that previous Safirs came in. The models and the boxes were marked "Hong Kong" on the bases. Some of these Hong Kong models also appeared as Straco remote control vehicles in blue carded packages with red remote controls. A significant part of the cars' undercarriages had to be discarded to make room for the electric motors.References
* * * Rampin P. , France in Miniature 1900–1980 , Milano 2004. *Footnotes
{{scale model brands Die-cast toys Model manufacturers of France Toy cars and trucks Toy brands Toy companies established in 1952 French companies established in 1952