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Safir (models)


Safir, sometimes called Safir Champion was a French company making 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.

In 1952, a French company called Jadali was started by Léon Gouttman and his son Jacques-Henri Gouttman. It 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. (Lonestar) or Matchbox retoolings, and done under license (Garon, Lagrange and Tormos 2012, pp. 2–4; Robinson 2010). First these toys were made in Nanterre on the western edge of Paris and later in Issy les Moulineaux, just to the southwest of Paris. Another source says they were made in Montreuil (Ward, Rod n.d.).

In 1955-1957, Léon Gouttman shifted toy production to Barcelona, Spain in Catalonia, where the toys were known as Jadali Metamol (Garon, Lagrange and Tormos 2012, p. 4). Jacques-Henri Gouttman, meanwhile, in 1957 had established a diecasting business in Langeac in Haute-Loire in southeastern France. This company was called Jadali S.I.F.M.A. and mainly produced diecast and chrome parts for the automobile and home appliance industries.

In 1959 Jean-Henri Gouttman started production of two 1:43 scale vehicles: a Ford Model T and a Renault Paris-Vienne 1902 racer, but very few all metal Jadali S.I.F.M.A. models were made. In 1960, Gouttman enters an agreement with a Mr. De Beque who owns a plastic moulding and diecasting company called Safir. Safir is an acronym for Société Anonyme de Fabrication d' Injection et de Recherches (Injection Study and Fabrication Company Limited; Jean-Paul No date). From this time, Gouttman provides Safir with zamac metal parts for a new range of classic vehicles - plastics are supplied by De Beque. Among the offerings are the designs of the original Model T and 1902 Renault - now with plastic parts.

Gradually Gouttman drifted to other diecasting interests and Safir concentrates on plastics. Safir continued production of vehicles until about 1978 (Robinson 2010). Thus most Safir assembly was done in Montreuil, just east of central Paris with diecast metal parts supplied by the former Jadali diecasting site in Langeac. As the Gouttman interests changed, the Paris factory focused on plastic vehicles only (Jean-Paul No date).

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 or RAMI by J.M.K.. The classic lineup was in 1:43 scale and consisted of: an 1892 Peugeot, 1896 Peugeot Paris-Marseilles, 1898 Panhard, 1892 Peugeot Toit Bois, 1899 Peugeot Victoria, 1900 Peugeot Coupe, 1901 Fiat 8 hp, 1901 Decauville, 1901 Delahaye, 1901 Mercedes, 1901 Daimler, 1899 Renault, 1902 Renault K24CV Paris-Vienne racer, 1900 Renault 10, 1906 Renault 35 hp, 1908 Unic Taxi and a Ford Model T. The model T and the Paris-Vienne Renault were the first designs from the Jadali S.I.F.M.A. enterprise, before Safir became involved. Though the Safirs had more plastic, the two eras of Model T and Renault Paris-Vienne are nearly identical (Les Jadali S.I.F.M.A. no date). Veteran collector Cecil Gibson called the model of the odd upright 1900 Renault 10 "a rather ugly little model of a rather ugly little car" (Gibson 1972, p. 21). One final outrageous model was the 1910 Gregoire Triple Berline, a triple arched roof, triple compartmented limousine with a huge storage trunk on the roof.


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