I have had this car affliction since I was about two or three. As a result, I had dozens of diecast 1/64 scale cars as a kid. At the time, there were four major brands: Lesney/Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Tomica/Pocket Cars, and Majorette. I liked all of them, but Majorette (and Tomica, which we’ll discuss some other time) were the most detailed. Made in France, not only did they have a number of European models, but quite a few US production cars as well.
One thing I really miss on modern diecast is the opening features. While Hot Wheels almost never had opening parts, many other brands did. Majorette was one of the best, with almost every model having either an opening hood, doors or trunk lid.
Some even had sliding doors and sunroofs that opened and closed. As my parents drove Volvos exclusively through the ’80s, Majorette’s 760 was very familiar, but other models like the Renault 25, Peugeot 205 and Ford Sierra weren’t.
Majorettes also had really robust suspensions. When you turned one over, you could see slots in the baseplate where parallel wires ran front to back, in a kind of torsion bar suspension.
They were so stout that you could raise one end of the car, drop it, and it would bounce up and down several times before stopping. Almost every model had a tough metal baseplate too. As long as I didn’t actively trash them (yes I was a destructive kid), they held up very well.
Another neat feature was that many times, clear headlights would be incorporated into the model’s glass area, and taillamps were often integrated into the interior bucket. Naturally, this worked best with red interiors, as shown on the Sierra above.
Majorette also made quite a few 4x4s, with models that would warm any off-roader’s heart. The Jeep CJ-5 was a favorite of mine, and it came in both standard height (shown above) and jacked-up versions. The top was also removable if you wanted your imaginary passengers to enjoy al fresco motoring.
Considering they were a French company, Majorette did quite a few American cars, including a late ’80s Mustang convertible, aero T-Bird and Chevy Impala taxi and police cars. There was even a Military Police Impala in olive drab. They also made what may be the only diecast model of the tough-as-nails Tercel 4WD wagon.
Sports cars were also in abundance, in addition to the sedans, wagons and vans. Again, detail was very good for the scale. The 911 actually has ‘PORSCHE’ spelled out on the back.
This Celica (and the 300ZX further down) actually has pop-up headlights in addition to the opening doors. Most models also had an interior with not only accurate seats, but detailed steering wheels that duplicated the real car’s tiller.
The Renault 5 shown above is one of my earliest Majorettes, picked up at a flea market years ago. I also had a really cool W116 Mercedes, but it did not survive to the present day. I said I was a destructive kid!
Majorette models were pretty easy to find and collect between the ’80s and early ’90s, though not every store carried them. I recall that most of mine came from Osco or Target. I don’t believe they were priced any higher than equivalent Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars.
By the late ’90s, I started having trouble finding them. Between 2000-2003 Osco seemed to be the only place that had them. That was a shame as I still collected these neat little cars, even though I was out of college and working full time by the end of 2002. Since then they have completely disappeared.
A few years ago I read that the company was having issues, and finally had to move production out of France. They are still in business, but I’m not sure if they are sold in the US anymore. Even if they’re not, at least I still have most of my original ones.
Great, now you’ve got me wanting to go through my collection. I still have every 1/64 scale car that I ever collected, almost all of them from the mid 1970’s to the late 1980s. My first toy as a baby was a pink (!) car that was bought in the hospital’s gift shop the day I was born. I still have it, along with a matching green one that is in much better shape. I think it may have been a BMW, but I could be mistaken.
I know I have a lot of the cars pictured above, including the Renault 5. I always liked that one as a kid, since it was so detailed, even down to the mirrors and radio antenna.
At least now I have something interesting to do this weekend.
Majorette was my absolute favourite as well. I don’t know why. I had Corgis, Matchbox, some Hotwheels, but above all Majorettes. They were the gold standard, everything else was simply inferior. Yes, I was a car snob even as a child. I had some of the cars above, but mostly inherited cars from the 60’s and 70’s. I loved the Volvo 245. They just felt so solid, and they could take some pounding. From the mid-80’s, they were cheapened out, they just felt less substantial. The last series I bought as a kid was the supercars series, the Porsche and Corvette above, even in the same color. A Trans Am, a Lambo Countach, black of course. I hade some 60 cars in my collection once, but I took them to school, and someone simply stole them all. After that, I lost interest. I guess girls became more interesting then…
I had a lot of those cars myself. My favorite was the Tercel wagon, which also turned out to be my first car in real life. Thanks for bringin’ back some memories!…Im gonna have to go through my collection next time I’m in NY!
While living in Germany, I was able to add quite a few Majorettes (as well as Siku, naturally) to my collection. I have most of what you have above, plus the Saab 900, and the Chrysler K70. I will have to get mine out next time I am home.
Well, out is going to come the old camera. And the old Matchbox cars, which are already out. Once I get set up to take photos, I’ll post some. I have a feeling that this subject is going to keep popping up on this site for awhile. I’ll do my part. I have one model that will look great with my avatar.
Other than 3 Dinkys, 1 Corgi and 1 Hot Wheels, all of them are Matchbox (I don’t recall seeing Majorette when I was a kid in the 60s). One thing I don’t like about Matchbox – when Lesney started making models with suspension, it seemed like a cool idea. But it weakened over time and is not fixable because the body won’t come off the “chassis” without ruining it. As a result, many of my cars look like an 80s Lincoln with bad air bags. It’s really too bad.
Anyway, here’s another photo (the VW does not actually have a hitch).
I remember having a 1980s Cadillac Fleetwood Limo. I liked them because they were one of the few if only companies that made limos
So glad to see you had a Toyota Van (Hiace). They were the only ones to make one! I picked up a set of 5 or 6 on ebay a while back….all sorts of colors & graphics. My white/red Screaming Eagle is my favorite (though I do like your silver/red). The row of them are on my desk at home and look nice next to the Screaming Chicken Trans Am from Smokey & the Bandit 🙂
I was a Hot Wheels kid growing up, but I do have a bunch of Majorettes still. Great article!
They made some tractor trailers and buses too didn’t they? I seem to remember and odd “road train” European type tractor trailer 1/64th toy truck with 2 or 3 trailers included.
Yes, I have 2 Majorette buses. They were awesome!
When I was a boy in the 1950’s, I never owned any 1/64 cars. I had a tin Buick (a 1/24?) that probably would be worth a fortune now in new boxed condition, but I played with it and it was thrown out. I had a few other tin vehicles, a fire truck and a wind up tank. I also had plastic and rubber cars.
Fast forward to 1966. My aunt offered me a bunch of original Matchbox cars. I don’t know where she got them, but she was always sending for stuff in the mail and buying closeouts in stores. When she died, she had so much stuff, most valueless. Anyhow, I told her I was too old to play with toy cars; she said she was giving them to my cousin, 2 years younger than me.
Through the years, I’ve always felt like a dummy that I didn’t take those cars. The assortment contained the red tire models, and all came in the matchbox boxes. I don’t know how many she had, but there were many.
In the 1980’s, I started to “collect” a few, which I still have. None are worth more than the dollar they cost new.
I own what must be one of the odder Majorette models, an X-body Olds Omega.
What’s interesting about these, and I never was aware until seeing the above pictures, is that Majorette produced the same cars in different colors. My Volvo 760 is green, my Tercel wagon is blue, and my Accord is sort of a metallic salmon pink.
Oh yeah, almost forgot that one! I have it too, in blue. I also have the Porsche 924 and the Alfa Romeo 75, which are hard to find.
The Oldsmobile is extra special, under the operating feature of the hood is a longitudinally-mounted V8.
And the scale on the base says that it is 1/75. It should say 1/57.
I have one of those Omegas too. Mine was white with some really loud racing graphics on it. I repainted it badly years ago, and sanded it down with steel wool a year or so ago to repaint properly. After doing this post, I tracked it down and actually redid the car last night in maroon with silver rocker trim.
that is nice. would go well with my 1978 salon back copper 442? Hot Wheels, even I Cant Remember. ill ck back, but i love this omega…
Or the Hot Wheels Citation X-11.
Had a few of those Majorettes. Majorette also made modular playsets for them with things such as gas stations (complete with the European markings for gas and diesel).
I never saw the 4×4’s when I was a kid even though Majorettes were my favorite. i was more into sports cars then though. But I do have the Toyota van now.
As I read this, there are no less than 5000 of similar cars still in wrap and stored in totes in my garage. Someone who lives here seems to have a fascination with these things. He can not seem to pass any table at the flea markets without spending an hour looking through toy cars. He is NOT easily distract…..Oh look! A kitty!
Were they like the Die Cast Equivalent for Tootsie toy Originally? They Were Crude but acurate. in 66 the Toronado was new to the Tootsietoy Pack at Rite Aid, then i lost track of Them.
I was a Matchbox kid, yet my collection today amounts to only about 60-70 cars, many of which I picked up recently from my brother-in-law. I did not know that Majorette was a French company, but I sense that many French boys grown into men sustain the toy car hobby, because in many French cities I have seen shops that sell old toy cars for astounding prices. 20-30 Euros apiece!
My question for Tom is how do you get the depth of field in your photos, so that a flower pot looks like a building, and the real Volvo V50 looks as crisp as the toy 240 in front of it?
Either dumb luck, or a good-quality digital camera!
I was a majorette kid… they were the best one’s to have where I live (except for Siku but those were expensive and rare).
Now, majorette unfortunately does not make toy cars that are built like tanks 🙁 and I prefer to get my kid matchbox or hot wheels… they do not break so easily. Wrote an article with some cool images about it: Matchbox vs Hot Wheels vs Majorette Toy Cars Hope you like it.
oh and PS
we have the same majorette corvette:
Majorette Corvette