MINI COOPER - PILEN

M-319.

Escala 1/43.

Mini Cooper (1961-1975).

Fabricado por "AUTHI" en Landaben (España), entre los años 1973 y 1975.

Pilen.

Hecho en España / Made in Spain.

Años 70.

 

El Mini Cooper aparecía ya en el catálogo de Pilen del año 1971 con el nº 319 (Mini Cooper) y el nº 320 (Mini Cooper Cromado).

 

En el catálogo del año 1975 se añade otra variante de este modelo con el nº 291 (Mini Cooper Rallye).

 

Las variantes nº 319 y nº 291 permanecieron en el catálogo de Pilen, con seguridad hasta el año 1981, y probablemente siguieron en el mercado hasta el año 1983. (?)

 

More info:

pilen.jimdofree.com/cat%C3%A1logos/

-----------------------------------------------------

 

PILEN - Historia

 

"Pilen nació en Ibi (Alicante) a finales de los 60, creada por Pilar y Enrique Climent (de ahí Pil-En); éste ya comercializaba en compañía de sus hermanos los juguetes Clim.

Al principio fabricaron miniaturas de Fórmula 1 a escala 1:36, pero en seguida se pasaron a la 1:43 copiando moldes de las marcas Corgi, Tekno, Politoys, Mebetoys...

Obtuvieron de la casa francesa Dinky el permiso para fabricar sus modelos en España.

Sus coches tuvieron numerosas variantes (hasta cromados), distintos tipos de ruedas, etc. Se asociaron a otras marcas, como las holandesas AHC, Artec, Oto y Doorkey, la venezolana Juguinsa y la española Guiloy."

(...)

 

"Los fundadores de PILEN son Enrique Climent Gisbert y su esposa, Pilar.

 

De ahí el logotipo de la marca, formado por las primeras letras de sus nombres. Debajo, las iniciales del fundador, Enrique Climent Gisbert. [ECG]

(...)

--------------------------------

 

"Hacia 1962, uno de los socios fundadores de la fábrica juguetera Climent Hermanos, S.L, D. Enrique Climent Gisbert, decide abandonar la firma familiar para crear su propia empresa junto a su mujer Pilar (PIL-ar y EN-rique)."

(...)

 

"La primera línea de productos estará compuesta por una serie de pistolas y revólveres hechos de fundición de material zamack."

El 23 de enero de 1970 se regularizarán como sociedad anónima bajo la marca comercial PILEN."

(...)

 

"Poco a poco fueron abandonando la primera gama de juguetes para centrarse de manera completa en la fabricación de miniaturas de metal reproducidos a escala."

(...)

 

"Fue una empresa que tuvo gran protagonismo al gozar sus juguetes de mucha aceptación.

En el año 1983 cesó sus actividades (...). Desde la propia firma se auspiciaría poco después la creación de otra sociedad llamada Artec, que abrió sus actividades en el año 1988 y que (...) seguían ofreciendo unos juguetes de gran calidad (consiguieron un Molinillo de Plata el mismo año que se lanzaron al mercado como marca."

 

Fuentes:

pilen.jimdofree.com/

"La industria juguetera en Ibi, 1905-2005", edición del Ayuntamiento de Ibi, 2005.

 

More info:

pilen.jimdofree.com/coches-1-43/

myspace.com/pilenmania/mixes/classic-mis-fotos-569751

foro.autoescala.net/index.php?threads/miniaturas-espa%C3%...

www.paolorampinieditore.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/AUT...

wikivisually.com/wiki/Auto_Pilen

minicarmuseum.com/database/pdf/autopilen1977.pdf

thevintagetoyadvertiser.org/tag/auto-pilen/

-------------------------------------------------------

 

Auto Pilen

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

"Auto Pilen was a diecast line of model cars made in Ibi, Alicante, in southeastern Spain by Pilen S.A..

Models were produced 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."

(...)

 

"Pilen made at least 50 different models, in the most convoluted story of diecast seconds and recasts of any successful diecast manufacturer (Colleccion Auto Pilen. No date).

Dies were apparently used or copied from a variety of other companies including French Dinky, Corgi Toys, Solido, Mebetoys, Tekno, Politoys (Polistil), and possibly some Mercury models."

(...)

 

"Pilen's model selection appears taken (whether by direct copying from blueprints or through available dies) from a variety of other producers, especially French Dinky Toys. Some tools from Meccano s.a. were transferred from Calais to Pilen in Spain so the models made by Pilen were Dinky castings – the base plate of which had been modified from MADE IN FRANCE to MADE IN SPAIN. For example, the Talbot/Simca/Chrysler 1100 saloon, Renault 12 saloon, Mercedes 250 coupe, Ferrari P5, Citroën CX Pallas, and Matra-Simca Bagheera were French Dinky castings (Dinky Toys Encyclopaedia). Later versions of these cars, though, did not say Dinky anywhere on the base plates.

 

So, from 1974 until 1981, several French Dinky Toys passenger cars were made by Pilen.

Bickford says that originally there was an agreement to market the French Dinkys in Spain, but most were sold under the Pilen brand name (Bickford 2009).

The French dies were used, but of course the base plates were altered, hiding that fact. These cars were almost exactly similar to the French dies, but with Pilen's own paint finishes."

(...)

 

"Auto Pilen also made a line of Matchbox-sized 1/64 scale cars, but these are more rare. Besides a SEAT 131 Wagon, a SEAT Ritmo, a Renault 4F (Van), a Peugeot 504, and a Range Rover – among others – were made but little is known about them."

(...)

 

"Pilen maintained a close association with other Spanish toy makers also headquartered in Alicante like Joal, Guiloy, Guisval, and Mira."

(...)

 

"Around 1980 there was a Pilen connection with Holland OTO, which had taken over Dutch Efsi Toys.

A 1980 Auto Pilen catalog shows many of the revered Efsi vehicles like the Model T series and many Efsi trucks continued as a line Pilen 1980 (Bras 2012).

Around 1990, there was also a connection with the Dutch diecast company AHC which appears to have bought Holland Oto and thus Auto Pilen (Bickford 2009). AHC has since shared dies and traditionally Pilen stamped cars can be found in both AHC and Holland OTO labeled boxes (Bickford 2009; Johnson 1998, p. 15)."

(...)

 

"With the bankruptcy of Doorkey in the early 1990s, Auto Pilen disappeared.

The last new models with the Pilen name appeared at this time.

In its time, Auto-Pilen was the king of the knock-off and die-cast second. Perusal of the model lineup shows castings were copies or closely copied vehicles from several different companies (Collection Auto Pilen).

Models were precisely crafted in a professional and uniform-looking range from leftover castings that had previously been in use elsewhere. Pilen appears to have been the most successful company ever at using second hand castings – yet so very nicely reconfigured."

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Pilen

 

More info:

www.gamas43.com/Dinky_SP/DinkyEsp.html

myspace.com/pilenmania/mixes/classic-dinky-espa-a-fabrica...

pilen.jimdofree.com/asociaci%C3%B3n-con-otras-marcas-i/

pilen.jimdofree.com/asociaci%C3%B3n-con-otras-marcas-ii/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Mini

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

"The Mini is a small economy car made by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s.

 

Its space-saving transverse engine front-wheel drive layout – allowing 80 percent of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage – influenced a generation of car makers.

 

In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T, and ahead of the Citroën DS and Volkswagen Beetle.

 

This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis.

It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in England, the Victoria Park/Zetland British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in Sydney, Australia, and later also in Spain (Authi), Belgium, Chile, Italy (Innocenti), Malta, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.

The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates – the Mark II, the Clubman and the Mark III. Within these was a series of variations, including an estate car, a pick-up truck, a van and the Mini Moke – a jeep-like buggy.

 

The performance versions, the Mini Cooper and Cooper "S," were successful as rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965 and 1967. In 1966, the first-placed Mini was disqualified after the finish, under a controversial decision that the car's headlights were against the rules.

 

On introduction in August 1959 the Mini was marketed under the Austin and Morris names, as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor. The Austin Seven was renamed Austin Mini in January 1962 and Mini became a marque in its own right in 1969.

In 1980 it once again became the Austin Mini and in 1988 the Rover Mini.

 

BMW acquired the Rover Group (formerly British Leyland) in 1994, and sold the greater part of it in 2000, but retained the rights to build cars using the MINI name."

(...)

 

- Mark I Mini: 1959–1967.

 

- Mark II Mini: 1967–1970.

 

- Mark III: 1969–1976 (ADO20).

 

- Mark IV and onwards: 1976–2000.

(...)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Mini Cooper and Cooper S: 1961–1971; 1990-2000.

 

"Issigonis' friend John Cooper, owner of the Cooper Car Company and designer and builder of Formula One and rally cars, saw the potential of the Mini for competition. Issigonis was initially reluctant to see the Mini in the role of a performance car, but after John Cooper appealed to BMC management, the two men collaborated to create the Mini Cooper. The Austin Mini Cooper and Morris Mini Cooper debuted in 1961.

 

The 848 cc (51.7 cu in) engine from the Morris Mini-Minor was given a longer stroke to increase capacity to 997 cubic centimetres (60.8 cu in) increasing power from 34 to 55 bhp (25 to 41 kW). The car featured a racing-tuned engine, twin SU carburettors, a closer-ratio gearbox and front disc brakes, uncommon at the time in a small car. One thousand units of this version were commissioned by management, intended for and designed to meet the homologation rules of Group 2 rally racing.

The 997 cc engine was replaced by a shorter stroke 998 cc unit in 1964. In 1962, Rhodesian John Love became the first non-British racing driver to win the British Saloon Car Championship driving a Mini Cooper.

 

A more powerful Mini Cooper, dubbed the "S", was developed in tandem and released in 1963.

Featuring a 1071 cc engine with a 70.61 mm bore and nitrided steel crankshaft and strengthened bottom end to allow further tuning; and larger servo-assisted disc brakes, 4,030 Cooper S cars were produced and sold until the model was updated in August 1964.

Cooper also produced two S models specifically for circuit racing in the under 1,000 cc and under 1,300 cc classes respectively, rated at 970 cc (59 cu in) and a 1,275 cc (77.8 cu in), both had a 70.61 mm (2.780 in) bore and both were also offered to the public. The smaller-engine model was not well received, and only 963 had been built when the model was discontinued in 1965. The 1,275 cc Cooper S models continued in production until 1971.

 

Sales of the Mini Cooper were as follows: 64,000 Mark I Coopers with 997 cc or 998 cc engines; 19,000 Mark I Cooper S with 970 cc, 1,071 cc or 1,275 cc engines; 16,000 Mark II Coopers with 998 cc engines; 6,300 Mark II Cooper S with 1,275 cc engines. There were no Mark III Coopers and just 1,570 Mark III Cooper S.

 

In 1971, the Mini Cooper design was licensed in Italy by Innocenti and in 1973 to Spain by Authi (Automoviles de Turismo Hispano-Ingleses), which began to produce the Innocenti Mini Cooper 1300 and the Authi Mini Cooper 1300, respectively. The Cooper name was discontinued from the UK Mini range at this time.

 

A new Mini Cooper named the RSP (Rover Special Products) was briefly relaunched in 1990–1991, with slightly lower performance than the 1960s Cooper. It proved popular and a new Cooper-marked Mini went into full production in late 1991.

From 1992, Coopers were fitted with a fuel-injected version of the 1,275 cc engine, and in 1997 a multi-point fuel injected engine was introduced, along with a front-mounted radiator and various safety improvements."

(...)

------

Mini

 

Manufacturer

 

Britain

British Motor Corporation (1959–1968)

British Leyland (1968–1986)

Rover Group (1986–2000)

 

International

Innocenti [Italy]

Authi (1968-1975) [Spain]

BMC Australia

BMC South Africa

Leyland Australia

Arica (Chile)

 

Also called

Austin 850

Austin Mini

Austin Partner

Austin Seven

Innocenti Mini (1965-1975)

Leyland Mini

Morris 850

Morris Mascot

Morris Mini

Riley Elf

Rover Mini

Wolseley 1000

Wolseley Hornet

 

Production

1959–2000

Cowley plant, Oxford (1959-1968)

Longbridge plant, Birmingham (1959-2000)

 

Designer

Sir Alec Issigonis

 

Class

City car (A)

 

Body style

2-door saloon

2-door estate

2-door van

2-door coupe utility

 

Layout

FF layout

 

Related

Mini Moke

Austin Metro

Innocenti Mini (1974-1982)

Mini Wildgoose

Mini Marcos

 

Engine

848 cc, 970 cc, 997 cc, 998 cc, 1,071 cc, 1,098 cc, 1,275 cc I4 (A-series)

 

Transmission

4-speed manual

4-speed automatic

5-speed manual (optional extra on some later models)

 

Dimensions

Wheelbase

2,036 mm (80.2 in) (saloon)

2,138 mm (84.2 in) (estate and commercials)

Length

3,054 mm (120.2 in) (saloon)

3,299 mm (129.9 in) (estate and commercials)

3,300 mm (130 in) (Wolseley Hornet/Riley Elf)

Width

1,397 mm (55.0 in)

Height

1,346 mm (53.0 in)

Kerb weight

617–686 kg (1,360–1,512 lb)

 

Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini#Mini_Cooper_and_Cooper_S:_1961...

 

More info:

blog.terranea.es/authi-mini-fabricado-espana/

 

Done