European 1920s & 1930s promotional automotive toys by Citroen & Peugeot
 

 

  

In this little wall-hugging display showcase is an assortment of little die-cast toys rarely seen outside France.
 

Andre Citroen and his Citroen company was the first in the world to understand the importance of promotional toys to prepare the children of his customers as potential buyers of his products once grown up. This led to some truly beautiful large tinplate as well as smaller inexpensive models made of lead, then painted "au pochoir", meaning sprayed with masks loosely applied, resulting in charming overspray. The Citroen lead toys are today very rare. The first series was one of six 1924 "B14" models. The models appear to be in the 1/45 scale, close to model-train "O" gauge.

 

The Peugeot brothers were quick to respond and by 1928 had toys of their own, often with markings on their roof depicting the technical advantages of their full-size cars. Most of their models were in the 1/43 scale or "O" gauge.

 

Lead casting was used for toys well before, namely by French and American toy and novelties companies such as the Dowst Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois, as well as the French AR (Autajon & Roustan), a very mysterious business to this day.
 

 

 

These two little Citroen models are of the Limousine and Town Car. The town car driver is a small model train figure in painted lead by MR, an obscure French model train manufacturer. The trees in the background are by Mignot, a famous French toy-soldier manufacturer, and are also cast in lead, then hand painted.

 

 

 

Two more Citroen B14, the stake truck ("camion a ridelles") loaded here with a Meccano trunk from a Hornby O-gauge accessory set and a 2-door "convertible coupe". More model-train figures and a mysterious city rat are on hand to observe, on front of a period postcard describing a cafe-bar.

 

Another B14 is this Torpedo (open 4-seat roadster) on front of a food store. The American WW1 soldier forgot to take the boat back home. The road marker is by Qiralu and is molded in aluminum, then hand painted. Quiralu was the world's pioneer in cast-aluminum toys. The markers were supplied on all French roads by Andre Michelin, the owner of the famous rubber tire company. They were on virtually all French roads well into the 1970s and were called "bornes kilometriques" (miles markers).

 

 

 

Another form of Citroen promotional toys were these small "platre et farine" (plaster & flour) models, with lead-cast wheels. here we have two of the "Petite Rosalie" record car. These inexpensive toys were quite crude but very charming. The decals are the Citroen emblem, a swan with two chevrons.

 

Meanwhile, a lot is going on in this little showcase, as these very nice (and very accurate) German soft-paste ceramic dolls are checking things out, while curious penguins by Britains came to shore to find out who is invading their nesting grounds.

 

 

 

The mysterious AR manufacturing concern made these little "201" roadsters for Peugeot. They were direct copies of the American Tootsietoy "GM series" vehicles, a direct violation of the Dowst patent. They were cast with a greater precision than their American counterparts.

 

Peugeot got more serious with the following 1/43 scale series of "201" and "301" models, using a tinplate chassis with independent front wheels to promote their full-size vehicles. At right are three examples in the midst of confusing Quiralu signs...

 

 

 

The Peugeot 301 model bearing its technical advance, that of having an independent front suspension instead of the then common solid axle.

 

Two really rare 1/43 scale Peugeot promos: the "601 Coach" and the "302" streamlined sedan. Both models use a separate chassis, cast for the 601, painted tinplate for the 302. The lead-cast wheels are shod with rubber tires, and the models have separate grilles that are nickel plated.

AR also made a 3-window "402B" model in 1939, and only two examples are known to exist today, making that particular model a bit difficult to find one would think!

One of the two belonged to this collection until purchased by a well-known French collector.

 

 

 

The ultra-rare and ultra beautiful AR "402 Eclipse" was a model of the Peugeot convertible with a roof that was articulated then stored inside the trunk, from a design by Paulin. This was the first automobile in the world to be so fitted. The model features a wind-up motor, tinplate chassis with front suspension and rubber tires.

AR also made a model of the 402 "Darl'Mat" roadster, a car built by one of Peugeot largest dealers in Paris. The Peugeot Darl'Mat won the 2-liter class at the 1938 Le Mans 24-hour race, beating the German Adler cars.

 

AR stands for Autajon & Roustan, a rather mysterious French company that was deeply involved with Peugeot but that also produced many lead toys of Delahaye, Chenard & Walcker and other rather rare French automobiles from the 1920s and 1930s. On the picture at right, you can see the three "Streamlined" Peugeots in the collection, the 1935 "601 Coach", 1936 "302 Berline" and 1935 "402 Coach". Missing in the collection (for now) are the 1937 "802 Andreau", a streamlined show car with a large fin in the center of its tail section using the prototype of the Peugeot V8 engine, the "402 Darl'Mat" Le Mans roadster and the rarest of all AR toys, the 1935 "402 Limousine".  
 

 

The scarce AR Peugeot 601 was issued by the French company in collaboration with Peugeot at the same time the real car was introduced in 1935. This "Coach" body received a 2.2-liter inline 6-cylinder engine and was a robust, rapid car in the day. The AR model accentuates the length of the hood in a marvellous fashion, similar to that of the period Peugeot catalogs. The model has a gray painted tinplate chassis that provides a suspension, many years before Solido re-introduced the idea but using coil springs in the late 1950s. The lead casting is rather nice and precise and the separate grille is nickel plated. This model also existed in two-tone red and two-tone blue.  

 

The design of the 1935 Peugeot 402 was strongly inspired by that of the 1934 Chrysler Airflow. The successful French car was produced in many body variations, including this 2-door "Coach". The new Peugeot line was called "Fuseau Sochaux" or "Streamliner from the city of Sochaux" where the Peugeot cars were built. The AR model is the most precise of all the lead castings produced by the company, with a beautiful painted grille that included the hole for the emergency crank. This is of course one of the most desirable 1/43 scale pre-war die-cast models in the world, and few are known to have survived the war and the kids.  
   
 
The tinplate base retains the rear axle and the windup motor also used on other AR toys such as their Bluebird record car. The front wheels are independently suspended and retained by another piece of stamped steel attached to the rivet holding the grille. As you can see, the front tires are perished and will unfortunately need suitable replacements. We are looking for the "right stuff" before we do this. The spare wheel cover has raised letters promoting the Peugeot styling, that was named "Fuseau Sochaux". The toy is extremely attractive and a favorite of many visitors.      
 

 

   The ultra-rare Peugeot 302 was issued in 1935. Also patterned after the Chrysler Airflow design, the rear wheel arches features a stylized lion, the Peugeot emblem. The wheels were rather plain affairs and the quality of the model is nowhere near as nice as that of the 402, meaning a different pattern maker was used to fashion the molds for this toy. The grille does not sport the Peugeot emblem but the spare wheel cover is inscribed with "302 Peugeot" in raised letters. The tinplate chassis provides the usual suspension but there is no windup motor on this model. The tires are still in good condition.    

 

 

This particular base plate appears to have had better days and was apparently straightened at one time. Obviously it will require a bit more professional repair to return it to a decent condition.  

 

   Three earlier AR Peugeot models of the "201" and "301", her eon the beach with two young things molded in Germany in soft-paste ceramic in the early 1920s, "au naturel".
The red and cream model, as well as the blue and black one, are "201" from 1930, while the green "301" was made in 1931.

 
 

 

This Peugeot 201 is probably the earliest type as it does not have the later tin base plate. Its axles loop through holes in the lead casting. The toy is clearly identified as an AR model. The grille is a separate casting and is riveted to the main body. As in the Tootsietoy models from which the AR toys were inspired, the axles ends are pinched to retain the plain lead wheels. The grille does not figure a Peugeot emblem but the car is unmistakably a 201.  
  We do not believe that the body casting ever had a front bumper since the original Peugeot 201 did not possess such an appendage. The paint was applied by spraying for the main color, but the chassis was then brushed with black paint. We have seen enough samples to believe that it was indeed done at the factory and not by a subsequent owner.

 

  

 

   This "201" is a much evolved model, with raised letters on its roof claiming the new Peugeot 201 main virtue, that of having independent front wheels in a day where even the Bugatti had a solid front axle. it appears to be made in the same, but modified mold of the blue car and at a later date. The paint is more sophisticated and is now all sprayed. The radiator grille is new and now modeled after a correct Peugeot pattern complete with emblem but no "Peugeot lion". regardless, quite a handsome, if somewhat crude,  model of the very popular little car.   The mold has now been modified and sports a front bumper, of which the driver side is missing. The radiator grille is also missing a headlight, so life was a bit busy for this rare survivor. New on this model was the painted steel tinplate base that offered an actual suspension to the toy. It was retained by another piece of stamped steel riveted with the grille onto the main body casting. The wheels appear to be the same as on the blue model.

 

       The 1931 "301" was a larger sedan with more luxurious features. AR issued this toy with the now familiar roof markings. it appears to be the same body tooling as the 201 but with a new mold insert for the more modern engine cowling. The trunk has also been enlarged.

 

  

 

An American counterpart to the French lead-cast promotional models sold at the Citroen or Peugeot dealerships, this Tootsietoy 1932 Graham-Paige Blue Streak was only available at Graham dealers and had been issued at the same time as the real car, in a collaboration between Graham and Dowst, maker of the Tootsietoy line.  

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