Majorette Volvo 245 DL: Majorette Got the 240 Right

Majorette is less known in the United States, as its primarily overshadowed by brands like Matchbox and Hot Wheels. However, in Europe, it's one of their best known diecast brands, dubbed "the Matchbox of France." Majorette's approach to diecast cars is very similar to Matchbox, producing similar "everyday" cars, sports cars, utility trucks, and occasionally aircraft, all primarily in 1/64 scale. Before we dive into their Volvo 240 model, let's have a brief overview of the company's history.

Originally known as "Rail-Route," the brand that would come to be known as Majorette was established in 1961 by Emile Véron. The company originally produced model train accessories (hence the name), but in 1964, began producing diecast vehicles. In 1967, the name changed from Rail-Route to Majorette, as they were becoming the largest producer of scale vehicles in France and most of central Europe. 

The earliest Majorette vehicles were produced under the 100 Series, which are very rare and desirable among collectors. In 1970, during the company's rise in prominence, the 200 Series replaced the 100 Series cars, with more updated castings with better details, as well as new models that represented a more global selection of cars. This is where our Volvo 245 comes into play.

Produced in the Series 200 line, the Volvo 245 DL was the 220th model in the series. It was produced from 1976 to 1983, and saw many different color, wheel, and tampo (decal) variations over its production history. 

The most popular and common variations are seen here, in metallic orange and gold respectively. But, many more are available too.

Other common color variations include red, green, and white. The 245 was also produced in yellow, but this model is incredibly rare, and fetches high prices on the collector's market. 

The green and white models typically feature tampos, but green models with no tampos also see high asking prices on the market as well. 

Since the first Majorette 245 models started rolling out (literally) in 1976, it makes sense that these were based on the first design generation of the 240, which was in production from 1974 to about 1976. The 1977 cars saw the change to the quad round headlights instead of the double. The Volvo 240 was also a very popular new car in the mid '70s, carrying off the success of the 140 series from the late '60s, so that's most likely another reason as to why Majorette produced this as a model.

But did they ever get this design right. The proportions, details, and even the colors are very much accurate to a 1970s era Volvo 240. I'm very impressed with the accuracy these Volvos have, especially for a diecast model produced in the 1970s.

 The model does have a special feature as well, with the ability to open the rear lift gate. I didn't demonstrate it in the photos as I didn't want to risk snapping any parts. I've done this in the past with other diecast cars, and it's quite a let down!

I currently have two of the many 245's produced by Majorette, the orange and gold variations, but I plan to obtain more soon, hopefully a green and a red car soon, or whenever I find the best deal on Ebay. 

Unlike the Matchbox Saab Sonetts and 9000 Turbos, there is no real interesting story as to how I got these. I found them while searching on Ebay, as they were sold by the same seller, and were honestly a pretty fair deal. They were shipped to me from Germany however, so that's a pretty interesting aspect to add. This did mean it took a while for them to get here though, so I waited a little while, but I think it was very much worth the wait. 

Given the accuracy and detail this car touts, it would be interesting to see what Matchbox would've produced if they got the rights from Volvo. I have a feeling they would go toe to toe with each other, as some of the Matchbox castings from the 1970s were also pretty well done too. But this '70s 240 is unique, and there's truly no other casting like it. Corgi would produce a version around the same time too, and we'll have a look at that one sometime, but I think Majorette's version of the 240 wagon is the most accurate to date. I hope they reissue this sometime, as Matchbox and Hot Wheels have done with some of their old castings.

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