Trofeu is a line of 1/43 scale diecast vehicles made by Replicar in Portugal. The company was started in 1989, in Espinho just south of Oporto - the same town where Metosul and Luso Toys had previously been made in the 1960s and 1970s. Trofeu products are mainly contemporary

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Political demonstration, a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a North American school or college sporting event Sport ...

cars alongside their stock counterparts.

Product history

The first model was a 1987

Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a Mid-size car, mid-size/D-segment, large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford of Europe from 1982–1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Bob Lutz (businessman), Robert Lutz and Patrick Le Quément, and was noted for ...

Cosworth RAC Rally, which had been driven by Stig Blomqvist. It was released in March 1989. In 1990, the second model was introduced, a

Toyota Celica The is an automobile produced by Toyota from 1970 until 2006. The Celica name derives from the Latin word ''wikt:coelicus, coelica'' meaning ''heavenly'' or ''celestial''. In Japan, the Celica was exclusive to ''Toyota Corolla Store'' Car deale ...

GT4 ST165. Trofeu also manufactured the newer Toyota Celica GT-Four ST185 and ST205 in both rally and stock guises. Trofeu miniature cars were made of diecast metal mounted on plastic chassis. Most cost about 40 Euros. As is common with diecast makers today, one rally model would commonly be made in multiple liveries to save on tooling costs. For example, the mid-1970s European Ford Escort RS2000 appeared in Trofeu's line-up in more than 30 different variations, produced up through at least 2004.Stewart 2004.

Besides rally

Though rally cars were standard fare, Le Mans and prototype racing models often appeared such as the Porsche LMP and 936. The occasional taxi and police car also were produced. One odd model, considering the normal fare, was a Scandinavian Volvo Duett panel van.

Numbering and packaging

Early Trofeu models were numbered with 0 prefix such as 010-015 for Ford Sierra, 016-030 for Toyota Celica ST165 and 031-042 for the Mitusbishi Galant. The first Celica ST185 came with a 044 reference number, but later the whole Celica ST185 line was renumbered with four prefix numbers from 444 to 459. The next models also came with new reference numbers such as 7## for the Celica ST205. Models were usually packaged in clear plastic display cases sometimes highlighted with folded card decor.

List of models

List of 1/43 scale cars by Trofeu: *

Ford Sierra Cosworth The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth is a high-performance version of the Ford Sierra that was built by Ford of Europe, Ford Europe from 1986 to 1992. It was the result of a Ford Motorsport project with the purpose of producing an outright winner for Gro ...

* Toyota Celica GT4 ST165 *

Mitsubishi Galant VR4 The Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 (Viscous Realtime 4WD) was the range-topping version of Mitsubishi Motors' Galant model, available in the sixth (1987–1992), seventh (1992–1996) and eighth (1996–2002) generations of the vehicle. Originally introduce ...

* Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185 * Ford Escort RS Mk 1 *

Subaru Impreza The is a compact car that has been manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru since 1992. It was introduced as a replacement for the Leone, with the predecessor's EA series engines replaced by the new EJ series. It is now in its sixth g ...

555 *

Toyota Celica GT-Four The Toyota Celica GT-Four is a high performance model of the Toyota Celica, Celica Liftback that was produced from 1986 to 1999, with a Turbocharger, turbocharged ''Toyota S engine#3S-GTE, 3S-GTE'' engine, and full-time Four-wheel drive, AWD. I ...

ST205 * Renault Alpine A110 * Subaru Impreza WRX STi 22B * Ford Escort RS 1800 Mk 2 *

Ford Cortina The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car manufactured in various body styles from 1962 to 1982. It was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s. The Cortina was produced in five generations (Mark I through to Mark V, although of ...

Ford Capri The Ford Capri is a fastback coupé built by Ford of Europe and designed by Philip T. Clark, who had been involved in the design of the Ford Mustang. It used the mechanical components from the Mk2 Ford Cortina and was intended as the European ...

Lancia Delta The Lancia Delta (stylized Lancia Delta (letter), δ) is a small family car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia in three generations. The first generation (1979–1994) debuted at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show#1979, Frankfurt Motor ...

Fiat 131 Abarth Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellan ...

Saab 96 The Saab 96 is an automobile manufactured and marketed by Swedish automaker Saab from 1960 to January 1980, replacing the Saab 93. The 96 featured aerodynamic two-door bodywork, four-passenger seating and at first a two-stroke, three-cylinder e ...

Triumph TR7 The Triumph TR7 is a sports car that was manufactured in the United Kingdom from September 1974 to October 1981 by British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC), which changed its name to British Leyland (BL) in 1975. The car was launched in the Uni ...

Audi Quattro The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March. Production continued through 1991. Background The wor ...

Opel Kadett The Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel from 1936 until 1940 and then from 1962 until 1991 (the Cabrio continued until 1993), when it was succeeded by the Opel Astra. Originally, the Kadett was ...

Porsche 936 The Porsche 936 is a Group 6 sports prototype racing car introduced in 1975 by Porsche as a delayed successor to the 917, a five-litre Group 5 Sports Car, and the 908, a three-litre Group 6 Prototype-Sports Car, both of which were retired b ...

Porsche LMP The Porsche LMP2000 (codename Porsche 9R3) is a Le Mans Prototype racing car that was developed between 1998 and 2000, but never raced. One car was built, and it was designed around a modified version of Porsche's 3.5-litre V10 engine that was ori ...

prototype racer *

BMW 2002 The BMW 02 Series is a range of sporty compact executive cars produced by German automaker BMW between 1966 and 1977, based on a shortened version of the New Class Sedans. The first 02 Series produced was the 1600-2 (later renamed 1602) in 1966. ...

Volvo 445 Duett The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

presentation car *

Vauxhall Chevette The Vauxhall Chevette is a supermini car that was manufactured by Vauxhall in the United Kingdom from 1975 to 1984. It was Vauxhall's version of the " T-Car" small-car family from Vauxhall's parent General Motors (GM), and based primarily on t ...

Sources

Works cited

* Stewart, Sean. 2004. Small Ford Scale Models. Webstring selection. ClassicFord.org

* 1994 Trofeu Catalog, Portugal * 1997 Trofeu Catalog, Portugal Toy cars and trucks Model manufacturers of Portugal Die-cast toys 1:43 scale models {{Toy-stub