Auto Pilen

Lore & Background

The company was started in the 1960s by Enrique Climent and his wife Pilar, the name 'Pil-En' being an acronym of their names. Enrique had left the family business Climent Hermanos S.A. (CLIM) in 1962. Initially the business produced toy guns made of zamal. In January 1970 Pilen was registered as a sociedad anónima and moved to a new location on Vicente Aleixandre street in Alicante. The company closed definitely in 1983.

Auto Pilen's lineup consisted mostly of European cars, including Ferraris, Porsches, Renaults, Citroëns, Mercedes-Benz, Volvos, and some American cars. There was also a line of at least eight Formula One cars from the 1960s. Because the company was Spanish, FIAT models were branded as SEATs. The models were uniformly of high quality, with evenly applied bright colors, many opening features, and thin, svelte finished parts. Tyres were rubber and wheels authentically matched each model; a handsome wire wheel was used where a generic one was necessary.

Pilen maintained close associations with other Spanish toy makers in Alicante such as Joal, Guiloy, Guisval, and Mira, sharing some castings. The company also produced a line of 1/64 scale cars, which are more rare. Typical Pilen brochures were thin narrow folded strips advertising thirty cars, and collectors could collect five strips to receive a key chain from 'Escuderia' Pilen. Auto Pilen models were the main diecast toys seen in Spanish department stores El Corte Ingles and Galerias Preciados in the late 1970s.

Reader's Guide

Auto Pilen occupies a unique place in die-cast history due to the convoluted story of its seconds and recasts. From 1974 until 1981, several French Dinky Toys passenger cars were made by Pilen, with base plates altered from 'MADE IN FRANCE' to 'MADE IN SPAIN'. These were sold either under the Dinky or Pilen brand, and the last six Dinky issued in 1980 were Pilen models fitted with a Dinky base plate. This makes Pilen the producer of what could be considered the last genuine Dinky Toys.

Beyond Dinky, Pilen's models were dead ringers for Solido, Corgi, Politoys, Mebetoys, Tekno, and Mercury castings. Some models, like the AMC Javelin, Intermeccanica Indra, and Monteverdi Hai 450, have mysterious origins with no clear counterpart elsewhere, suggesting they may have been new French Dinky castings that never appeared elsewhere, or possibly in-house designs. The company's ability to create castings closely matching existing vehicles—whether through direct access to dies or superior copying skills—remains a subject of uncertainty. Despite the complexity of their origins, the products were uniformly of high quality, with refined execution and bright paint, though some have experienced zinc alloy cracking and tyre melting on plastic bases due to chemical reactions.

Did You Know?

• The company name 'Pil-En' is an acronym derived from the names of founder Enrique Climent and his wife Pilar.
• Pilen produced the last genuine Dinky Toys: the final six Dinky issued in 1980 were Pilen models with Dinky base plates.
• Some Pilen models, such as the AMC Javelin and Monteverdi Hai 450, have no known counterpart from other manufacturers.
• Pilen's tyres could cause melting of plastic base plates due to a chemical reaction with a softener in the rubber.