“It’s an all-consuming passion. I no longer count the hours spent, nor the kilometers traveled to find the right model. My wife tells me to grow up a bit, but it’s been going on for almost 30 years,” laughs Michel. Originally from Vendée, this newly retired man drove more than an hour this Sunday to get to the collectible toy fair, in Les Sorinières, in the Nantes suburbs. Among the hundred stands at the show, there are dolls, wooden games, figurines… But the vast majority of exhibitors and visitors came for one thing only: miniature cars. “We fall into it for all sorts of reasons, whether we like cars or not,” says Michel. Me, it’s a friend who transmitted the virus to me. I wasn’t very interested in cars but I loved the realism, the details, the diversity of the models. Especially those from the 1980s, my favourites. »
For Philippe, 62, from Finistère, the passion for small cars goes back “to childhood”, to “days spent shopping in the sand”. The desire to collect, in particular the old vehicles of the famous fabricant Dinky Toys, took over. To the point of owning several thousand today. “I can’t say exactly how many,” he smiles. A good part is kept at home, in the window. But I also put some everywhere. I extended my house to have more space. I know it’s atypical. But I assume, I consider myself a big child. »
Philippe buys his miniatures between 10 and 1,000 euros each, depending on their rarity. “The same car can exist in different versions, different colors, it does not necessarily have the same rims, not the same windows. You have to know about it to make the right assessment,” he says. The doubles are resold, as are the less fashionable models. “A collection is never finished, we are constantly looking for it,” smiles Nicolas, his 30-year-old son, who specializes in the Vokswagen brand.
“Parties until 4 a.m.”
At the other end of the show, Mickaël, 35, from Maine-et-Loire, owns around 3,000 cars. His thing is Citroëns, in particular the 2CV, a “popular car, which has a mouthful”, of which he has nearly 800 variations. “They are kept preciously in the window. I show them to friends but otherwise they never come out. I avoid manipulation, there are still fragile elements, such as the mirrors. »
For his part, Eric, 64, allows himself to play with “from time to time”. Probably because his specialty is scalextric brand electrical circuit miniatures. “I had my first circuit when I was 10 years old. I then bought cars regularly. Being young, we chained the parties until 4 o’clock in the morning. “Many years later, his collection totals 1,500 copies, or more than ten thousand euros spent. “I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, but I buy cars. It’s my pleasure. When people see my collection, they are usually amazed. So I take a few out and roll them. »
“It does not interest the new generation”
Even though he has taken part in around twenty specialized fairs over the past year, Eric claims to “slow down” his desires a little for “budget and space” reasons. Like others, he regrets the aging of collectors. “The market is declining. Young people, we see very little of them. Car racing, for them, is mostly video games. Nicolas, the thirties, shares this opinion. “Small cars, especially old ones, don’t interest the new generation. Quite simply because it does not speak to them. “Maybe one day all this will end up in boxes and won’t be worth much, for lack of demand,” worries Philippe, his father.
At 19, Gaëtan is a counter-example. His collection is centered on modern cars, especially sports ones. His pride is also a 306 Cabriolet and an Alpine 110. “I exhibit them at home or I make slideshows for Instagram. My friends, they don’t really understand, they laugh about it. For them, it is something childish. “Even growing up, we remain amazed by the object, its shape, the finishes, defends his brother Mickaël. We have necessarily kept our child’s soul. »