How to properly date your own GUISVAL:

Definining the release year of your own GUISVAL cars is actually not too complicated as there are general factors, that can help you to identify the release year of your cars. Those factors are the following:

1. the color of the car

2. the wheel type on the car

3. the baseplate of the car

4. the body of the car and it's technical modifications

5. the box of the car if it still exists

6. the stickers on the car

(Problematic is the fact, that GUISVAL often have seemed to use factory leftovers when for example older car bodies were combined with newer wheels to get rid of the old car body leftovers. Those models are rare and especially sought after nowadays and can be found on my above "The rare stuff"-page. The color of the windows, interior and steering wheels cannot really be used to verify the age of a car since since often all different colors where used for this (one of the exceptions is the 1st generation of the yellow #13C Seat Ritmo 75CL which only came out with a red interior and all later generations had a white interior).)

Here now a guide and closer definition of those factors to date your cars:

Some of the car models by Guisval existed over several different generations as they were successful sellers. These cars often have changed the color while they were released or were re-released. Look them up inside the Guisval catalogs to see the main colors during the years but be a little careful - especially inside the catalogs and mostly inside the mini catalogs of the 60s/mid 70s Guisval has not replaced the drawings and (later) photographs from year to year and some castings were even presented in main colors that were never used. Often Guisval simply removed the casting that ceased and replaced it with the new casting using the same catalog number. Towards the end of the 70s Guisvals' catalogs became a bit more reliable and showed more often the recent yearly main colors.

Some cars of the 1st generation (i.e. Morris 1100, Seat 124, Renault 6, Seat 850, Ferrari Dino, Monza GT etc.) came out in color variations (besides the regular main color), that are more rare nowadays. Especially the enamel light green variations seem to be extra rare and seem to attract a lot of collectors. Often there is a light blue and a dark blue variation or a yellow and an orange variation. But also later generations of cars models sometimes came out in rare color variations making them extra valuable. Some cars had a slightly different shade of a main color but only in rare cases some shades make them valuable. "Double-sprayed" metallic cars colors then often came out very dark and not looking "metallic" at all anymore.

Here are a couple of examples:

The Seat 131 started off in 1976 as dark metallic brown model. In 1979 it got a new wheel type and became lighter although still being metallic brown. In 1980 Guisval changed the color to silver and in 1985 to metallic blue):

Another example:

The 1976 Renault Alpine came out first in metallic blue. In 1980 Guisval changed the color to red. In 1982 they changed it back to metallic blue but then coming with a new base (thin black metal instead of thick chromed metal base):

Here the classical variations of blue castings, that often came out in light and dark blue - same goes for yellow castings, that often came out in orange as well:

These are classical different shades of the same color:

Whereas those are rare alternative colors:

And here more examples of regular releases on the left and the rarer alternative color on the right:

The base plates are an important factor to date a Guisval model as they have actually been changed quite frequently. Generally important is, that all models had metal bases and only between 1983 and 1985 Guisval started to replace the more expensive and often chromed metal bases with cheaper black or white plastic bases. New castings after 1983 came with plastic bases only - existing castings had a transition phase between 1983 and 1985 in which the bases were often first changed to cheaper black painted really thin metal bases and then later to plastic bases. Models with metal bases after 1985 are considered rare as those models often use old metal base factory leftovers. So metal or plastic base is an important factor to date a model.

The 2nd important factor is the base itself and what kind of holes you can find inside the base. The holes are usually the fixation for the mountings on the base of the "caja" (the "box").

The metal bases of the 1st generation cars between 1967 and 1972 had no holes to fix the models as they were lose inside the cajas just fixed by a thin layer of styrofoam:

Models between 1973 and 1975 usually have base plate with 2 round holes to inject the mounting of a new caja type which were fixing the cars on the base of the cajas:

Models between 1976 and 1985/1986 (metal and plastic bases) have 2 square holes to inject a different type and stronger mounting of another new caja type:

Models after 1986 have either the same above 2 square holes across the plastic base or 2 small along the base for 2 new and very fragile hooks that could be found in boxes between 1986 and 1989. Existing castings mostly kept the former 2 square holes across the base - the new castings got the 2 small holes along the base:

Models after 1989 actually didn't need any holes in the plastic base anymore as Guisval changed from hard plastic cajas to cheaper and thin bubble-like blister boxes with lose cars inside. As a result new castings had no holes at all anymore since they were not needed anymore. Older remaining castings often still had holes in the bases as it was too complicated and expensive to change their bases:

In 1981 Guisval introduced the "Autopista" sets - cars with a trailer. As a result Guisval has to further modify the bases of some models to be able to pull a trailer and added a hook in the back. So all models with a hook need to be after 1981 (metal bases with hook are relatively rare and only existed between 1981 and 1986 - plastic bases with a hook can be found more often):

The bumpers/spoilers and front grills/lights areas are mostly part of the bases of the castings. Castings until 1982 often had hand-painted headlights and/or bumpers (see Seat 131, Peugeot 504 etc.). During the toy crisis in the beginning of the 80s Guisval tried to save costs and the cars had no hand-paintings anymore:

Some castings came out in various versions such as a street car version, a Rallye version etc. - these bases are identical but often they have different base plate colors. Cars that have mixed up base plate colors are rare and more valuable:

Here some base material examples:

The Renault 5 - chromed metal base pre 1981 on the top - thin cheap black painted metal base in the middle from 1981 to 1984 - black plastic base after 1985 below:

The Jaguar XJ "Rallye" from 1980 with white metal base on the left - the 1983 release with black plastic base on the right.

3 generations of a Ford Mustang: oldest generation on the left - newest on the right (see the holes in the middle that partly destroy the "Made in Spain" writing from the former generation and the 2 circles in the middle that cover the old holes in the base to fix the car in the old caja):

2 examples of a Mini Morris. The above and older one still with an expensive chromed metal base from late 70s/early 80s - below the follow up which is a cheaper thin metal base painted in black and often used for models around 1980 to 1984: