Brand record
Danhausen
Danhausen was an Aachen, Germany, toy and model-car business that grew from a bicycle and motorcycle trade into toys and miniature vehicles. It sold model cars through mail order and offered hand-built ranges under names including Metal 43, Plumbies and SD Models. From 1974, its own model-car ranges included Minichamps; the later Minichamps business developed from this work. Danhausen’s models included 1:43-scale sports and racing cars, many produced for the company by specialist makers.
- Founded
- 1921
- Countries
- Germany
- Locations
- Aachen, Germany · 1921
- Founders
- Peter Danhausen
The story of Danhausen
Danhausen’s business began in Aachen in 1921, initially dealing in bicycles and motorcycles. After the Second World War, it added toys and model cars. In 1971, the company began mail-order sales of model cars, supplied as kits or finished models. The Lang brothers, who owned the business, developed its specialist model-car trade and catalogue business.
In 1974, Danhausen began offering hand-built model cars under names including Metal 43, Plumbies, SD Models and Minichamps. Some were made by specialist firms: between 1976 and 1990, the French maker AMR produced more than 70 Minichamps models for Danhausen, chiefly 1:43-scale Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and BMW sports and racing cars. The Minichamps name became a separate large-scale model-car operation in 1990, with mass-produced die-cast models initially made in China. This development marked the transition from Danhausen’s specialist retail and commissioned-model business to the Minichamps brand.
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