MIKANSUE GRAND TOURISME BENTLEY CONTINENTAL MULLINER SALOON 1:43 BLUE BOXED
From the extensive collection of a Bentley and Rolls Royce enthusiast who collected some quite rare examples of models of those two marques.
Lovely white metal 1:43 scale model, superbly and expertly assembled and painted. Slightly abbreviated on the box, it is a C-Series 1952-55 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback sports saloon by H J Mulliner
The white metal kit this was assembled and painted from dates from the 1970s,
The heavy weight of the white metal model has resulted in the 1970s glue that holds the rear suspension in place letting go. As it’s a kit, it’s should be an easy repair and possibly an apt time to get a vacuformed glazing unit (or similar) fitted.
Beautiful gloss dark blue paintwork. Silvered front radiator grille, headlights, sidelights bumper, front grilles, windscreen wipers, bonnet hinge trim, door handles, rear bumpers, Bentley badge and boot handle. Spotlamps are glazed and rear lights are painted red. No glazing, a detailed interior with pale blue ‘lightweight’ seats, wood-effect dashboard with instrument dials and a black, 3-spoke steering wheel.
The satin black floorpan is smooth with no model or manufacturer details. Wheels are cast white metal painted silver with rubber tyres. The front axle has been glued, making this a static model.
It comes with its original MIKANSUE Grand Tourisme red and white box.
The R-Type Continental was a high-performance version of the R-Type. It was the fastest four-seat car in production at the time. The prototype was developed by a team of designers and engineers from Rolls-Royce Ltd. and coachbuilder H. J. Mulliner & Co. led by Rolls-Royce's Chief Project Engineer, Ivan Evernden. Rolls-Royce worked with H. J. Mulliner instead of their own coachbuilding subsidiary Park Ward because the former had developed a lightweight body construction system using metal throughout instead of the traditional ash-framed bodies. The styling, finalised by Stanley Watts of H. J. Mulliner, was influenced by aerodynamic testing conducted at Rolls-Royce's wind tunnel by Evernden's assistant, Milford Read. The rear fins stabilised the car at speed and made it resistant to changes in direction due to crosswinds
Style and beauty are subjective to individual tastes but the Bentley R-Type Continental is universally regarded as one of the most beautiful cars ever produced. Its sublime fastback coupé body was hand-formed out of aluminium by skilled craftsman at H.J. Mulliner. The body was then fitted to Bentley’s high-performance chassis, which resulted in a car that was not only one of the fastest in the world at the time, but one that truly lived up to its name in being able to conquer continents with ease.
In total, 207 production R-Type Continentals left Crewe. Today, the most desirable are cars delivered in left-hand-drive with a manual central gearshift and lightweight seats—just 13 examples were produced. Specifications also coveted are rear wheel spats and very rare fitted luggage.
Mikansue was a UK company founded in Windsor, England in 1973, known for producing white-metal kits of cars, particularly British cars from the 1940s to 1960s, but also including a "Grand Tourisme" range of other European cars. MIKANSUE was a portmanteau of the two people who founded the company - Mike & Sue Richardson.
The models were usually sold in kit form, meaning they required assembly by the hobbyist.
Mike Richardson was a founder member of the Maidenhead Static Model Club and helped start the first magazine devoted to collectors Modeller’s World, which published for 14 years after 1971.
Mike and his wife, Sue, authored several books including"The Great Book of Dinky Toys” and “Dinky Toys & Modelled Miniatures”.
The Richardsons opened their famous model shop in Bell Lane, Eton Wick in 1983 where they sold, bought and exchanged models old and new.
In 2004 Mike and Sue moved to the Loire region in France, where Mike pursued his other love of gardening producing bumper crops of vegetables and roses.
After Sue’s death from cancer in 2010, Mike was asked to give a talk on collecting Dinky Toys to a local group in Loudun. As a result he was contacted by other collectors and revived his 'model career' attending a number of French toy fairs.
Mike passed away in France in April 2013.
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