One of June's arrivals is a nice green #334 Mini. These seem to go as fast as they come in and do represent what might have been the peak of the Corgi era. This was December 1968 and the engineering is tremendous. There is a lot going on in this model: doors, tilting seat backs, a sliding roof blind, opening boot and a detailed engine under an opening bonnet. Chrome running all around, just like the strip that real minis had. That is also cleverly moulded into an attractive radiator grill and even has the double bars at the corners.
Add a couple of jewelled headlamps and a consistently excellent paint finish and it looks pretty good for 7/6d, especially as The Monkeemobile, released at the same time and which didn't do anything, cost a shilling more.
The window box they came in tended to get broken easily and thrown away so they're hard to find now and most I see are unboxed. They're probably worth specialising in and getting some decent reproduction boxes for as I can see these being one of the models that will always be in demand.
The base bills it as a BMC Mini Cooper S and the box calls it a Mini 'Manifique'. I don't don't about the 'Manifique' bit but it certainly looks right for the Cooper S.
Even the badge shape is right! Amazing. There weren't that many around in those days.
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