Corgi VA01129 Austin 8-Cwt Van – Michelin

The 1971 Morris Minor LCV modelled, in this case one of the rare Austin badged examples, is in the livery of the French Michelin tyre company and carries an illuminated Bibendum figure on its roof. Bibendum’s name comes from the Latin phrase -Nun est bibendum, meaning, -Now is the time to drink (or celebrate). This was used as a title for one of the earliest illustrations featuring the Michelin man, who was shown holding a cup filled with glass shards, nails, and other tyre hazards to indicate that a Michelin tyre takes obstacles in its stride, or, in the French vernacular, ‘drinks’ them. The name stuck and he is now known all over the world as Bibendum.