23e and 221 'Speed of the Wind' Racing Car (1936-56)

My version almost has to be from 1946, and has the angel wings and red baseplate, along with smooth, non-ridged wheels, white tires, and painted driver's face. Best regards, Terry

Hi Walter Today I received a parcel of four record/racing cars comprising a pale green pre-war 23c Mercedes, a blue pre-war 23e Speed of the Wind, and two Timpo racers, one being the representation of the Eyston MG and the other the Maserati-like 'Star' type. The Mercedes is in the least good condition with not much of the paint left and with replacement tyres of a smaller size but with the virtue of having the base plate still attached. The 23e on the other hand has very good paint and retains the original tyres but unfortunately lacks the base plate. As always, I thought I'd look at what has been said about these models on this august forum. Sure enough I noted something that you said regarding my previous acquisition of an early 23e. You commented that the model was issued in 1936, first without racing numbers, then with numbers. I thought that most likely explained why, despite there being most of the original paint on the newly arrived model, it had no racing number. As it turns out, after photographing it, there IS just a hint of silver paint on either side where the number should be. I mustn't be disappointed though as it's a nice example and complements my previous blue acquisition. The Timpos are also in good condition although as usual they have widespread paint loss. The MG is in an unusual shade of copper/bronze metallic and I can find no photos on the web of this colour on any Timpo. The Timpos did get some odd paint colours though. Here they all are as received. A gentle bath will doubtless improve their looks. Kind regards John

An early post-war (1945-46) example not seen here yet: silver, red details, smooth black hubs, white herringbone tyres, white driver with face detail. Base plate, not shown, is silver, with model name and the 'angel wings' behind the differential.

Jan--Very nice, and I think this one of yours and mine shown above must be from the same, very early post-war time......1945-1946, as each has the same features. Best regards, Terry

I agree, Terry, this is the silver brother of your red one, except for the unusual, white finished driver, albeit with the same face detail. Thanks and kind regards, Jan

An update, including a cigarette card showing the real Speed of the Wind, the present state of affairs of my 'Speed of the Wind' subcollection, and finally a rather unusual version, red with white trim, smooth hubs. Kind regards, Jan

In 1936, the V12 Rolls Royce aeroengine of the 'Speed of the Wind' was replaced by a diesel engine, the car was resprayed in red and now called 'Flying Spray'. Eyston continued to achieve records in 1936/37. Willi's cigarettes card therefore show the 'Flying Spray' rather than the 'Speed of the Wind'. Right after the war the Dinky 'Speed of the Wind' had its base plate rivetted instead of just clipped-in and was initially available with thick post-war axles (1.9mm instead of 1.6mm) and smooth pre-war rims. Colour schemes were red, sometimes with a with white stripe or silver, sometimes with a red stripe, the drivers were white, later brown or black.