The Midual Quintessence is an Exercise in Excess
The boojie French bike maker Midual has revealed its latest bike and just three of the six-figure Quintessence models are to be made
The Midual Quintessence is probably the wildest, most exclusive, and most expensive motorcycle you’ve never heard of.
It made one of its first public appearances at the Retro Mobile show in Paris earlier this year, and for all its hand-built, retro excess, almost nobody will get to experience it as just three examples are set to be built.
The unusual looking bike is a more exclusive version of the French brand’s existing (and already uber-rare) Type 1. It’s built around an equally unusual engine platform, with Midual opting for a flat-twin (boxer) configuration that is mounted with a transverse crank but the cylinders lying fore and aft.
So what makes the Quintessence so special, over and above the standard €170,000 Type 1? Well, apart from the price (but we’ll come into that in a moment) and the rarity, it’s down to the special finishes used on the new bike. Moto-Station reports that to successfully apply that mirror-like finish to the frame and other components, it takes around 1,000 hours of manual polishing. With that in mind, this is not likely to be a first-choice bike for hacking about through winter!
The rest of the bike is basically more like the existing Type 1, meaning power comes from the 1,036cc four-valve twin-cylinder engine, boasting around 100bhp and 72.3lb ft. The chassis features a twin-walled sand-casted main frame which is mated to Ohlins fully adjustable suspension and Brembo brakes.
How much is the Midual Quintessence?
The asking price for each of the three bikes (one of which has already been sold) is €300,000, according to Moto-Station, making it one of the most expensive road-homologated bikes you can currently go out and buy.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
