Very rare pre pro 75 thunderbird

[Batterseaboy]

tbird7.jpg (40.15 KiB) Viewed 2726 times

Hi , Just joined, here is an image of a very rare pre pro casting I have. it was shown on the MCCH once.
I have always enjoyed MB and have a small collection of regular wheels.



I think there was a mix up in comms with Bonners in NY, 1960 Ford thunderbirds had a sun roof option. Probably with transatlantic telex, telegraph or garbled phone calls the design department cocked up " yeah its a roof rail opening and chrome bars".
design head rushes to LS " yus , sir a roof reck his what it sounds like ,sir" so much money spent on development and roof rack was infact sun roof...

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[matchbox_n_molars]

Interesting! Very interesting!! I've never seen or heard of these plans for the Thunderbird casting before. Where did you manage to obtain this wonderful piece of Lesney history?

[Malibu]

Yes thats very interesting.
To me it looks like a roof rack like the one on the Fiat.

Stephan

[Batterseaboy]

The casting I got at Enfield pageant of motoring in 1983. the development theory is mine . I would like some light shed on it. The man selling this told me he worked at lesney, he had a stall full of very rare MB stuff , I wish I had bought more..

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Can we have a picture of the inside of the body and of the rivet heads please.

Ghosthunter.

[petethesweet]

Hi All, looks a strange casting, at first i thought it was a roof rack similar to the Fiat perhaps they were designing a sliding roof Pete.

[Batterseaboy]

here are more images

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Thank's battersea.

Seeing the glazing rivet rules out the possibility of them making a Sunroof because that would have to go, so to satisfy the new products team, they thought of a great alternative by casting a roof rack instead!

From the rivets it looks like the casting has never been used and is still raw, but begs the question, did they 'Proto' build one?

Ghosthunter.

[Martin Avis]

Just as a matter of interest, does anyone have pictures of an already disassembled 'production' Thunderbird so we can compare the internal castings?

[Idris]

Just as a matter of interest, does anyone have pictures of an already disassembled 'production' Thunderbird so we can compare the internal castings?

I have no doubt that Antonin will have disassembled several!