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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...

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?

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

Stephan

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..

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

Ghosthunter.

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.

here are more images

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.

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

Martin Avis wrote: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!