1955 Alps, Battery Operated "Lincoln Futura" in Original Box
In 1955 the Ford Co., Lincoln-Mercury division built a concept vehicle that was 19 feet long, 7 feet wide and only 53 inches tall, yet accommodated only 2 people. It had a 330hp engine. The windows were sealed shut. Fresh air was vented to the interior from behind the seats. It also cost $250,000! It was the Lincoln Futura. The Alps Shoji, Co., Tokyo, Japan built an extremely accurate tinplate toy model of the car, battery powered, and with operable headlights . Here is one of the finest examples of that toy I've seen. It easily grades near mint+ with all original parts and paint; and it still has its complete original box in excellent condition. Best of all it works great! It'd be tough to find a better example! The car is all tinplate except for the elongated double bubble roof and windshields which can be raised and lowered manually. It was lithoed brilliant cherry red with black chassis. Chrome plated trim runs continuously around the entire car incorporating the side molding directly into the front and rear bumpers. In addition, the Futura logo was lithoed onto the rear license plate and embossed on a large brass finished hood ornament. The tires are solid black rubber with tinplate whitewalls and chrome plated centers. They can be angled in any direction. It has its original circular, spring mounted antenna mounted to the trunk, which is just in front of the on/off switch. A remote controlled and friction version were also produced. All are difficult to find. The box cover was illustrated with a full color, full panel illustration; with the Futura logo just above it. It's interesting that a font exists which used this exact lettering style and is called "Futura"! Front and rear panels have schematics showing how to use the on/off switch and battery insertion. It also has a small color side view of the car on each end. The box bottom uses a folded lip around the edge in place of an insert. Size: 11". Sold: Oct. 2014
Price Sold: $ 2840
