1940 Wells-Brimtoy Ltd., Clockwork Police Emergency Patrol Car
From Wells-Brimtoy, Ltd., London, England comes this most unusual and very rare "Police Emergency Patrol Car". The vehicle is huge measuring 14" long! It's made from all tinplate and has a clockwork motor. Although I'm familiar with smaller die cast versions this is the first and only large size tin litho example I've seen. The Patrol car is a sedan and since it's and English automobile the driver is located on the right side with a separate steering wheel. It carry's three tin litho policemen; driver and passenger in front and a single rider in the rear seat (presumably the chief). The body is deep blue, with red and light-blue details. The cab and front hood sections each measure about 7" long. The tyres are white balloon type with red hubs. It also has a fifth rear trunk mount spare tire. The spare is marked "Made In England" along with the Wells-Brimtoy registered trademark. The rear window is marked "Police". It has full, separate, front and rear metal bumpers, plus a large V-shaped front grille. All were originally polished tinplate which have dulled or worn over time But of course its most distinguishing feature is its large roof mounted emergency horn, or loud speaker. The horn itself measures 3½" long and is 2¼" wide at the front. As the car moves forward it emits a loud gong noise which simulates the speaker sound. A vehicle of this type was shown in some of the most famous black and white movies ever produced including "Casablanca", "Citizen Kane", and "Meet John Doe". The separately attached key is located just in front of the left rear tire. The key is very old, but not original to the car. And best of all IT WORKS GREAT (both motor and horn gong)!! Size: 14" long, 5" wide, 7" tall. Sold: Oct. 2016
Price Sold: $ 1300
