1956 Marx, The Falcon Friction Sports Car (Yellow) in Original Box
This Marx, yellow Falcon friction sports car is one of the more difficult to find mid-50's Marx toys because it was available for only year. It's only the third example I've found with its original box. In excellent+ condition its grade doesn't quite measure up to the previous two, but it's still one of the nicest toys of its type I've seen. The Falcon's most distinguishing characteristic is its low, long sleek design. Lithoed brilliant lemon yellow on heavy gauge tinplate the front and rear fenders, hood scoop, and rear trunk were conspicuously elevated above the base body height. This gives it an intriguing similarity in appearance to the early Chevrolet Corvette. Details were skillfully added using black and white contrasting. For example the quarter-panel holes (three on each side), the cross hatched front grille, and wrap around bumpers all add to its realistic appearance. Shading was also used to give it a three dimensional depth. The Falcon's cockpit is capped with its original transparent polystyrene plastic roof. The top and rear were textured and painted white to resemble canvas. It has an old style split front windshield and triangular shaped smoking windows on the sides. The motor is friction driven; more precisely it's an inertia driven flywheel motor which uses cogged weights to keep it in motion. It also makes a loud boing sound every time the rear axle completes a single revolution. The silver painted chassis is a single sheet of embossed tinplate folded over at the edges. The fold incorporates the edges of the upper body half. This eliminates the sharp edges, while securely sealing the top and bottom together. The tires are solid black rubber with metal centers. It originally sold for $2.99. The box for this toy is extremely difficult to find. For one thing it was made from flimsy narrow walled cardboard not meant to last more than a few years. Secondly the car weighs nearly four pounds and it has an odd streamlined shape. Combine that with its limited production and it doesn't take long to figure out why its so scarce. It's printed in four colors. The two main box panels feature a 14" illustration of the Falcon which nearly fill up the entire panel. It shows the car with driver on a fenced country road. He's just left his "work place" represented by the building on the extreme right edge with the American flag in front. He stops the car at the foot of a driveway to watch two golfers finishing up their hole. The two narrow main box panels have a portrait view of the Falcon along with simple operating instructions. Company name, logo, etc. were printed on all four main panels. The endflaps show the Falcon from the perspective of looking at it head on against a silhouette city scape. Both endflaps have been replaced. Size: 20" x 8½" x 5" Sold: Oct. 2008
Price Sold: $ 420
