1946 Marchesini 2dr. Ford Convertible in Original Box
Magnificent museum quality pressed steel 2-door Ford Convertible automobile. Manufactured by Marchesine in Italy. One of the most detailed and well designed post-WWII vehicles I've seen. Complete with all original parts. Complex, yet everything works perfectly! Also includes unusual hinged original box. The exact Italian name for this car is the "Cromauto", or Chrome Auto....which is not too difficult to figure out once you've taken a look at it. Gorgeous authentically engineered vehicle was completely finished in high gloss mirror chrome plating. Roof, hood, doors, fenders, everything. That is, everything but the grille, front and rear bumpers, spare tire center, and the convertible roof cowling. Instead of chrome these were plated with copper! Beautifully styled with long, v-shaped front hood, separate hood ornament, authentic interior, rear trunk mounted spare tire, door handles, and wide fenders. The interior is all mental with brown painted divided bench seat, turning steering wheel (doesn't turn tires), yellow dashboard with metal clock and speedometer gauges, and a small metal handle. This handle operates the original front headlamps to turn on or off. It also has its original thick celluloid windshield mounted between two chrome plated steel supports. The rear trunk opens using the locking exterior handle. Inside the trunk is stored its original removable gas can, Z-shaped chrome plated steel crank lever, and European style 3V battery. Also inside the trunk is its original paper label. The label is from the foremost Swiss music box company in the world; Thorens. Underneath the chassis is a second key wind stem which uses a specially adapted fold-down grip which is also original. Wind it several times, push down on the antenna to release the mechanism and it plays the classic Italian "Funiculi Funicula". The chrome plated crank located in the trunk fits into the keyhole on the left side of the car. Wind it up several times, remove the crank, then release the hand brake! The hand brake is a small lever located on the underside of the car between the rear wheels. It releases the wheels, the clockwork motor does its thing, and it gracefully moves forward. WOW what a car! A couple other miscellaneous points. The tires are solid black tread tires with metal centers and chrome plated steel hubs. The entire car was assembled using metal screws. No tabs were used. The chassis is embossed "Brevettato Made in Italy". It also includes the MLB (Marchesini) trademark. The battery for this car is available only in Europe. It does not come with the car. I had to purchase it separately. The new owner can purchase it from me for exactly what I paid for it; $25. And it's brand new. The box for this car is very unusual in that the rear edge is hinged. It's not separate from the box bottom. The cover lifts up using a small piece of gold yarn connected to the front top edge (see photo). The cover was illustrated with an accurately drawn picture of the actual vehicle. It looks ancient. The MLB logo was printed on the right corner. The box has three metallic stickers with raised lettering on one end. This includes "Cromato", "Auto Spyder America Modello Depositato", and "Con Carillon" which roughly translates to Chrome Auto, Contains American Convertible Auto, and With Music. Hand written pen notations are on the bottom of the box. Size: 10¼" Weight: Over 1 pound. Sold: Dec. 2011
Price Sold: $ 1776
