Two for the Road (Post # 70)

The Alfatross in  about 1964 when it belonged to Pat 
Braden.  Note that the driving light on the passenger's side 
is completely different from the Marschal 640 fog light on 
the driver's side.  Pat Braden.

From the first time I saw The Alfatross I wondered if the driving and fog lights mounted in the horizontal grilles on either side of the central grille were "right". They looked too big for the grille openings and they were the type of light that is supposed to be attached using the threaded lug at the bottom of the case.  I assumed they were substitutions for whatever was supposed to be there and resolved to replace them with the "right" fixtures one day. My confusion deepened years later when I received this photo from former owner Pat Braden, taken in about 1964, I noticed that the Alfatross' driving light was completely different from the one on the car when I bought it.  So what is The Alfatross supposed to have? 

Screw holes in the rim of car 01947 (ex-Kelly) are all that 
is left of its grille lights.  Tim Marinos.

When good photos of The Alfatross' siblings started showing up on the Internet I noticed there is a lot of variation with respect to manufacturer, type, and size of the driving and fog lights.  This could be due in equal parts to what the cars were originally provided with or, due to their highly vulnerable location, the need for replacement due to rock damage.  

Note the way the lights are recessed into the grilles of  
chassis 01844.  Can't make out the manufacturer in this
photo.

Most lights seem to be Marschals, but the models vary.  Some have one fog and one driving light while others have two driving lights or even two fog lights. Although the dimensions of the grille openings appear to be constant, some lights appear to be smaller in diameter and recessed entirely inside the grille.  

Chassis 01915 in the 1955 Mille Miglia.  Note the additional
driving light attached to the central grille. Michele 
Marchiano

Period photos are hard to come by, and have not been much help.  Most are insufficiently sharp to distinguish makes and models of the driving and fog lights.  Occasionally the lenses are even taped over! But it is apparent that they protrude slightly from the grilles and it is possible to make out the Marschal crest on top of the light bezels.  In other words, they look just like the lights on The Alfatross!

Chassis 01954  is fitted with twin Marschal fog lights, but 
not the same type as The Alfatross.  Note the characteristic
Marschal shield on the lens, raised lens cone in the center 
of the lens, and pronounced chrome hood.  

Chassis 10593 (ex-Zagato) seems to be equipped with twin Marschal fog lights exactly like those of The Alfatross with the Marschal crest attached to the top of the chrome bezel ring and the clamp protrusion at the bottom of the ring.  

Chassis 10279 also is equipped with Marschal 640 fog lights, but these are different from The Alfatross', lacking the Marschal crest and clamp .

In period photo of an early 1900 Zagato taken during the 1954 Campione d'Italia Concours d'Elegance.  Photo resolution isn't good enough to identify the exact type of lights used.  Michele Marchiano.

Chassis 01845 in "as found" condition with the lens broken
on the passenger's side.  Can't make out the model,
but it does not seem to be a Marschal product. Octane.

 

The Alfatross' original Marschal 640 lens (right) is
chipped and cracked.  The NOS lens and reflector are  now
mounted in the original case (left)

My research reveals that Marschal products were and are present on a number of The Alfatross' siblings. When I bought The Alfatross it was wearing a 642 Marschal driving light and a 640 fog light. I have chosen to restore them. The cases were a little rusty, but could be re-chromed. The real problems were the reflectors and lenses. 

The original lens for the Marschal 640 fog light (right) 
with its NOS replacement from France via e-bay.

Are my lights "original equipment"?  There is evidence to suggest that they are: The mounting lugs on the bottoms of the cases had been removed so the lights could be affixed to the grilles in a somewhat slap-dash, non-adjustable manner by two screws passing through the sides of the grille opening and into the cases. There are only two screw holes in the grille, and they match perfectly the holes in the sides of the light cases. There is no evidence of modifications to install any other type of light, the first photo in this posting notwithstanding. 

The original reflector for the Marshcal 640 fog light
(right) with the NOS reflector that will be used to replace it.

I was lucky enough to locate a NOS Marschal 642 in 2003.  It donated its lens and reflector to the original Marschal case and bezel.  More recently, I acquired a somewhat used Marschal 640 fog light in France through e-bay.  The case was in bad shape, but all I needed was its lens and reflector, both of which were in almost perfect condition. Even with international shipping it cost me only about 1/10 of what the NOS driving light did 11 years ago!  E-bay rules!