Looking back . . . . (Post # 81)

One of the original door mirrors.  Note the deep
denting and corroded base. 

The Alfatross had a matching set of British-made Raydyot aluminum mirrors on the driver's and passenger's side when I bought it.  The brushed aluminum housings were free of corrosion but the bases were showing rust and the housings themselves were dented in several places. Moisture had crept in around the reflective surfaces rendering them useless.  The biggest problem would be getting the dents out of the soft, cone-shaped aluminum housings.  I considered what it would take to restore the originals to an appearance in keeping with the rest of the project and elected instead to replace them with identical reproductions.  Well, almost identical.  The originals have the Raydyot logo elegantly engraved on top of the housing.  The reproductions do not, probably to avoid patent infringement issues. What to do?  

The Raydyot emblem engraved on top of  one of the original
mirror housings . . .

Having already done business with Scott Babcock, Engraving Manager at J. Chadwick Engraving (http://www.jchadwickengraving.com/contactus.php) regarding another matter, I sent him a photo of the Raydyot emblem to ask if he could reproduce it.  No Problem, but he would need to have one of the original housings to make a pattern and get the proportions right. I give Scott and J. Chadwick Engraving high marks for customer service, attention to detail, communication, and professionalism.  The skill involved is obvious!

At my request, Scott sent this photo of one of the engraving machines he uses. Looks complicated!  Scott Babcock.

. . . and the newly-engraved reproduction mirror housing. 
Scott Babcock.

While writing this post I realized that I had never paid much attention to the mirrors on other 1900C SSZs that I have photos of.  So I reviewed the images and discovered that only 14 (about half) of them have outside mirrors.  Of these, there is little commonality with respect to mirror shape or location. Almost all are on the driver's side door or front fender, but their types and shapes vary widely. The rest do not have outside mirrors at all!  The presence of mirrors on both sides of the car is a rare characteristic shared only by The Alfatross and two others. 

Mirror type and location on Chassis 01845: a flat keystone
shape mounted high on the driver's side front fender.
Octane Magazine.

I began to wonder if The Alfatross' mirrors are "original equipment" or were added some time between its manufacture in 1955 and the oldest photos of it in 1965. Many of the other 1900C SSZs I have photos of have been restored and updated for use in modern traffic, so they may not be representative of their original appearance.

Mirror type and location on Chassis 02056: a round
bullet-shaped chrome housing  mounted on the
driver's door.  Tim Marinos.

I also started to wonder if the presence of outside mirrors might be evidence of a car equipped for racing, but then noticed that chassis no. 01931 was definitely raced, but period photos show it without outside mirrors. When it was "unearthed" a few years ago it had no mirrors, but after restoration it gained mirrors on both sides! This serves to remind us that mirrors should be considered more as options than as part of a car's original fabric.

Mirror type and location on Chassis 01747: round bullet-
shaped mirrors mounted high on both doors.