Ultra Rare AMMCO Hood Ornament Mascot Whirl Plane Made In NYC 1908 - 1910
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:646083 | Modified Item: No |
| Year: 1908 | Country/Region of Manufacture: United States |
This is an original car hood ornament made between 1908 and 1910 by Anglo Machine MFG. Co. in New York City back in the day. It was called a AMMCO Whirlplane and was made to clamp on to the radiator stem of automobiles of that era (1910). It is supposed to represent an airplane radial engine which were used to power the airplanes of that time. In one thing I researched it said they were made to be used mostly on Model T Fords. It is made out of cast aluminum and... the blades span 12 inches. There are a few small small nicks and chips in the blade(see pics).. but for it's age, it is in nice shape. Nothing is bent and all the cylinders are perfect. The shaft and bracket are slightly pitted but it does not affect the action of the propeller as it spins just fine. There are ball bearings inside the hub and they are working perfect. Obviously, I guess I should have mentioned that these were made to be turned by the wind of the car while driving and look like an airplane engine. It is missing the rear bracket which would go around the back of the radiator stem and bolt onto the front bracket which is part of the shaft. This came from an old estate and I had to do a bit of research to figure out what it was. There is not much information on these. There were some replica's made (maybe still being made) and you can sometimes find them on line, but an original like this is super rare and in fact, I only came across one original in all my research in the last few weeks. When I first got it I put some oil into the bearings via a small hole in the rear of the hub which obviously was put there just for that purpose. really nice piece of history
