Yellow Marchall lenses

[nfrntau]

I found this on e-bay tonight. It appears these Marchalls have amber lenses. Mine are clear.
I don't ever remember seeing anber lenses on anybodys cars.
Do any of you have the amber lenses?



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4528261013&category=10076

 

[Sarge]

Yellow lenses were not legal in CA (and I think the US) in 1968, but Marchal lights came on other cars sold in Europe, where they were legal.
Robert

 

[68sunlitgold]

nfrntau,
Robert is correct, only clear lenses came on the CS and Shelby's. The yellow lenses where widely sold in Europe but not in the US. However the housings are exactly the same.

Doug

 

[PNewitt]

I once saw some yellow Marchal lights on a Shelby at a Knott's show--several years ago. Just to show off, not original.

Calif., and the US had a hard time approving these lights, much less a yellow version. I have a European magazine from '68 that tested the Marchals, and with a high wattage bulb, they were the brightest of all tested!

..and those ($2 Mil) Ferrari 350 GTO guys want these lights in the worst way, too.

Paul N.

 

[Sarge]

The amber lights were very bright, and U.S. folks were "unaccustomed" to them, according to DOT research, so no cars in the '60s came with yellow fog lamps (unless it was a "grey market" inport).

Even the Marchals with clear lenses were deemed "too bright" in the US leadeing to them being recalled for lights which had less "candle power" (ie: Lucas, also known in British terms fondly as the "Prince of Darkness...")

Interestingly enough, our friends to the north never enforced the recall... The car came with the lights which were on it from the factory, and recall be damned.

Robert

 

[PNewitt]

One of the members of the Registry, Bob Thrower, from B.C. Canada told me that the Marchals on his CS were in the trunk, wrapped in newspaper when it was sold at the Ford dealer. I was told that the vehicle-inspection folks in B.C. weren't too sure about them--so the Ford dealers didn't sell the cars with them on the grille--and they put them in the trunk.

The only inspectors in Calif for the GT/CS cars was the CHP (Highway Patrol). Fred Goodell told me a story how the Calif. State officials called him in to "yell at Shelby Automotive" about the center-mounted '67 Shelby grille lights, and the little running lights on the upper scoops on the same car. The story about "overheating" from center-mounted headlights, was just that. a "story". He also got "yelled at" about the Marchal lights, too--the same exact lights on the Shelby/Ford GT MkIII (street version).

<sigh>

Paul N.