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"Melcraft Special" Gas-Powered Racing Tether Car, 1946

THF157082 / "Melcraft Special" Gas-Powered Racing Tether Car, 1946
01

Artifact Overview

Tether cars, gas-powered model race cars, were popular in the 1930s and 1940s. They were raced individually while tethered to a central pivot, or against each other on a scaled-down board track. The Melcraft Company of Saginaw, Michigan, manufactured this model of an Indianapolis-style roadster in 1946. The model has a balsa wood top on an aluminum frame.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Model car

Date Made

1946

Creators

Creator Notes

Made by Melcraft in Saginaw, Michigan.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

2013.47.23

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Eric Zausner and the E-Z Spindizzy Foundation.

Material

Balsa (Wood)
Aluminum (Metal)
Steel (Alloy)
Paint (Coating)
Plexiglas (TM)
Rubber (Material)

Technique

Casting (Process)

Color

Black (Color)
Red
Silver (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 7 in
Width: 8.25 in
Length: 16.25 in

Inscriptions

On body: MELCRAFT | Special | 98 On tires: CHAMPION