Early sun visors identity

[Garry Haussler]

Are these for an Early cab?

[James Davies]

All Reutter coupes and cabs had these from 1950 up through mid-1953. The change to the foot-type was between coupes 50539 and 50587.

Agree that these probably came off a cab, as they're pretty sun-faded.

[Alan Hall]

James, My brother's '53 "USA Standard" coupe, 5012x, had a single footed visor while my "USA Deluxe" cab, 60048, had the two hex nut visors. I suspect that the footed visor was introduced as part of the "low cost" USA Standard package for Hoffman, and was later used for all cars.

[Brad Ripley]

Page 140 in Brett Johnson's book -- no year mentioned these vision versions were used.

[James Davies]

James, My brother's '53 "USA Standard" coupe, 5012x, had a single footed visor while my "USA Deluxe" cab, 60048, had the two hex nut visors. I suspect that the footed visor was introduced as part of the "low cost" USA Standard package for Hoffman, and was later used for all cars.

Interesting Alan. Are you positive it is original to the car? If not, I would expect screw holes to be in a different location perhaps, or certainly the imprint of the bracket on the headliner would be a different shape if that was the case. You might see the imprint of the foot shape on the metal itself.

The reason I ask is that all sampled cars from 1953, including all well-preserved, unrestored cars I've inspected or seen photos of the visors from 50001 to 50539 have the hex nut type. This includes 50021, 50038, 50045, 50058, 50064, 50070, 50076, 50143, 50159, 50161, 50189, 5023x, 50245, 50270, 50311, 50432, 50502, 50531, etc. That's a mix of USA Standard, USA de Luxe and Euro-delivery cars. So your brother's car would be the outlier. Lots of other well-preserved cars in this range too, I just haven't seen photos of the visors mounted.

[Alan Hall]

James, My brother bought his car in 1958. It had had a pretty hard life in the five years before he got it, but I don't see any reason the visor would have been changed and it definitely had a single, footed visor when he got it. The only other possibility would be if the car was delivered with no visors at all and the single visor was added sometime before 1958. After he got the car he purchased a complete interior out of a wrecked '55 (in about 1960) and he replaced the corduroy interior with the '55 vinyl interior, and added the second visor from the '55. I have a single visor that has been kicking around the family since then and it is either his original or the second visor from the '55. I will attach a photo of it.

[James Davies]

Interesting Alan! Will be good to mark this one down and I will pay extra close attention to see if other original cars around this time might show a "pilot phase" or initial batch of cars with this visor. We know that happened with the aluminum Reutter badge in Feb 1953 before the permanently switched to it in Aug 1953. Possibly the same here.

[Tom Scott]

I believe that the sun visors shown in the original post were used in 1951 and 1952 only. The second set were used in 1953 and later.
Tom