Dan, the one in the 1959 ad with the electric hose feature is the Model 87, produced for 16 months only from January 1 1959 (SN 0000001) through April 4 1960 (SN 0085297), when the electric hose was discontinued. The colour, that matched the 66 Convertible and Pixie, is officially Garland Green
I have SN 0025275.
Yes, there were several engineering flaws with the Electric Feature but if you find one intact they are easily adjusted and fixed. The idea is that it was easier to turn off to answer the phone or pesky child/husband. It was not developed initially to power a power nozzle (although is could have done down the road). However, the 120 VAC contacts just inside the inlet are too easily touched by accident or curious fingers, giving a guaranteed nasty shock. Many of these 87s had their wiring disabled and a Hoover fliptoggle added. There is no toggle switch hole on an original 87. You swivel the intake bezel slightly to the right to close the contacts - a primitive knife switch setup - for hoseless use or to connect the blower port to the hose.
Full AC Voltage Current is carried along the single Ultraflex wire coil with an insulated soft copper single strand ground wire laid next to the coil before the vinyl jacket was molded on. Intake socket contacts being the weak link, the hose is well made and would have done for powering a power nozzle.
But, at the same time Hoover's Model 87 was on the market Lewyt's re-engineered Big Wheel Electronic system to feed power down the hose and wands to the Motorized Beater Sweeper power nozzle was raising safety concerns...
The 2nd Lewyt Electronic 1958 Big Wheel Model 111 and 3rd & final 1960 Model 121 had Housewife Shock capabilities too from low voltage high amperage motor windings shorting out, sending full voltage through the inlet contacts, down the hose, electric wand contacts and into the power nozzle. Their massive lawsuit problems clearly influenced Hoover to stop making the Constellation 87.
The 1957 first Lewyt Electronic Model 107 did not have this problem as a 120 VAC cord was clipped to the hose, running back to a 120 VAC socket on the canister body.
By mid 1960 clip-on cords were falling out of style and fully integrated electric hoses were the future for PNs. Electrolux introduced it's electric hose with pigtails somewhere around 1969/70 in Canada on the 87E and 89E. I don't know when Electrolux USA introduced its first pigtail electric hose but the late Model 1205 had blade contacts inside the hose inlet bezel in 1972, as did the all new plastic body Canadian AP100 in 1973.
Dave, I luv this stuff!
