What an incredible example of such a great machine! I've always felt that textured paint Hoover used during this period was a mistake - it holds dirt and scuffs, and doesn't take to knocks well. You rarely see it in good condition these days - so it's all the more exciting when you find one that looks as good as the one above!
Over here, we had the 262, which was pretty much the same thing, but without the rubber ridge running along the centre of the hood. According to Paul Linnell's 'Simply Switch On' site, rare pre-war examples had a metal band which ran round the front of the hood (like Model 26), but I've never even seen a photo one of these. I do know for a fact that in 1939, when the UK government decreed that all aluminium had to go towards the War Effort, Hoover started making their cleaners out of zinc until production was halted entirely in 1940...
As you can see, the paint on my 262 has seen better days... I'm sure one day I'll find a better example!
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