Minerva - Television - Icaro 1200

Gem of 1970s Italian-Austrian industrial design. This is a portable transistor television produced by the Austrian brand Minerva, model Icaro 1200.
Space Age style: although there isn’t a specific signature, you can notice the influences of Sapper and Zanuso who in the same years designed the Algol for Brionvega. The rounded-cube shape (often called a “space TV”) and the bright orange color are typical of the futuristic aesthetic of the late ’60s and early ’70s.
Designed as a “travel” television or for a second home; the sturdy, retractable handle and the long V-shaped telescopic antennas (whisker antennas) indicate its portability.
The chassis is in glossy ABS plastic, a material at the time avant-garde that allowed these curved shapes and vivid colors. In some areas it is slightly worn but it can be cleaned with a little care.
Powered by a hybrid system, it could run on standard household mains (220V) or on a 12V battery (probably the car battery via the cigarette lighter), drawing only 20-35 watts.
It is a roughly 12-inch black-and-white TV. At the time, color television in many European countries (including Italy) was not yet the standard for portable models.
Minerva was a historic Vienna brand, known for high build quality, before being acquired by Grundig, which, however, licensed production to other companies. This model was produced in Italy by the Milan-based company “Ditta Luigi Cozzi Dell'Aquila.”

The case shows no cracks or color fading due to light. Only use of an unsuitable product left a mark on the side. The protective plexiglass over the screen is intact and there are no other obvious marks. It’s possible some pieces are missing (years in a cellar) including the original power cord. The color, however, remains very saturated.
Important note: Being an analog television, today it cannot receive any TV signal via the antenna (due to the transition to digital terrestrial). To make it work, a signal converter connected to the rear inputs or a RF modulator would be necessary. I reiterate that it has not been tested.

What’s interesting is the presence of the two antennas, which, surprisingly, have withstood movement and time. Both are intact and slide perfectly.