FS - Clear case PROTOTYPE Apple Macintosh Portable - rare!!!
Hey this is to give people a heads up.
My friend told me about his recent eBay Posting.
I thought someone here might be interested.
I would if I had the money 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220504264679#ht_500wt_1066
A rare chance to acquire a holy grail to us prototype collectors! Rarely do clear case prototypes come up on eBay, especially not for computers this rare. I've only seen two clear case Portables on eBay. The last one was a couple years ago and sold for nearly $8,000.
This is the original Macintosh Portable, model 5120 which cost $7,300 when released in 1989.
If you're unfamiliar with clear case protos, there were usually about 10 (or less) of each model made during the design process. They were used by engineers to check for fit of internal components. Nearly all plastic case components are clear plastic, including the handle & internal mounts for components! Like other clear case prototypes I have seen, there is no serial number on the case and the colored Apple logo insets are not present, although the space for them is.
Not unusual for a clear case prototype, especially one that's more than 20 years old, portions of the case show stress fractures (not cracks you can feel) when viewed at various angles and there's a fair amount of superficial scuffing/scratching. Other issues to note are that the hinge caps are not locked on, though this may have been intentional (the hinges work fine but can slide off), the spring-loaded handle is not working right on one side (though the case locks shut), and some of the right side plastic exterior (see photos) is broken off and not included.
Typical of many Portables, it does not currently power up. This may be just a battery issue, but I'm not technically savvy enough to diagnose or repair this. I'll leave that to the many people out there that do repair and restore these old Portables. To be clear, this is being sold as-is and does not include a power supply (you can use a PowerBook 100 supply or the original Portable adapter).
The photos speak for themselves, but contact me with any questions. Thanks for looking and good luck bidding!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/abeles/4060145102/