A
microcar is the smallest automobile classification, usually
applied to very small cars (smaller than city cars). Such small cars
were generally referred to as cyclecars until the 1940s. More recent
models (1960 and later) are also called bubble cars due to their
bubble-shaped appearance.
The heyday of these cars was
surely in the mid- to late 1950s, when post-war Europe turned to
creating mobility solutions for the masses. The original Mini and Fiat
500 may be the most recognisable machines, but we present our choice of
ten of the
most unusual microcars from this era:
Peel P50
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The
Peel P50 is a three-wheeled microcar originally manufactured from 1962 to 1965 by the
Peel Engineering Company
on the Isle of Man. It currently holds the record for the smallest
automobile to go into production. It has no reverse gear, but a handle
at the rear allows the very lightweight car to be physically maneuvered
when required.
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Designed
as a city car, it was advertised as capable of seating "one adult and a
shopping bag." The vehicle's only door was on its left side, and
equipment included a single windscreen wiper and only one headlight.
Standard colours were Daytona White, Dragon Red and Dark Blue. The 1963
model retailed for £199 when new (about £1,400 in 2010, or $2,200 USD).
50 of them were produced, and only 27 of them are known to be still in
existence. [
link]
Shelby GT350 vs Peel P50 [image source]
Allard Clipper
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The
Allard Clipper was first created in the UK in 1953 by the sports car maker
Sydney Allard.
Despite winning the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally in a sports car of his own
design, the sales of Allard sports cars were swamped by manufacturers
like Jaguar and so Sydney Allard decided to design an economical car.
The Allard Clipper was designed by David Gottleib and had an
"indestructible" plastic body that was made by Hordern-Richmond Ltd.
This made it the first car to have a plastic body. It was powered by a
346cc Villiers twin engine that powered one of the rear wheels.
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Unfortunately
the Allard Clipper was to suffer from many problems that included
cooling and weak drive shafts and so manufacture ceased in 1955 after
only about twenty vehicles were made. It is believed to date that only
two vehicles still exist. [
link]
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Isetta
BMW Isetta [image source]
The
BMW Isetta
is among the most iconic microcars, but was not developed by the German
automaker. Refrigeration magnate Renzo Rivola saw an opportunity to
create the small economical car he yearned for, acquiring the patents
for a design that would become the Isetta – diminutive of Iso, the name
of his company.
1953 Iso Isetta [image source]
At just over two metres long, the egg-shaped
Iso Isetta
was unique in having a single door on its front, to which the steering
column and instrument panel were attached. Early models were
three-wheelers, but a fourth wheel was later added for stability. Its
236cc two-stroke engine produced all of 9.5 horsepower, comparable to
the output of riding lawnmowers of today. [
link]
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Messerschmitt KR200
The
Messerschmitt KR200, or
Kabinenroller (Cabin Scooter), was a three-wheeled bubble car designed by the aircraft engineer
Fritz Fend and produced in the factory of the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt from 1955 to 1964.
The
three-wheeled KR175 (and later KR200) was powered by a single-cylinder
two-stroke engine and coined the bubble car because of its jet-like
canopy. Officially known as the
Kabinenroller, it sat two in
tandem and featured an oversize steering wheel more suited to aircraft
than passenger cars. Its interior was rudimentary at best – the only
instrumentation was a speedometer. [
link]
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1955 English ad. [image source]
Scootacar
1959 Scootacar Mk 1 [image source]
Scootacar
was a British three-wheeled microcar built in Hunslet, Leeds by
Scootacars Ltd a division of the railway locomotive builder, the
Hunslet Engine Company between 1957 and 1964.
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It
was allegedly built because the wife of one of the directors wanted
something easier to park than her Jaguar. The shape of the car was
designed by
Henry Brown who did it by sitting on a Villiers
engine and then having an assistant draw an outline around him. The body
was built in glass fibre and was very tall for its size being 60 in
(1,524 mm) high, 87 in (2,210 mm) long and only 52 in (1,321 mm) wide.
It was nicknamed "
the telephone booth". Two people could be
carried with a passenger behind the driver or alternatively just
squeezed in alongside. Power came from a Villiers 9E 197 cc single
cylinder 2 stroke engine coupled to a four speed motorcycle type gearbox
and chain drive to the single rear wheel. Steering was by handlebars.
The top speed was
50 miles per hour (80 km/h). [
link]
image source
Paul Vallée Chantecler
Built by
Paul Vallée, a wealthy industrialist who foresaw the need for scooters in post-war Europe, this three-wheeled microcar was cloaked in a
streamlined, teardrop-shaped fibreglass body created by the founder of the Ecurie France racing team.
The
interior featured a bench seat and a D-shaped steering wheel to ease
access. Equipped with an inertial Gyrostarter system derived from
helicopters to start the two-stroke, single-cylinder 125cc engine, the
car was mercifully less successful than Vallée had hoped. Only 200 were
built before he turned his attention toward a more profitable venture –
buying into a Rolls-Royce and Ferrari dealership. [
link]
images source: Darin Schnabel, RM Auctions
Autonacional Biscúter 100
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The
car had its origins in France in the late 1940s, where aircraft and car
designer and manufacturer Gabriel Voisin had designed a minimal car
called the
Biscooter for Avions Voisin. The playful name implied
that it was about the size of two motorscooters, or a scooter with four
wheels. The design drew no interest from either manufacturers or
consumers there, however, and he eventually licensed it to Spanish firm
Autonacional S.A.
of Barcelona. By the time it was introduced in 1953, the marque had
been hispanicized to Biscúter. The first car had no formal model name
and was called simply the Series 100, but it soon became known as the
Zapatilla, or little shoe (clog), after a low-heeled peasant slipper popular at the time.
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The
Zapatilla
was minimal indeed, with no doors or windows or reverse gear. The 1
cylinder, 197 cc, two-stroke motor produced 9 horsepower (7 kW), had a
crank starter, and drove only the right front wheel. Braking was by an
unusual three-point system involving the transmission and cable ties to
the two rear wheels. One genuinely advanced feature was an all-aluminum
body, although steel was later used. [
link]
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1951 Reyonnah
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The prototype shown by
Mr. Hannoyer (Reyonnah backwards)
at the Paris Salon of 1950 evolved over the next few months to a
definitive production form. The open "torpedo" body tub with the
sweeping curved cowl and sides, became a convertible with a side-hinged
top mounted on the now straight sides. The windshield no longer folded,
the headlamps were deeper, rear fenders flatter, and wheels
(from the Simca Cinq) changed in pattern. Different lifting tops were seen, including canvas soft tops, hardtops with sunroof, and clear bubbles.
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This
fascinating car sacrifices ergonomics for design, however. It is
difficult to imagine a lady in a '50's tight skirt clambering over the
tall sides into the tub. The large steering wheel and controls are
stuffed into a cramped knuckle-bruising space under the front cowl. And
finally, its front suspension "trick" does not allow for a lock in the
"up" position, so that moving the car forward with suspension "up"
causes it to collapse back to "down", defeating its purpose of rolling
it into a tight spot like a motorcycle. [
link]
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Daihatsu Bee
The
Daihatsu Bee is a three-wheeled microcar produced by the Japanese manufactuer Daihatsu from 1951.
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Although
Daihatsu had been producing motorized tricycles for carrying freight
since 1930, and had also produced a small car for military use in 1937,
the Bee was the first passenger car the company built for sale to the
general public. The car was marketed from October 1951, shortly before
the company changed its name from 'Hatsudoki Seizo Co' to Daihatsu.
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Photographs
show the car with a two-door fibreglass body, though other sources
state that it had a four-door body instead and as a result was popular
as a taxi. Power was provided by a rear-mounted 540 cc OHV air-cooled
two-cylinder four-stroke engine. It was the first car in Japan with a
horizontally opposed engine. The car was adapted from one of Daihatsu's
three-wheeled delivery trucks. It sold very poorly, production was
highly labor-intensive and ceased after only approximately 300 units
were built.
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1955 Inter 175A Berline
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With
its strong avionic design cues, it shouldn’t surprise that this
microcar was actually built by the national aeronautic society of
northern France. Arguably the most attractive of the three-wheelers, the
Inter featured a single headlamp in its fuselage-inspired body and a
hinged canopy that included glass windows.
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It
also introduced a number of innovations, such as a folding front
suspension and a Gyrostarter system, which employed a small electric
motor and a flywheel to crank-start the engine. Only 280 were built, and
no two cars were ever exactly alike. [
link]
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