A weird pufferfish-likened dálník motorcycle of the 1950s

Weird ONES Some time ago, while on a surfing on the cyberspace, we've found a unique shaped motorcycle at the Quirky Rides' status on Tweeter, as if made we're curious to know more about this unique motorcycle. Indeed, the uniqueness of form is always used as the main factor to make a motorized vehicle look more attractive. This has been done by many automotive activists to date.

The unique look of the 1959 D-06, a 1,200cc dálník motorcycle built by a Prague motorcycle builder named Štěpána Poláka. (Picture from: QuirkyRides)

After searching for references on the internet for a while, we finally managed to find some informations that we considered valid about the motorcycle. From a source on Flickr, that's a dálník-styled motorcycle known as D-06 built over 5,000 work hours by a motorcycle builder who was living in Prague named Štěpána Poláka in the 1959. According to the source, besides uses a 1,200 cc 4-stroke engine, the unique motorcycle is said to have a bodywork resembled a fighter jet, but we saw it, more like a pufferfish. Well, if You saw it, what would it look like?😉

The 1959 D-06 has a unique bodywork appearance is more like a car than motorcycle and resembled a pufferfish. (Picture from: Flickr)

Dálník? Is there a 'Dálník' motorcycle brand? That's might be one of questions that will be raised regarding the name that accompanies the unique motorcycle. As quoted of the Hedonia sites, the 'Dálník' is more like a term rather than a motorcycle's brand. Furthermore, the term of dálník intended for a fascinating group of cabin motorcycles that have been constructed for the past 75 years by (mostly) the automotive lovers in the eastern Europe countries. It is not known where the term of dálník came from, but its design briefly is a combination of motorcycle and car with the virtues of both.

The 1959 D-06 is powered by a 1,200cc four-stroke engine coupled with a unique streamline-designed bodywork. (Picture from: Flickr)

The "golden age" of the dálník was happened during the 1950s to 1960s, and the former Czechoslovakia was known as the center of the dálník styled motorcycles. Generally, these vehicles only able to carry two occupants in tandem like motorcycle generally, while the engine mounted behind the passenger, coupled with a unique streamline-styled bodywork. Some had openable flaps for the feet of the driver, when at rest, others used outrigger wheels to prevent falling over when it stopped, or even a few of them have the gyroscopic stabilizers.

The 1959 D-06 is powered by a 1,200cc four-stroke engine coupled with a unique streamline-designed bodywork. (Picture from: Hedonia)

Who was introduced or pioneered the dálník motorcycle style? The man who could be considered as the father of dalniks was Jan Anderlé, a brilliant engineer who had worked at the Czech aircraft factory named Aero. He was known to have built his first cabin motorcycle in the late 1930s, and over the years he has created many more. The dálník's basic idea was actually simple, namely to make a cheap two-wheeled car by yourself and it proved very popular among the workers in eastern Europe after the WW2.

Jan Anderlé and his wife fled to the West after the separation of Eastern Europe, but then his wife persuaded him to return. Unfortunately after they got back to the country, he was arrested for treason and forced to work in the state-owned uranium mines for the next 15 years. He spent much of the rest of his life in poverty and died in obscurity in 1982. However, the influence of the dálník vehicle type whose created by him cannot be denied to date.

In the 1950s NSU produced a feet forward fully enclosed monocoque construction record breaker dálník called 'Flying Hammock'. (Picture from: Cycleart)

Then, in the company context. Are there any automotive companies has experimented or even popularized the dálník motorcycles? NSU known has a big role in popularizing dálník motorcycles. The company based in the former East Germany ever created several incredible record-breaking dálník motorcycles in the 1950s. One of them nicknamed the Flying Hammock is held many motorcycle world speed and fuel efficiency records for years. That's no wonder, due to the streamline-designed NSU-made dálník in a teardrop shape was perfectly honed in the company's wind tunnel.

The cut-away and ghosted views clearly show the internal structure and seating position of the NSU Flying Hammock. (Picture from: Cycleart)

The dálníks are still being made and developed to date! The Swiss company named Peraves makes something called the EcoMobile powered by a 4-cylinder BMW motorcycle engine, this is probably the most sophisticated dálníks motorcycle ever sold to the public. The two seaters modern dálníks vehicle featured with comfortable full roll-cage cabin also known agile and incredibly fast.

According to the Paraves owner and founder Arnold Wagner, the EcoMobile dálník was the closest thing to flying that can be achieved on land. Reportedly, a year or twos before his death, Jan Anderlé was rediscovered by the EcoMobile maker company and asked him to be a design consultant to them. Of course, he would be very satisfied if he finds out that his work continues in the 21st century. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | PARAVES | HEDONIA | CYCLEART | REDDIT ]

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