Over the past few days we have discussed some of the microcars that were ever existed but may have been forgotten today (here). Now, we are back with a microcar that only exists in Bethesda's Fallout game. The first time we saw this cute microcar shape while surfing the internet, we were immediately interested in discussing it.
Here's the unique-shaped imaginary microcar from Fallout 4 called Zip. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2K3SVzb)
Yes, at that time we were on the Pinterest site, we saw this microcar unique figure appeared in the 'teardrop' classic design style on an short-article published on IGCD.net. This unique imaginary microcar is one of the non-playable items in a multi-platform game (PC, PS4, and XBox) titled Fallout 4 made by Bethesda Game Studios, which was released in 2015.
The unique-shaped imaginary microcar from Fallout 4 called Zip has the windshield which has a portion of about three-quarters of the front fascia. (Picture from: https://binged.it/33Yhk0g)
On the page, this imaginary tadpole-shaped microcar is referred to as the Iso Isetta, perhaps because it bears a resemblance to the microcar made by Iso in the 1950s. We're not sure, do you see any similarities of boths? After reading the comments of the article on the IGCD.net page where they on average mention that this microcar is estimated to be almost the same size as the 1953 Iso Isetta and 1955 BMW Isetta 250.
The unique-shaped imaginary microcar from Fallout 4 called Zip, and physically, it can be said that the three-wheeled microcar adopts the typical jet-age style that was booming in the 1950s. (Picture from: https://binged.it/33Yhk0g)
Actually in this game this cute microcar is called 'Blue Zip' or 'Zip'. As you can see, the microcar is painted in blue while on the billboard somewhere in the Fallout's wasteland, maybe that's why it's called Blue Zip while the wrecked ones are red, maybe that's called Zip only.
The unique-shaped imaginary microcar from Fallout 4 called Zip has has the hinges on the roof to hold and open a door like the gullwing door as the access to the car's cabin. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2K3SVzb)
From the pictures in the internet, physically it can be described as a small, three-wheeled, single-seated vehicle with two large glass doors on each side for easy access. The steering wheel, left and right shift sticks were removable to allow the driver more room when stepping into the small car. It had a large windshield and no real back window or side mirrors.
Which is the Zip's imaginary microcar more like? Here's 1953 Iso Isetta is built by Iso and also the forerunner of the BMW Isetta models. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3gAd5gy)
There are two large headlights along with a small one on top of the car and two running lights on the lower sides, with no visible brake lights. This three-wheeled microcar adopts the typical jet-age style that was booming in the 1950s (so it looks more like a 'tiny space-shuttle capsule' than a car), it is possible that this shape was deliberately made to fit the Fallout 4 game story plots.
Which is the Zip's imaginary microcar more like? Here's 1955 BMW Isetta 250 built under license of the Italian company Iso. (Picture from: https://binged.it/33Yhk0g)
There is a quite striking difference when saw from the access to the cabin, as we already know that the 1953 Iso Isetta and 1955 BMW Isetta 250 microcars have access to the cabin via the front. However, there is little resemblance to the 1953 Iso Isetta when viewed from the placement of the headlamps in a lower position and the large side windows.
Which is the Zip's imaginary microcar more like? Here's 1956 Heinkel Kabine 175 Type 153 was a microcar produced by Heinkel Flugzeugwerke ranging from 1956 to 1958. (Picture from: https://binged.it/33Yhk0g)
The tadpole-shaped Zip microcar has a hinge on the roof to open the door up like a gullwing door. So it's clear that access to the cabin is through the sides like an ordinary car. Besides being based on some very obscure models / concepts, it is most likely a mix of many designs.
Which is the Zip's imaginary microcar more like? Here's 1953 Gaitán Auto-Tri, an egg-shaped microcar by a Seville-based manufacturer named Construcciones Gaitán, SL. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3kAYZgn)
If we look at the design of the tadpole-shaped microcar, it is very similar to the Gaitán Auto-Tri microcar concept, which is designed like an egg made by a Seville-based manufacturer, called Construcciones Gaitán, SL. in 1953. Maybe because not many people know this Spanish microcar, so the Zip is said to be similar to the Iso Isetta and BMW Isetta 250 or even Heinkel Kabine 175 Type 153. Then what do you think about its powertrain? Do You have any ideas about a suitable engine for this Zip microcar?
Although the Zip microcar is only an imaginary vehicle, and it doesn't exist in the real world. Of course, this does not necessarily preclude the possibility of being manifested in the real world. Yes, if someone is interested and has the capability to do that, why not? Are you interested in bringing the unique-shaped microcar to the world? *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | IGDC.NET | BING ]
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The development and presence of cheap and fuel-efficient microcars helped in the impoverished Europe of the postwar period and attracted those who could not afford to buy "real" cars. Over time, their popularity spiked after the Suez Crisis of 1956, when the price of oil rose steeply. It looks like the idea of the cheap and fuel-efficient microcar seems to have come to the peak of its line, just as motorcycles in the 1950s.
Several microcars that attended at the Gould's 16th Annual Microcar & Minicar Classic Event of 2011. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/39ECq7l)
1940 Mathis 333 microcar uses an in-line two-cylinder 707 cc water-cooled engine. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2JHLUUI)
Here are 5 classic microcars that may have escaped the public's view and very few know of their existence, but have also colored the microcars heyday in the postwar era.
1. Mathis 333
In 1940 when Paris is under German's occupation. In the factory of Ste Mathis is located in the Parisian suburbs at Gennevilliers, the company made it under great secrecy work progresses on a car for the time after the war. The code name is VEL 333, which stands for Light Economic Car - 3 wheels, 3 places and 3 liters per 100 km. It is the aerodynamic engineer Jean Andreau who gave it his futuristic line.
1940 Mathis 333 microcar sat on display at the Rétromobile 2005 in Paris, France. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2JHLUUI)
This revolutionary car - which body was built out of aluminium and weighted more than 380 kg - was propelled by a flat two-cylinder motor of 707 cc cooled by water. The Mathis 333 made debuted at the 1946 Paris Automobile Show. Unfortunately, only ten examples of this astonishing three-wheeler were built.
2. Inter Autoscooter The microcar follows touted an autoscooter with a lift-back hatch that resembles an airplane. Some say it was produced to compete with the Messerschmitt KR175 which also appeared that year. This is not surprising as both cars are made by the aircraft company and have a similar tandem seating layout in the cockpit.
1953 Inter Autoscooter 175 Berline microcar built by the French aircraft manufacturer S.N.C.A.N. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3oobDQQ)
This microcar was produced from 1954 to 1958 by the French aircraft manufacturer S.N.C.A.N. There were 2 model ever produced, one with a cockpit cover that hinged open from the side and named the Berline, the other an open bodied version called the Torpedo. Both models were powered by a small Ydral 175 cc two-stroke engine driving the single rear wheel and the company built over 300 units microcar.
3. Fuji Cabin Like Messerschmitt, Hitachi was originally a manufacturer of military aircraft that converted to the manufacture of motorcycles after World War II when it was banned from building planes. Working with Fuji, it produced the Fuji Cabin, a scooter with a polyester cabin.
1955 Fuji Cabin microcar built by Hitachi, the Japanese military aircraft manufacturer that converted to the motorcycle manufacturer after World War II. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3oobDQQ)
The microcar is designed by Ryuichi Tomiya, the greatest of the early Japanese car designers, who had worked for Nissan in the 1930s. The Fuji Cabin wasn’t so popular and very few items were actually built (years of production: 1955–1958).
4. Spatz Victoria Stuttgart engineer Egon Brütsch, a longtime developer of microcars, failed in his one attempt to mass produce one of his designs. Industrialist Harald Friedrich, who had bought the rights to manufacture the Brütsch 200, a pretty three-wheeled plastic microcar, arranged with Hans Ledwinka, the great engineer-designer, to bring the project up to speed.
1956 Spatz Victoria microcar designed by Hans Ledwinka after the right of manufacture of the Egon Brütsch's three-wheeled vehicle called Brütsch 200 shifted to Harald Friedrich. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3oobDQQ)
As it turned out, Ledwinka remodelled everything, and Friedrich then refused to pay Brütsch, claiming that the car was now distinctly different from the Brütsch design. They went to court over the matter, and the court sided with Friedrich. The car, very similar to the Messerschmitt, was produced during the years 1956–1958, a chic sporty convertible.
5. Frisky Family 3 This small British car conceived by Raymond Flower was produced by Henry Meadows Ltd., later Frisky Cars Ltd. The company offered several variants of the microcars. The very beautiful body was the work of the Turin-based Vignale studio. The Frisky Family 3, rolled out in 1959, was a three-wheeled model, unlike the other Friskies, and thus cheaper.
1959 Frisky Family 3, a tiny British car is designed by Raymond Flower and was produced by Henry Meadows Ltd.(Picture from: https://bit.ly/3oobDQQ)
In line with the world's economic conditions improved, then the microcar trend sloped down. People can afford to buy 'real' cars again. What need is there for what is essentially a motorcycle with automobile seating and a roof? Maybe that's what people thought about. In fact both motorbikes and microcars have survived and still have specified segments in the global market.
However, if the oil prices fluctuate again and adding with environmental issues had bigger influence in the global forum, so it is believed that the trend of the microcars will be emerge again, included some of which are powered by electric motors for the answer. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ENSO.READYMAG.COM | CLASSICS ]
When we talk about unique shaped vehicles, it will never end.Why?Because as long as there are enough creative people in this world who keep creating things for various purposes, so long as it is also something unique there will always be. Well, on this occasion we will discuss a unique vehicle that was made in the 1940s and looks very different from most four-wheeled vehicles that existed at that time.
1948 TASCO prototype designed by Gordon Buehrig on display at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/35NM9GE)
Originally, this four-wheeled vehicle was made by The American Sports Car Company and later coined 'TASCO,' which is its acronym. It is designed by a German designer named Gordon Buehrig, inspired by the WWII fighter planes.
As an automotive designer Gordon Buehrig in his portofolio was the person who responsible for the design work of some of the most popular cars at that time, namely the Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg designs, including the stunning coffin-nosed Cord 810/812 and the Auburn 851 Speedster.
From its appearance, this car is clearly inspired by the design of an airplane, where it can be seen on the roof which applies the T-top roof design and the layout of the instrument panel on the dashboard.In particular, the T-top roof design was later patented by the designer in 1951.
1948 TASCO prototype in one of its original outings back in the 1950s. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/35NM9GE)
The car which only made one unit as a prototype can be described as a unique-shaped car with a long hood and a short deck, grand-tourer-like proportions, but then the designer gives a touch of the unique aerospace DNA into the design.
While the interior of this odd-shaped car has 2 seats that can accommodate 2 people in it and has a dashboard design and instrument control panel that is very similar to an airplane. And when you are in the cabin it feels as if you are in the cabin of an airplane.
1948 TASCO prototype has a dashboard design and instrument control panel that is very similar to an airplane. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/35NM9GE)
As quoted of Motor City Garage, this strange car was done in one ambitious TASCO project but never never progressed beyond this single running prototype by Beuhrig and a handful fellow stylists including Virgil Exner and Bob Bourke while working for Studebaker.
They hauled the 1939 Mercury from the South Bend junkyard to supply the Tasco chassis and drivetrain. Then built the body at the Derham body workshop in Pennsylvania, which used extensive aluminum construction with fiberglass front wheel covers with one of the unique features is the pair of plexiglass roof panels that can be lifted, which we now refer to as T-Tops.
Right front view of 1948 TASCO prototype designed by Gordon Buehrig on display at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/35NM9GE)
Well, the T-Top roof design which later became famous in the 1960s when GM applied the roof design to its 1968 Corvette models. This then made those American manufacturer sued by Buehrig for using it on its model. Unfortunately, he was paid very little for his patent and it became almost a trademark for Corvettes.
Fully detailed 1948 Tasco quarter-scale model at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/35NM9GE)
Quoting from the same source, indeed the Tasco prototype looked strange in terms of aesthetics at the time, on which directly also acknowledged by the designer by calling his awkward car 'my Edsel.'
Now this prototype evetually found its way into the possesion of Nevada car collector Richie Clyne, who later donated it to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. While the car cannot be called a success in any real sense, it doesn't make it any less attractive, and it makes a great addition to the collection. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | THE RICHEST | AUTOBLOG | MACS MOTOR CITY GARAGE]
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We can see the pre-war period (around the 1930s) as one of the milestones in which has recorded that automotive technology experienced significant progress after the automotive industry players at that time began implementing aerodynamic principles to support the speed and stability of motorized vehicles when running on the street or on the race track.
No, it’s not a car, neither a computer mouse. It's a three-wheeled vehicle named Auto-Union DKW-Kahrman 600cc made in 1935. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2E0h8Uk)
Indeed, at that time, the world's automotive was also in the middle of the excitement of competing with each other to be the fastest on the racing track. And then it triggered competition among major countries in the world's automotive, especially in mainland Europe and America. And one of the countries that are also competing and the most ambitious is Germany.
The black & white photo colorized of the 1935 Auto-Union DKW-Kahrman 600cc. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2E0h8Uk)
In this country, the motorized vehicle racing euphoria also invited interference from the political forces in power at that time to influence and steer the automotive industry in there to create the fastest vehicle to fulfill the ruler's ambition to be the best in the world. By 1934, Hitler and his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels were eager to use all aspects of international sporting activity in service of their fascist state, which included car and motorcycle racing.
A very rare photograph of Adolf Hitler inspecting the DKW factory. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2ZDcdjS)
BMW and DKW were the two-companies benefitted from the huge money flow supplied by the Nazi government, and both factories used the money boost to make radical technical changes to their cars and motorcycles. DKW was part of Auto Union by 1932, a German giant automotive manufacturer, with DKW by then the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world.
As all we know, the Auto Union racing cars were one of the most powerful and exotic GP cars ever, and their competition with the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Alfa Romeo is straight in line with the DKW motorcycle story. BMW at the same time developed their 328 sports-racer, an incredibly competent and beautifully designed car, considered an all-time classic.
Looking like a letter to the future, the DKW streamlined record-breaker without its canopy, which badly affected handling. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2ZDcdjS)
As a logical consequence of receiving Hitler's cash at that time, the racing teams and record-breaking of the two manufacturers were under the control and supervision of the Nazi government, so it is not surprising that their drivers and riders in mandatory wore and used various Nazi attributes. So that it gives the impression to the rivals that they are all Nazis. Although in fact, not all of them were supporters of the Nazi fascist government.
The DKW streamlined-shape designed record-breaker three-wheeler without its canopy, while stopped on the pitstop. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2ZDcdjS)
It seemed as if there was an agreement between BMW and DKW at that time to stay off each other's racing turf, as DKW focused on 250cc and 350cc GP racing and record-breaking, while BMW concentrated on 500cc racing and absolute World Speed Records.
At the time, BMW is perhaps better known for their BMW WR750 speed record motorcycles in 1936, while DKW as equally at the forefront of the new science of streamlining and engine development, having pioneered the Schnurle-loop scavenge system on their two-stroke engines, and the use of superchargers with twin-piston combustion chambers, so the blowers didn't simply push the fuel mix straight out the exhaust pipe.
The 1935 Auto-Union DKW-Kahrman 600cc with its full streamlined bodywork. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2ZDcdjS)
It is known as well that at that time DKW was developing record-breaking racing vehicles with 250cc and 350cc engines alongside their Auto Union GP cars. The vehicle has appeared in a fabulously compelling bodywork with astonishing speed and sophistication, as it was developed in a wind tunnel (something they could afford with Nazi cash).
The BMW three-wheeled record-breaker with its full streamlining, which was more stable than the DKW bodywork. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2ZDcdjS)
Uniquely, there's a vehicle made by DKW in the three-wheeled vehicle platform. It is not known whether it is included in one of the categories of vehicle classes that are competed in addition to motorbikes (two-wheeled vehicles) and cars (four-wheeled vehicles).
It seems later than BMW (broke the agreement for a while) by developing an almost similar three-wheeled vehicle with an airplane-shaped design and is believed to be more stable than the DKW model. But unfortunately, it isn't known whether all of these future look three-wheeled vehicles are able to complete its mission to break the records.😉 *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CAR-DAY.RU | THEVINTAGENT.COM | TRIUMPHTALK.COM]
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Traffic congestion is not a new problem for modern people living in urban areas nowadays only, it has emerged and has been a problem for a long time. So that many solutions have been tried to solve this, apart from public transport and carpooling, is by creating alternative motorized vehicles that are in a compact (small) size but reliable as a means of daily transportation.
1957 Jurisch Motoplan, a tiny three-wheeler prototype designed by a German engineer named Carl Jurisch. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/31EzjYL)
Like that we can currently see in the form of the small-sized vehicles from Lit Motors to the new single-seat vehicle designs are being worked on by the Japanese carmaker giants like Toyota right now. Turns out that the idea is not new, it could be seen in the figure of a charming one-seater three-wheeler made in 1957.
Only three prototypes of the 1957 Jurisch Motoplan have ever been built, and only one of them has survived. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/31EzjYL)
The vehicle in question is the 'Motoplan,' a single-seater three-wheeler is designed and built by a German engineer named Carl Jurish who believes that single-seat vehicles are the future of transportation. Besides being a talented engineer, it turns out he is also a motorcycle racer.
Previously, he had built his own motorcycle from scratch at the age of 23, as well as witnessed automobiles becoming immensely popular in post-war Germany. Then he looked for ways to redesign a car to make it more like a motorcycle. This futuristic vehicle appears with a full of innovative quirky designs.
1957 Jurisch Motoplan uses a 173 cc single-cylinder Heinkel engine and put out just under 10hp coupled with 4-speed manual gearbox. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/31EzjYL)
Yes, the vehicle was built by using an old motorcycle sidecar. Instead of a steering wheel, it had handlebars that looked more like controls on an airplane. Due to its really small size, so there is no room to pin a regular fuel tank, Jurisch designed the tank to be mounted at the back and pop up. Then the engine is installed openly like a puzzle box, with a canopy, tail unit, seat, and fuel tank that swivels up for easy access.
1957 Jurisch Motoplan can reach speeds of 55 miles per hour (88.51 kph) and presumably got good gas mileage as well. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/31EzjYL)
Only three prototypes have ever been built, and only one of them has survived. It uses a 173 cc single-cylinder Heinkel engine and put out just under 10hp coupled with 4-speed manual gearbox. When we talk about its performance, it can reach speeds of 55 miles per hour (88.51 kph) and presumably got good gas mileage as well. However, You could not hope it runs nimbly on the highway, due to it might look like a turtle in there.😆
1957 Jurisch Motoplan did not succeed in getting the attention of the automotive industry to produce it, because they thought the design was not attractive enough. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/31EzjYL)
When it was just finished, the designer took the prototype to a popular German auto magazine and asked them to take a look, but all he got was ridicule. Then Jurisch had also sent the car to a motorcycle dealer in New York, hoping to get better results.
But Americans preferred big-sized car models with tailfins, and even automotive advertising scripts at the time emphasized car length as a selling point. It seemed that 1957 was not the best time to sell tiny cars. Sadly, nobody wants Motoplan and no one was interested in their designs. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | FASTCOMPANY.COM]
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So, if you have enough free time, then try typing a keyword, "Dick Tricycle" into the Google search. And see what came after that? There is a French-made three-wheeled vehicle picture with no other information about it.
Dick Tricycle is a tiny antique three-wheeler on display at the 2019 Salon Rétromobile in Paris. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/31zKylf)
This unique vehicle model called Dicky Tricycle is made by a Paris-based coachbuilder company named Dick. In the early 1950s, the company dressed it with a three-wheeled platform and a small two-door body. However, it is not known exactly how many of these tiny three-wheelers were made by this French company.
Dick Tricycle is built by the Paris-based coachbuilder named Dick back in 1952. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2YDTjc9)
Its power comes from Ducati's horizontal 4-stroke 175cc single-cylinder engine. The engine drives a single rear wheel by transmitting power via an automatic transmission system coupled with a hydraulic torque converter and centrifugal clutch.
Dick Tricycle uses a Ducati's horizontal 4-stroke 175cc single-cylinder engine. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2YDTjc9)
In the cabin, this three-wheeled vehicle can accommodate two people in a tandem position (the passenger sits behind the driver). Finally, this cutie vehicle was exhibited in its original condition for auction at the 2019 Salon Rétromobile which was held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. As quoted from Artcurial.com, the cutie antique three-wheeler sold at a price of €10,728 (approx. US. $12,688 or Rp.186 million) at the event.
Dick Tricycle is offered from €10,000 to €15,000 at the 2019 Salon Rétromobile and sold at a price of €10,728. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2YDTjc9)
Most definitely modernized and restored in the past, now presented in a less fit condition. In order to restore and maintain the vehicle into good condition, and overall mechanical repair is to be expected. This original and charming three-wheeler will attractive, also delight its future owner in many ways with its rarity status and signature Italian engine. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ARTCURIAL.COM | CLASSICCARWEEKLY.NET | PIXAUTO.NET | INVALUABLE.COM | CHALLENGES.FR]
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If we look closely, there are so many strange vehicles that have been made. Yes, it is very strange or unexpected and might make us think for a moment, why the automotive manufacturer can make it? Like this antique three-wheeled vehicle under Scoot Sociable brand made by a Bradford-based automotive company named Scott Autocar Company.
1921 Scoot Sociable Tricar is the world's most weird three-wheeler ever. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3fXk0hR)
How could it not be strange? If the conventional way to make a three-wheeled vehicle is by positioning 2 wheels at the front or back and the other wheel mounted in the center at the other, right? However, the British auto manufacturer made it with slightly different construction, ie by positioning 2 wheels in parallels like a motorcycle and the other is like the sidecar wheel positioned.
The construction of Scoot Sociable Tricar by positioning 2 wheels in parallels like a motorcycle and the other is like the sidecar wheel positioned. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3fXk0hR)
This is understandable because Scott Sociable is basically a brand of motorcycles and sidecars for military purposes. Or in other words, it could be said this three-wheeler once a military purposed motorbike and sidecar that designed to carry heavy guns which then is converted into a civilian version and draped in a car body.
Blue-print images of Scoot Sociable Tricar construction detail. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3fXk0hR)
As a result, after the brand made a three-wheeled vehicle, suddenly it looks weird as if unstable. If you are still confused then the fastest way to understand this unusual three-wheeler is to see it as a motorcycle with sidecar were draped in a car body.
1921 Scoot Sociable Tricar was powered by Scott’s own built 578cc water-cooled, two-cylinder, two-stroke engine linked to a 3 speed gearbox with no reverse. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3j9in2u)
It was powered by the company’s own built 578cc water-cooled, two-cylinder, two-stroke engine linked to a 3-speed gearbox with no reverse. The car itself had a wooden body mounted on a steel chassis.
These unusual look vehicles debuted at the 1920 Olympia Motorcycle Show and built between 1921 and 1925. But seems was no success, probably due to its inherent layout considered unstable and odds. However, during the periods, as many as 110 or so were sold of which 5 still remain. Unfortunately, the company folded in 1925.😢
In our opinion, it was worthy to be one of the weirdest three-wheelers ever. What do you think? *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | PROGRESS | THEPETROLSTOP.COM]
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The tiny-little cars aka microcars had booming moments and experienced a surge in demand shortly after World War II ended. At that time, many beautiful to weird-shaped microcars were popping up on the streets.
1953 Gaitán Auto-Tri, an egg-shaped microcar by a Seville-based manufacturer named Construcciones Gaitán, SL looks different from the company's other prototypes due to applying the reversed wheels-layout and has no front-grill. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3kAYZgn)
Despite being a reliable and affordable means of transportation, it also creates a unique view because of its unusual and strange shape. Here are some microcars that appeared in that era and have unique and strange looks.
1. Davis D-2 Divan
This odd three-wheeled and two-door sedan was the brainchild of used-car salesman Glen Gordon "Gary" Davis largely based upon "The Californian", a custom three-wheeled roadster built by future Indianapolis 500 racing car designer Frank Kurtis for Southern Californian millionaire and racer Joel Thorne.
1948 Davis D2 Divan, an odd three-wheeled and two-door sedan was the brainchild of used-car salesman Glen Gordon "Gary" Davis. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3gQuroq)
The microcars were built between 1947 and 1949 by Davis Motorcar Company. This unique microcar uses a 47 hp four-cylinder engine but later changed to a 63 hp four. The manufacture of this microcar began in 1947 with 2 prototypes. Only 13 Divans (including the two prototypes) were ever built, of which 12 have survived. The car featured aircraft-inspired styling details as well as disc brakes, hidden headlights, and built-in jacks.
2. Mochet Type K
This microcar was built by Automobiles Mochet, a French Puteaux-based manufacturer starting in 1947 and sold until 1949. This Type-K car is said to be the company's first car to have metal bodywork (although the doors are wooden) but retained mechanical features of the previous version (Type -H).
1948 Mochet Type K was built by Automobiles Mochet, a French's Puteaux-based manufacturer starting in 1947 and sold until 1949. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3ivQvoY)
This microcar uses a Zurcher 125cc 2-stroke engine coupled to a separate 3-speed gearbox. And it is estimated that at that time these odd-shaped microcars were made of 650 units.
3. Champion CH-2
There're 11 units of these cutie microcars that were ever made in 1949 by Hermann Holbein Fahrzeugbau in Ulm, Germany. Perhaps 2 of these original CH-2 models survive today. These micro-cars are largely using motorcycle parts, such as tires and Triumphs 5 hp engines. The CH-2 was designed by Hermann Holbein, a former development engineer of BMW before WWII and an Albert Maier, an engineer of the gear-maker ZF Company in 1949.
1949 Champion CH-2 was built largely using motorcycle parts, such as tires and Triumphs 5 hp engines. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/3aj85JZ)
Unfortunately, Holbein was an engineer and not a businessman and soon became overwhelmed with all the details and keep suppliers and partners happy. When the first cars developed transmission problems, he recalled them all for repair.
4. Rolux VB60 Baby
This unique microcar was built from 1949 to 1951 by Societé Rolux, a French's Clermont-Ferrand based manufacturer. At that time the manufacturer made as many as 400 units of this cutie car.
1950 Rolux VB60 Baby uses a 125 cubic-centimeter Ydral engine which drove the left rear wheel via a cardan shaft. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/30OwiVx)
The microcar uses a 125 cubic-centimeter Ydral engine which drove the left rear wheel via a cardan shaft. The small car measured 105 inches in length and was held in place by a leaf spring suspension. The body consisted of a steel-framed folding windshield, roadster body, and pointed rear fenders.
5. Biscúter
1950 Biscúter was designed by Gabriel Voisin and one of the most popular cutie cars in Spain during the 1950s. The name Biscúter (Biscooter) implied that it was about the size of two scooters or also could be said as a scooter with four wheels. Uniquely, the microcar has no doors or windows or even reverse gear, uses a 1 cylinder, 197 cc, two-stroke motor produced 9 horsepower (7 kW), had a crank starter, and drove only the right front wheel.
1950 Biscúter was designed by Gabriel Voisin and one of the most popular cutie cars in Spain during the 1950s. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2PMK4kW)
The microcar manufactured in Barcelona, Spain by Auto Nacional, SA. and the first car never had a 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.
6. Allard Clipper
This is an English 3-wheeler produced by Allard Motor Company from 1952 to 1954. Microcars are also known as lightweight sports cars, due to the bodywork made of fiberglass and used the rear-mounted Villiers 24B 346 cc (21.1 cu in) single-cylinder two-stroke motorcycle engine drives the rear left wheel via a Burman gearbox and chain.
1952 Allard Clipper was an English 3-wheeler which uses a rear-mounted Villiers 24B 346 cc (21.1 cu in) single-cylinder two-stroke motorcycle engine drives the rear left wheel via a Burman gearbox and chain. (Picture from: https://bit.ly/2PMK4kW)
The car was designed by David Gottlieb and advertised as having an "indestructible" plastic body, made by Hordern-Richmond Ltd; the Clipper was the first car to have a color-impregnated fiberglass body. It seats three adults on a bench seat and two children in optional dickey seats revealed when the rear boot is opened.
7. Gaitán Auto-Tri
Actually not much information related to this microcar. What is known is that this car was produced by a Seville-based motorized-vehicle manufacturer company named Construcciones Gaitán SL. This Spaniard-made microcar has an egg-like shape made of aluminum with a three-wheel layout (two wheels at the front and one behind). This microcar is made in various models and one even functions as an ambulance.
This three-wheeled car was first shown to the public in November 1953 in Seville. But unfortunately, as quoted from autopasion18, this microcar was never commercialized but had a chance to grab its heydays as can you see in a Spanish documentary film of the 1953 above. From this source, it is also stated that this microcar had made a trip to Barcelona in 1955, and that was somekind an introduction attempt of the microcar to the people there. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | IO9 GIZMODO | DIVAN | MOCHET | CHAMPION | ROLUX | BISCOOTER | CLIPPER | GAITAN] Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone
