This boxy looking minicar was made in Berlin, Germany, over three years starting in 1971.
Having room for up to four people and with the body built from sheet metal panels, it
weighed around 950 pounds.
The Shopper, powered by a two-cylinder, two-stroke gas engine with just 15 horsepower, could
still reach speeds up to 55 miles per hour.
Number Fourteen
Burgfalke-Werk of Germany produced 60 of this unusual FB-25 minicar.
The company's short-lived production in the late-'50s included two handmade units shipped
to the US.
The fiberglass, sloping body had an open-air cabin with room for two on the bench seat.
It featured a rear-mounted, one cylinder 248 cubic centimeter engine with 14 horsepower.
Number Thirteen
With only 85 of these unique Japanese three-wheeled microcars made its two-seater fiberglass body
featured staggered seating and emphasized a single headlamp.
The Cabin was powered by a seven cubic inch engine, which gave the car a top speed of
45 miles per hour.
Unfortunately, poor body construction and a high price left the Cabin with few buyers.
Number Twelve
Barely a car, this little fiberglass one-person vehicle was made in France in the mid-’70s
to mid-‘80s.
Its tiny 49 cubic centimeter engine propelled this minicar with three horsepower.
It had three wheels and featured a unique foot pedal to move the car a few feet and
satisfy the law of the time.
The Comtesse had two doors letting the driver out either side while allowing parking perpendicular
to other vehicles.
Number Eleven
What looks like a modern-day golf cart is really a late-60s to mid-70s microcar called
the Véloto.
Made in France, the car was the only 2-seater able to be driven without a license at the
time.
It had a bench seat and a canvas top.
The car moved by using a single-cylinder, 49 cubic centimeter engine producing three
horsepower.
Reports say there are only two Veloto vehicles currently surviving, with both residing in
the United States.
I'm Allie, and it's Minds Eye Trivia time.
By looking at just these images, do you know what this is and where it's from?
Leave the correct answer or your best guess in the comment section below.
Number Ten
An English three-wheeler, the Bond Minicar Mark F, was produced from 1958 through 1963.
It was available in three models, which featured a 15 cubic-inch engine putting out 12 horsepower
for a top speed of 55 miles per hour.
Although the early models, not equipped for reversing, had to be pushed backward by hand,
the later models offered an "optional" reverse gear.
The driver had to shut off the engine and start it up in reverse to back up.
Number Nine
Fiberglass was the material of choice for this colorful, sleek microcar made in France
in the mid-'50s.
The Avolette Record De Luxe had five versions, three or four wheels, and was available in
a coupe or convertible.
Only 30 of the eight-foot-long Deluxe were produced, with one of the surviving vehicles
selling for more than $74,000 at a Sotheby's auction in 2013.
Number Eight
America was not immune to the minicar fad of the ’50s and ’60s.
The Eschelman company of Baltimore, Maryland, produced this little open-air sports car.
The car was painted in yellow or red and had no windshield or doors.
The gas and brake pedals were actually labeled "Go" and "Stop."
The car was heavy for its size, with much of the body made of cast metal.
It featured an air-cooled, single-cylinder Briggs & Stratton engine with 8 1/2 horsepower,
a belt-drive, and four-wheel paddle brakes.
Number Seven
The Manom Company in France started work on their prototype Manocar in 1952.
The car was designed with a large curved body shape that gave it a larger appearance.
It also had a high seating position and no doors, making it easy to step into.
And while many microcars were cramped, the Manocar seemed quite spacious because of this
feature.
The one-cylinder, four horsepower motor was mounted on the front forks with a front suspension
consisting of rubber bands.
The vehicle never saw production and only two prototypes ever made.
Number Six
Designed for disabled drivers, this Soviet-made SMZ S3A was produced from 1958 to 1970.
They were given for free or at a discount through the Soviet Union's social welfare
system and not officially sold to non-disabled people.
The little car was powered by a single-cylinder engine, producing ten horsepower for a top
speed of 34 miles per hour.
The succeeding models of the SMZ were being made up until 1997, with the original having
become somewhat of a collector’s item.
Number Five
Coming out of Barcelona, Spain in the late-’50s, this utility microcar incorporated a partial
wood body and a rear truck box.
It was called the Type 200-I and was designed for the Spanish masses.
The company produced twenty thousand vehicles in various configurations.
It had a 197 cubic centimeter engine producing nine horsepower.
In the coming years, customers replaced their Biscuter with other newer, less expensive
brands, causing it to all but die out by 1960.
Number Four
The Janus was a microcar made by German-based Zündapp starting in 1957.
This innovative car had both front and rear-facing doors to make easy access for passengers and
looked similar on both ends.
The little car was powered by a single-cylinder engine for a top speed of 50 miles per hour.
A high price and lackluster sales caused only 6,900 cars to be produced before the company
sold the factory and abandoned the project in 1958.
Number Three
First developed in Germany in 1948, the oddly designed FEND Flitzer 101 had three wheels
and was sold as basic transportation for those who lost limbs during World War II.
It had aluminum panels over a steel frame with a hinged top hatch that tilted forward
to allow access.
Instead of a wheel, a set of handlebars controlled the steering.
About 250 Flitzer's were built by the time production stopped in 1951.
Number Two
This minicar got its title by using the designer's name spelled backward and was developed in
1950.
It was a small four-wheeled vehicle with a relatively wide track at the front and a narrow
track at the rear.
It had space for two in a tandem seating configuration.
Power came from a 175 cubic centimeter, one-cylinder engine with a chain drive.
To keep parking space at a minimum, the front of the car could rise, and the front wheels
could fold up under the vehicle to reduce its width to 29 inches.
All told, the company only produced approximately 17 cars.
I'm Allie, and it's Minds Eye Trivia time.
By looking at just these images, do you know what this is and where it's from?
Leave the correct answer or your best guess in the comment section below.
Number One
Newer than most of the minicars listed here, the angular designed H-M Vehicles Free-Way
was a three-wheeler built in Minnesota from 1979 to 1982.
The small commuter car, powered by a 12 or 16 horsepower gas engine, had a single seat.
The Freeway's fully enclosed two-piece fiberglass body had the color molded in.
About 700 Free-Ways sold before the company closed in June of 1982.