Thursday, September 27, 2018

Auto salvage dealer and part-time inventor Leopold E. Garcia of Bernalillo studied engineering and sculpture at UNM. In 1954, he debuted “Bubbles,” He later renamed it Chic-ito. A cut-down Ford made from $800 worth of spare parts.




He considered it the prototype for a car that could be made in New Mexico.
It won trophies at the State Fair and at sports car shows in Des Moines and Sioux Falls, Ind., plus the 1955 Motor World Fair at Indianapolis.

Bubbles has a special emblem attached that says Bubbles. The City car is a three wheeler that has a very flat front end that opens forward from one side. The passenger and driver steps into the front to sit down behind a mid sixties Chevy truck windshield, it is powered by a continental engine that I assume came out of a fork lift.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2012/06/14/lost-and-found-overflow-el-chic-ito/
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4 comments:

  1. xoxoxoBruce10:13 PM

    "A Ford engine powers the little convertible. A two-seater, it has an 80-inch wheelbase and weighs 2200 pounds. Instead of headlights it has 'eyelights' shaped in chrome and set in 'pupils'. Curled exhaust pipes do double duty to become rear bumpers."

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrscharroo/6901522819/in/photostream/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jesse8:39 AM

      Thanks! I can't access Flikr on the work computer though to see what's there, not until I go home and use my laptop

      Delete
  2. The Unpopular Truth6:40 PM

    Also featured in the June 1962 issue of Hot Rod magazine.

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    Replies
    1. Jesse6:33 AM

      thanks! I wish my Hot Rod collection were still on shelves, but I had to box them up, as when they were on shelves it took no time at all to find the right issue and get the article and then scan and post it

      Delete

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