Just A Car Guy: micro-cars

Showing posts with label micro-cars. Show all posts

Saturday, July 03, 2021

this is adorable, it's a 1956 Paul Valee micro car

there were only 200 of these 3 wheel microcars built, made by a mechanical shop called S.I.C.R.A.F ( Société Industrielle de Constructions et de Réparation des Automobiles françaises which means Industrial Company of Construction and Repair of french Automobiles) founded by Paul Vallée.

The car appeared for the first time at the Paris Salon in 1955 but with only 1 headlight steel tube windshield frame, molded-in front bumper, and sharply cut-off tail and after that it was another headlight, a fiberglass windshield frame, aluminum bumpers and more rounded tail.

The engine was an 125cc Ydral 2 stroke single cylinder with only 6hp making the car capable of reaching a top speed of 75km/h (47 mph).

Unfortunately the death of M.Vallée in 1957 ended production

https://www.facebook.com/groups/124172104555/?multi_permalinks=10159253344639556

this is another, found on https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/vallee

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/jkxokeg/

Friday, December 04, 2020

Kleinschnittger F-125

I don't think I've ever seen a set of tires that more accurately defines the term "pizza cutters" more aptly

https://absolutelycars.wordpress.com/2020/11/14/kleinschnittger-f-125/

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

1938 Ihle Schottenring micro car, basically a fair or carnival ride – these little cars ran on a wooden track and had bumpers (thanks Gary!)

Ihle Brothers in Bruchsal Germany produced some amazing vintage micro cars which were used at fairs in autodromes. The Brothers Rudolf and Fritz Ihle started their company in 1930 in Bruchsal and soon realized that in 1933 the body of the BMW Dixis were out of style, mostly because it was based on the shape of a 1922 Austin seven. So they introduced a more sporty shaped body the Ihle 600, which could be mounted on any Dixi frame. Customers could change there old body for these modern shaped cars on their old frames. These models were only available in Signal Red.

https://www.oddimotive.com/rare-ihle-schottenring-car/

Sunday, July 08, 2018

1935 Rytecraft Scootacar, a British made 2 seater micro car

4 of these were bought to Bombay in 1952 from England for an International Carnival

2 were brought to Calcutta for the Queen's visit, the Victoria Memorial.

I think this is the other:

One was bought by a collector, and stayed in his private collection until 1994, when the current owner Rishi Kumar who'd been persistent in trying to get it, was successful.

It now comes out for shows like the Statesmen Vintage and Classic Car Rally, and the Tolly Club Car Show

http://www.kolkataonwheels.com/a-small-wonder/
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vintage-cars-classics-india/52778-kolkata-09-tolly-club-car-show-3.html

Wednesday, May 02, 2018

Art Smith, famous for being a young stunt pilot in the early 19 teens, and then touring state and county fairs with his Baby Racers

What a great way to make a living, take some mini race cars on the road, race in city by city, and have a lot of fun

These miniature race cars were powered by Harley Davidson F-head V-twins built in the mid-teens and given the name “baby cars”.

The cars were built with the help of Dudley Perkins of the Dudley Perkins Company, a San Francisco Harley-Davidson dealership. The left and center photos above show the workshop where the racers were assembled by Smith and his crew in a shop located at 220 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.

Art Smith at the young age of 15 was quite the dare devil, and spent most of his youth as a stunt pilot.

Art’s skill as a pilot made him a popular attraction at state fairs and similar events around the country in a time when seeing a plane was something quite unusual.

The first years he spent touring around the U.S. brought him plenty of fame and fortune, allowing him to purchase five baby cars.

The baby cars became part of his act. He would race his plane against his “Baby Boys” who drove the cars. The cars would go around 60 mph, which was pretty fast by 1915 standards.

Switching from having fun to punching a time clock for a steady paycheck killed him.

Art moved into commercial aviation and flew for the U.S. Postal Service in the 1920’s. Unfortunately on a flight in 1926, he was killed in a crash when his plane caught fire.

Smith’s cars were the inspiration for several later baby racers, including the Wing Midget (or Wing Special) manufactured by Chauncey Wing’s Sons of Greenfield, Massachusetts. For just $380, the buyer could rocket down city streets at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. The cars were built and sold during 1922.