My German brother-in-law, Ernst, owned a Goggomobil (your #3) in the 1960's in Germany. I can still remember how it sounded: "Ringadingdingding"! He and his wife drove it all over Europe. I also remember seeing the Messerschmidt and the Isetta.
Had an Imp, a friend and I drove from London, UK, 1969. Ferried across to France, went over the Pyrenees to Barcelona, stayed a couple of weeks in Spain, toured around a bit then drove back to the UK. The Imp never lost a beat, cheap on fuel too! Brilliant memories!
2:30 I bought a new Mini 1972 in sept 1971. $1,865.00 Out of the box. Put a bit over 120,000 miles on it. Best way to learn how to drive in the snow! It was fantastic!
In Germany in 1959 I saw a Zundapp car in Kaiserslautern. In front, 2 people sat facing to the front, in the back, 2 people sat facing the back. Quite the car :)
I owned a Bond Bug in the late 60's kept it for 7 years amazing car if you treated it with respect. easy to get 100MPG. Max speed around 80 MPH. I did over 100,000 miles in it.
The Goggo twin was designed by the same engineer who designed the beautiful engine for the Adler 250 motorcycle. This engine formed the basis for EVERY japanese bike of the times, except Honda, who stole (sorry, but true) the NSU Supermax.
I only wish I still had my wrinkled polaroid photo of the "Allsetta" Drag car from the 60's...... An Allison V-12 mounted in an Isetta chassis and body. No great runner,but awe inspiring as hell,and always drew a crowd no matter where it raced in So Cal. Tire smoke from the pit to the finish line !
The Honda Z600 you show was sold in the US for one year only in 1972 and called the Hatchback and sedan version. I had a sedan. 10" tires rode very rough and that 600cc engine got 49 mpg. Some states didn't allow them to be sold, like Wisconsin, it didn't meet emissions, so I had to drive to Illinois to buy mine. It was a great little car
I want to make sure that the viewers are aware that Tata Nano has multiple models. Higher models had AC, power steering and one model came in auto gear too. This car had one of the best ac that I have seen. It was able to chill the car in a couple of minutes regardless that it may have been 45 degrees Celsius outside.
Most interesting for everyday use is the Microlino. Reasonable range, top speed and price. For going on holiday there is still no way around a car with a combusting engine, I would prefer the Goggomobil. Both cars together are cheaper than a normal VW Golf, so for me it would be two cars :)
I built a trike out of a wrecked Fiat back in the late 70's. I had a ball with it and it would out run the VW trike kits of the time. It had everything in the back, motor, trans, radiator and all. Great running little critter! And I built it for a lot less than 7k. Wasn't very pretty but fun.
Audi was one of the four marques within August Horch's "Auto Union" group: Horch, Audi, Wanderer, and DKW, using the four ring emblem. Horch sold out to Daimler Benz, who built three-cylinder two-stroke cars under the names DKW and Auto Union after WW II and into the sixties. Benz sold Auto Union to Volkswagen in the early sixties. The handsome and modern-looking three-cylinder DKW F102 became the Audi F103, powered by a four-cylinder four stroke engine and retaining the four ring logo.
There was a cool version of the Hillman lmp, called the Sunbeam Stilleto , which was like a Hillman Imp coupe . A neighbor of ours had one many years ago
I truly enjoyed this video. I am a major fan of the genre and if family commitments premitted it I would happily own one again; yes, again. My first car was a slightly used 1964 (?) Morris Mini 850. It took me everywhere around the Southern California of 1966-68. My wee ( 4 ' 11 1/2 ") blonde Scots girlfriend looked beautiful in it and it was more her size than the Triumph Herald she had.
The Hillman Imp is a bit of a pocket rocket, that engine had to be detuned to be controllable in a car that size, so hot rodders loved it. But could be unsafe unless handling upgrades were also added.
I OWN a 1978 Suzuki SC100, which was a small Coup built for the Japanese market as a K car, although it was also imported to parts of Europe, the U.K, Australia, as well as New Zealand where I live. It had a 970cc 4 cylinder motor that developed 47 horespower, and because of it's light weight (660kgs approx) was /is goof for 140kph. They are 10ft 6inches long, are rear engines, have disc brakes in the front, and fully independent suspension. My personal car is number 27 off the production line,, and has subtle differences to the later production numbered cars. It has the lowest production number I have managed to discover thus far, which makes it I believe, an extremely rare and collectable car.
Loved my 69? Subaru 360 , Honda 600 coupe , Villiers powered '48 Bond (left hand drive ! All aluminum) Minicar and i am all in for number 10989 in line for my Elio ! Thanks for the memories !
Had a Subaru 360 wagon (not van the station wagon) in the service on Okinawa..it was a blast like an all weather go kart.. but the island speed limit was 60km/hr so it kept up with traffic
Both my parents owned Hillman Imps at one time. A little later, my dad had an NSU Prinz - not featured in this video but a worthy contender nevertheless. I got to drive the NSU (now taken over by BMW) back from Crewkerne to Hayling Island (UK) and it was real hoot to drive. My mum also had a bubble car - three wheel Isetta, as shown at the end of this video. The only surprising omissions are the original, and the current Fiat 500, and another previous Fiat mini-car, the Fiat Mouse (called the Topolino) - and back in the day my dad also owned a Topolino.
I like the bubblecar, though I think the lights would be better fitted to bonnet, than sticking out the sides. I always think mini looks best, I had 2 of them!
The Messerschmitt didn't have a dedicated reverse gear as the two stroke engine could run clockwise or counterclockwise thus providing backward travel from the same four ratios as forward travel. We had one as a FOD vehicle on a USAF base which proved effective as one could being so close to the ground just reach out and retrieve the potentially damaging item while seated.
Had a 1971 NSU Prinz 600 as my 1st car. Rear mounted, 2 cylinder, 600cc, air cooled. Heat exchanger as heating system, single speed heater. Drum brakes all round. But the front brakes were alloy with a steel insert and cooling fins. 4.5 x 12 crossply tyres. The rear boot had cooling vents above the engine. The engine cover was missing and when it rained, the water when straight onto the twin coil ignition system, ment starting was fun. Until we put a metal cover above the air vents
I enjoy custom limited vehicles and am always on the look out for parts and pieces I could incorporate in my own build. If there is a way I could suggest a video idea of custom hand made vehicles from roller skates and up to electric cars that would be very interesting to watch. Thank u and keep up the good work
I sold them at Pontiac Plaza, Portland back in 1968. Worse than horrible. A copy of the german Goggomobil 400, engine size reduced to comply with Japanese law. REALLY horrible. It had NONE of the great Goggo characteristics, absolutely none. The quality, appearance and performance rated lower than could be measured.
Mine was the Bill Buckle Goggomobil saloon. It looked like the Goggo here but it had the 350 CC engine and was fibreglass. To change a wheel or tyre I used to roll it onto its side and remove the wheel that way. I loved the gearbox. So easy to use. It would have been better with oil injection rather than having to use premix.
A family friend bought a Trivette brand new around 1977-78, it had the Fiat engine, and I went for a 100mph ride in it. Although it seemed to be a well engineered and solid built car/cycle/thingie, it was still pretty scary going that fast in that vehicle! -He was a car enthusiast who had owned many different and unique vehicles, but this one was deffo the MOST unique he had ever owned. He sold it a few months after he bought it...due to it catching a draft from a semi truck coming the other way on a two lane desert road and launching the Trivette out of control at around 75 mph. He went off the road, down one side, then up the other, then down the other side again and it even went violently up on two wheels for a moment, but somehow he regained control of it...yikes....PS the Trivettes didn't come with a new set of dry shorts ha ha ha, bummer!
Years ago when I was trading cars I bought a y10 turbo that had been pxd at a main dealer. Didn't really know what it was and being a Lancia wasn't sure about retailing it so I took it to the car auctions to sell, which normally was a last resort, and it flew away, one of the few cars I ever made a profit on at auction. And it was a hoot to drive.
Hardly a mini-car though, they were insanely heavy, underpowered, wobbly suspended and hugely impractical things for the UK. I still recall the hassle getting into the rear "luggage" space via removing the seat back, Yuk!
The mini was never called the Austin mini cooper. It was originally called the Morris mini minor or the Austin seven, seven was spelt se7en. Mini cooper is a model in the range.
my dads first car was an Austin Mini 850 1960 in mainland Europe they were not called Seven there were also sold as Morris mini minor , Riley elf , Leyland mini , Wolseley 1000/hornet , inocenti mini (Italy) Aro mini (Romania) Cooper and Cooper S were special models that were prepared by John Cooper famous for F1 Cooperclimax and not too many cars were built like people think there lots of copies , my aunt in Portugal bought one in 1966
1984-1987 Suzuki forsa is a car you missed and unlike most of these 3 wheel cars with no stability it actually performed great in rally racing. 55mpg outta the 1.0 L 3 cylinder engine 5 speed tranny FWD 12" wheels super light and takes a beating and keeps on going forever not too mention it looks cool and was super cheap yet came with many options such as a\c rear hatch wiper moonroof digital dash a turbo efi version was available as well as a 4 cylinder 1.3 L dohc 16v gti version and its the grandaddy to the geo metro\Suzuki swift plus its tiny and cute yet has loads of interior space and trunk space 😀. It was sold also as the Isuzu geminet Pontiac firefly and Chevrolet metro.
Why no "Smartcar"? I see them on the road here in California all the time! So they are street legal, two seater, and come in both ICE and electric ⚡ versions!!! The perfect little eco car for urban driving though I see them on the freeway all the time!!! Much less obscure than vehicles featured here and in other minicar videos!!!
The first car mentioned (the messerschmidt) is unique in one way . . . as mentioned in the vid, it has a 4 speed transmission. What they don't say is that to go in reverse, you stop the engine and then run it backwards ! Consequently, you can also use all 4 gears and go full speed in reverse.
NANO HAS A CHILLING A/C EVEN WE HAVE TO LOWER IT IN 45 DEG. SUMMERS AND I HAD THROTTLE IT UP TO 120+ KM/HR , I HAD DROVE THIS WITH 8 PASSENGERS ON STEP HILLS AND MUDDY ROADS ... ITS GOOD VEHICLE AND SAFER THEN OTHER MINI CARS
looking at the red Hilman imp I could see someone customizing it to look like Christine it already has a simular look to the front of the 58 Plymouth as you mentioned it was owned by Chrysler
Had a new1985 Renault Encore 1.4 L, 4 Spd, 3 door. Beige. Winter time, had traction to spare. 48mpg normal driving, 52mpg when I tried for more. Only option was an AM radio.
I think the Tata Nano is the cutest and most stylish of all. If they could put a few extra features and still sell it for around $2000 it would be a winner for all those (like me) who cannot afford to buy a new car.
You missed the French Simca made by Chrysler/Simca. We sold them in the US in the 1960s. They were a water-cooled rear engine, 4-door sedan with lots of rear seat leg room and a front trunk like the VW beetle. I owned two of them. One was a 1965 and one was a 1966. Often not sold by Chrysler dealers, but from independent used-car dealers who got the franchise. You can still see them in a lot of foreign films, especially in France.
A friend had one of those Honda cars back in the 70s. That thing was so cool. It flew. One night him and another guy put it in the back of his El Camino to see if it would fit. It did. They just picked it up. My brother worked with a guy that had one of those Minis. He had these cool little chrome reverse wheels on it. I think they were no bigger than 12” tires on those. It looked like a little slot car.
Forgotten, is the Sub-Ository, one cylinder, sleek contour and Teflon coated surface. You do not 'drive' it: you 'wear' it. Before buying, you need a prescription.
I was disappointed to not see the Crosley Hotshot, but even more the Suburu 360, It took almost a decade, but I rode in both sedan models, the van and the pickup, The engine was very easy to access on the pick up, it was set into the back of the truck bed. I was in a junk yard in Kansas in the late 70's, the owner drove me out to look for a part for a Hillman Minx in the Suburu360 pick up, the starter didn't work, the owner started it with his belt,(around the generator pulley.)
any micro-car fan should visit the Lane Motor Museum, in Nashville. From my understanding many of the Bruce Weiner Micromusem cars are now there/ They nave dozens of micro cars in addition to European pre WWII. ( my favorite of these are the Tatras) There you can find peel 40 and Trident among others, but my favorite is the 1951 Hoffman, a three wheeler that steering included movement of the entire engine, so dangerous that ralph nader would have had a stroke if he was aware of it
The Mini is just a Mini. The Mini Cooper was a special edition of the Mini developed by John Cooper with a larger capacity race tuned engine. The standard Imp had an 875 cc engine but a 998 cc version was used in some variants.
Thanks for showing the Trivette. I drove it for a day; price too high and not thrilled with the Fiat motor (having owned a Fiat 500). BTW, it's pronounced "Try ... Vet" (3-wheeled "Corvette" ... not quite, but that was the notion. It was fast "off the line" ...
The mini was not designed by Alec Is-sogga-nis. It's pronounced Alec Issy-go-niss with the "go" part being the emphasised syllable. He was an engineering genius of Greek extraction (hence the difficult to pronounce surname) who lived in England.
My German brother-in-law, Ernst, owned a Goggomobil (your #3) in the 1960's in Germany. I can still remember how it sounded: "Ringadingdingding"! He and his wife drove it all over Europe. I also remember seeing the Messerschmidt and the Isetta.
Had an Imp, a friend and I drove from London, UK, 1969. Ferried across to France, went over the Pyrenees to Barcelona, stayed a couple of weeks in Spain, toured around a bit then drove back to the UK. The Imp never lost a beat, cheap on fuel too! Brilliant memories!
2:30 I bought a new Mini 1972 in sept 1971. $1,865.00 Out of the box. Put a bit over 120,000 miles on it. Best way to learn how to drive in the snow! It was fantastic!
In Germany in 1959 I saw a Zundapp car in Kaiserslautern. In front, 2 people sat facing to the front, in the back, 2 people sat facing the back. Quite the car :)
I owned a Bond Bug in the late 60's kept it for 7 years amazing car if you treated it with respect. easy to get 100MPG. Max speed around 80 MPH. I did over 100,000 miles in it.
They're all cute in their own way.
They must be blast to drive !
I am not a collector but if I was I would want a few of these little beauties!!!
I love the body shape and air cooled twin of the gogomobil.
The Goggo twin was designed by the same engineer who designed the beautiful engine for the Adler 250 motorcycle. This engine formed the basis for EVERY japanese bike of the times, except Honda, who stole (sorry, but true) the NSU Supermax.
I only wish I still had my wrinkled polaroid photo of the "Allsetta" Drag car from the 60's...... An Allison V-12 mounted in an Isetta chassis and body. No great runner,but awe inspiring as hell,and always drew a crowd no matter where it raced in So Cal. Tire smoke from the pit to the finish line !
The Honda Z600 you show was sold in the US for one year only in 1972 and called the Hatchback and sedan version. I had a sedan. 10" tires rode very rough and that 600cc engine got 49 mpg. Some states didn't allow them to be sold, like Wisconsin, it didn't meet emissions, so I had to drive to Illinois to buy mine. It was a great little car
I had an opal wagon 4 speed it was a good little car. This was back in the early 80's..
I want to make sure that the viewers are aware that Tata Nano has multiple models. Higher models had AC, power steering and one model came in auto gear too. This car had one of the best ac that I have seen. It was able to chill the car in a couple of minutes regardless that it may have been 45 degrees Celsius outside.
Most interesting for everyday use is the Microlino. Reasonable range, top speed and price. For going on holiday there is still no way around a car with a combusting engine, I would prefer the Goggomobil. Both cars together are cheaper than a normal VW Golf, so for me it would be two cars :)
I certainly agree with you.
this video is just too cool. if you havent watched it all you must do!!!
I built a trike out of a wrecked Fiat back in the late 70's. I had a ball with it and it would out run the VW trike kits of the time. It had everything in the back, motor, trans, radiator and all. Great running little critter! And I built it for a lot less than 7k. Wasn't very pretty but fun.
KR175 and KR200, are just cool.
I think there was a four wheel one called the Tiger?
The NSU (Germany) I saw one over there in 1980. It looks like a toy caricature of a early 60's Corvair.
That NSU Prinz is now the German "Audi"!
Audi was one of the four marques within August Horch's "Auto Union" group: Horch, Audi, Wanderer, and DKW, using the four ring emblem.
Horch sold out to Daimler Benz, who built three-cylinder two-stroke cars under the names DKW and Auto Union after WW II and into the sixties.
Benz sold Auto Union to Volkswagen in the early sixties. The handsome and modern-looking three-cylinder DKW F102 became the Audi F103, powered by a four-cylinder four stroke engine and retaining the four ring logo.
Somebody at Georgia State University had an example of the NSU Prinz in the mid-seventies.
There was a cool version of the Hillman lmp, called the Sunbeam Stilleto , which was like a Hillman Imp coupe . A neighbor of ours had one many years ago
I truly enjoyed this video. I am a major fan of the genre and if family commitments premitted it I would happily own one again; yes, again. My first car was a slightly used 1964 (?) Morris Mini 850. It took me everywhere around the Southern California of 1966-68. My wee ( 4 ' 11 1/2 ") blonde Scots girlfriend looked beautiful in it and it was more her size than the Triumph Herald she had.
I've always liked micro cars. I had two minis in the 1980s, a 1978, and a 1979.Due to a family now,I have a 7 seater!
The Hillman Imp is a bit of a pocket rocket, that engine had to be detuned to be controllable in a car that size, so hot rodders loved it. But could be unsafe unless handling upgrades were also added.
I OWN a 1978 Suzuki SC100, which was a small Coup built for the Japanese market as a K car, although it was also imported to parts of Europe, the U.K, Australia, as well as New Zealand where I live. It had a 970cc 4 cylinder motor that developed 47 horespower, and because of it's light weight (660kgs approx) was /is goof for 140kph. They are 10ft 6inches long, are rear engines, have disc brakes in the front, and fully independent suspension. My personal car is number 27 off the production line,, and has subtle differences to the later production numbered cars. It has the lowest production number I have managed to discover thus far, which makes it I believe, an extremely rare and collectable car.
Loved my 69? Subaru 360 , Honda 600 coupe , Villiers powered '48 Bond (left hand drive ! All aluminum) Minicar and i am all in for number 10989 in line for my Elio !
Thanks for the memories !
Elio was a scam..sorry
fuzzzymaine2
Yeah Fuzzy , I'm beginning to think so too ! I believe there are over 60k "all in" $1000 deposits now .
I was all ready to buy an Elio, too; but I'm glad I didn't put any money down!
Had a Subaru 360 wagon (not van the station wagon) in the service on Okinawa..it was a blast like an all weather go kart.. but the island speed limit was 60km/hr so it kept up with traffic
Oilsmoke Jones WOW ! Just saw your comment on RSBN ! Small world
Both my parents owned Hillman Imps at one time. A little later, my dad had an NSU Prinz - not featured in this video but a worthy contender nevertheless. I got to drive the NSU (now taken over by BMW) back from Crewkerne to Hayling Island (UK) and it was real hoot to drive. My mum also had a bubble car - three wheel Isetta, as shown at the end of this video. The only surprising omissions are the original, and the current Fiat 500, and another previous Fiat mini-car, the Fiat Mouse (called the Topolino) - and back in the day my dad also owned a Topolino.
They forgot the Subaru 360 mini sedan and the Peel P50. Those are my favorites.
One car I discovered locally was a 1957 Auto Union , has a 3 cyl two stroke DKW 750cc engine if I remember correctly. The dash was amazing in it.
Mini cars are so darn cute!!!!!
I would love to have any of those! What fun!
I like the bubblecar, though I think the lights would be better fitted to bonnet, than sticking out the sides. I always think mini looks best, I had 2 of them!
Thanks, nicely done.
There are some very good concepts here.
Love the Bond Bug. I remember when those came out and some magazine did a cover story on them.
Had a Bond Bug many years ago and at 6'2" couldn't operate the clutch due to my knee hitting the steering wheel support bar!
The Messerschmitt didn't have a dedicated reverse gear as the two stroke engine could run clockwise or counterclockwise thus providing backward travel from the same four ratios as forward travel. We had one as a FOD vehicle on a USAF base which proved effective as one could being so close to the ground just reach out and retrieve the potentially damaging item while seated.
i saw a bond bug in my youth...the black board on the back had a chalked sign "don't laugh it's your daughter sitting next to me"
Thank you I very much enjoyed your video
Cant help myself i love the Goggomobil!!!!
10:50 the "barbarians" of Dingolfing made it. so be careful!!!!!! :)
I think the Dart is really cool and cute. I wonder if one could put a Dart body on a Mazda MX5 Miata?
Thanks for the video.
And yes, there are many more Micro/Mini Cars. F.e. the NSU Prinz, Victoria Spatz, Heinkel Kabine, Trabant "Trabi" and many more.
There are a lot of Japanise mini cars missing from this list.
Had a 1971 NSU Prinz 600 as my 1st car. Rear mounted, 2 cylinder, 600cc, air cooled. Heat exchanger as heating system, single speed heater. Drum brakes all round. But the front brakes were alloy with a steel insert and cooling fins. 4.5 x 12 crossply tyres. The rear boot had cooling vents above the engine. The engine cover was missing and when it rained, the water when straight onto the twin coil ignition system, ment starting was fun. Until we put a metal cover above the air vents
I guess you could say that the Microlina is the latest variant of the BMW Isetta.
I read that the Isetta was the inspiration for the Microlino. I think it looks neat. microlino-car.com/en/microlino
Loved them all, !!
I enjoy custom limited vehicles and am always on the look out for parts and pieces I could incorporate in my own build. If there is a way I could suggest a video idea of custom hand made vehicles from roller skates and up to electric cars that would be very interesting to watch. Thank u and keep up the good work
I would like to see the Subaru 360. I almost bought one (new of course ) in the late 1960's.
I sold them at Pontiac Plaza, Portland back in 1968. Worse than horrible. A copy of the german Goggomobil 400, engine size reduced to comply with Japanese law. REALLY horrible. It had NONE of the great Goggo characteristics, absolutely none. The quality, appearance and performance rated lower than could be measured.
Hey are you meaning the 360 that's in my back room
I sold them, back in 1969 at Pontiac Plaza on Portland Oregon. Aside from being a truly ugly duckling, it had absolutely nothing going for it.
CULE CARRO MINI.....!
IS GOOD CAR AND FANTASTIC.
Cool video guys!!!! i would like to take one of those solos for a spin!!
I like those cars!
I had seen Bond Bug in England in the 1970"s, I like the Clan Crusader, I had been to the workshop of Daverian, a fibre glass body kit car maker.
I never heard of the Clan Crusader. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_(car) I learned something new.
Thank you for sharing, I loved it.
I like mini cars from the past..modern mini cars have maxi prices..
Some do and some don't.
Great collection!
Mine was the Bill Buckle Goggomobil saloon. It looked like the Goggo here but it had the 350 CC engine and was fibreglass. To change a wheel or tyre I used to roll it onto its side and remove the wheel that way. I loved the gearbox. So easy to use. It would have been better with oil injection rather than having to use premix.
Glad you added Tata Nano in the list
A family friend bought a Trivette brand new around 1977-78, it had the Fiat engine, and I went for a 100mph ride in it. Although it seemed to be a well engineered and solid built car/cycle/thingie, it was still pretty scary going that fast in that vehicle! -He was a car enthusiast who had owned many different and unique vehicles, but this one was deffo the MOST unique he had ever owned. He sold it a few months after he bought it...due to it catching a draft from a semi truck coming the other way on a two lane desert road and launching the Trivette out of control at around 75 mph. He went off the road, down one side, then up the other, then down the other side again and it even went violently up on two wheels for a moment, but somehow he regained control of it...yikes....PS the Trivettes didn't come with a new set of dry shorts ha ha ha, bummer!
The Elio is my favorite but alas I don't think they will ever actually deliver to market.. Been 10 years and still no production..
Most expensive t-shirt I've ever bought ))
Would love to see a goggo car with a hyabusa engine 😎
The Corbin Sparrow looked like an electric-powered nose.
My favourite tiny car was the 'Lancia Y10-Fire'!
There used to be wuite a few around, but I haven't seen one for over 20 years!
Years ago when I was trading cars I bought a y10 turbo that had been pxd at a main dealer. Didn't really know what it was and being a Lancia wasn't sure about retailing it so I took it to the car auctions to sell, which normally was a last resort, and it flew away, one of the few cars I ever made a profit on at auction. And it was a hoot to drive.
Tell me a person who doesn't know the mini.Marvellous design,isigonis thought everything
Hey! That's my car at 6:06! At the All British Day at the King's School - if I remember correctly.
That was my grandfathers car too.
GREAT STUFF.
Who was the Mini crated by? Sir Alex ????
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it
wow nice video thank--newfoundland canada
I love mini-cars.
I liked the end.
# 14 fit nicely in the back of a Ford F100 and only took 6 people to put it there.
i would nominate the nash metropolitan. perhaps it was included in an earlier video.
Hardly a mini-car though, they were insanely heavy, underpowered, wobbly suspended and hugely impractical things for the UK. I still recall the hassle getting into the rear "luggage" space via removing the seat back, Yuk!
The mini was never called the Austin mini cooper. It was originally called the Morris mini minor or the Austin seven, seven was spelt se7en. Mini cooper is a model in the range.
Jenny Donne wrong is called the Austin mini
my dads first car was an Austin Mini 850 1960 in mainland Europe they were not called Seven there were also sold as Morris mini minor , Riley elf , Leyland mini , Wolseley 1000/hornet , inocenti mini (Italy) Aro mini (Romania) Cooper and Cooper S were special models that were prepared by John Cooper famous for F1 Cooperclimax and not too many cars were built like people think there lots of copies , my aunt in Portugal bought one in 1966
How bout the way he pronounced Alec Issigonis.
I like the claim in the Trivette ad:
Two & a half passengers...
Although I am not sure which half I would take, left or right, upper or lower. 😜
1984-1987 Suzuki forsa is a car you missed and unlike most of these 3 wheel cars with no stability it actually performed great in rally racing. 55mpg outta the 1.0 L 3 cylinder engine 5 speed tranny FWD 12" wheels super light and takes a beating and keeps on going forever not too mention it looks cool and was super cheap yet came with many options such as a\c rear hatch wiper moonroof digital dash a turbo efi version was available as well as a 4 cylinder 1.3 L dohc 16v gti version and its the grandaddy to the geo metro\Suzuki swift plus its tiny and cute yet has loads of interior space and trunk space 😀. It was sold also as the Isuzu geminet Pontiac firefly and Chevrolet metro.
The Z600 Honda is still the best looking microcar ever made. The Microlino is pretty cute, but don't know about crash worthyness.
Don't crash then.
I own two honda z 600, nice reliable fuel eficient confortable car, wont seel for any money.
How about the Reliant Robin? It's such a cool, weird car
True story! Reliant built some weird, but great stuff. Their peoblem was the truly bad Villiers engines.
Why no "Smartcar"? I see them on the road here in California all the time! So they are street legal, two seater, and come in both ICE and electric ⚡ versions!!! The perfect little eco car for urban driving though I see them on the freeway all the time!!! Much less obscure than vehicles featured here and in other minicar videos!!!
Don't hold your breath waiting for an Elio !
My father had a Goggomobil when he met my mother!
Your dad must have been a great guy!
i found the electric vehicles the most interesting although expensive
The first car mentioned (the messerschmidt) is unique in one way . . . as mentioned in the vid, it has a 4 speed transmission. What they don't say is that to go in reverse, you stop the engine and then run it backwards ! Consequently, you can also use all 4 gears and go full speed in reverse.
That was like the Lightburn Zeta. Made by the washing machine company in Australia.
Ah, I never heard of that one. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the heads-up! 😜
NANO HAS A CHILLING A/C EVEN WE HAVE TO LOWER IT IN 45 DEG. SUMMERS AND I HAD THROTTLE IT UP TO 120+ KM/HR , I HAD DROVE THIS WITH 8 PASSENGERS ON STEP HILLS AND MUDDY ROADS ... ITS GOOD VEHICLE AND SAFER THEN OTHER MINI CARS
looking at the red Hilman imp I could see someone customizing it to look like Christine it already has a simular look to the front of the 58 Plymouth as you mentioned it was owned by Chrysler
Chrysler bought Rootes well after. However, it was probably influenced by the Corvair.
love it
The standard Hillman Imp engine was 875cc with only the Rallye models having 998cc engines.
i had a standard imp later on a mini estate brilliant wee town cars.
the imp had an 875cc engine as standard
Had a new1985 Renault Encore 1.4 L, 4 Spd, 3 door. Beige.
Winter time, had traction to spare.
48mpg normal driving, 52mpg when I tried for more.
Only option was an AM radio.
@ revolutionpm
in fact, this was a Nissan. Very efficient though.
I think the Tata Nano is the cutest and most stylish of all. If they could put a few extra features and still sell it for around $2000 it would be a winner for all those (like me) who cannot afford to buy a new car.
Early 70s, 200 plus miles to travel. 1 Reliant Rebel, 2 adults, 5 kids and a dog. What were we thinking...
Mini cooper roadster
You missed the French Simca made by Chrysler/Simca. We sold them in the US in the 1960s. They were a water-cooled rear engine, 4-door sedan with lots of rear seat leg room and a front trunk like the VW beetle. I owned two of them. One was a 1965 and one was a 1966. Often not sold by Chrysler dealers, but from independent used-car dealers who got the franchise. You can still see them in a lot of foreign films, especially in France.
I got some good laughs looking at these vehicles. What on earth were those disgners thinking?
Still waiting on the Elio to come out!!!
Good Luck waiting for the Elio
Crosley ? Austins ? Trivette, Elio and Solo are rolling coffins.
I thought I would be the only one who would remember the Crosley. I learned to drive on a 1952 station wagen
Love it!!
A friend had one of those Honda cars back in the 70s. That thing was so cool. It flew. One night him and another guy put it in the back of his El Camino to see if it would fit. It did. They just picked it up.
My brother worked with a guy that had one of those Minis. He had these cool little chrome reverse wheels on it. I think they were no bigger than 12” tires on those. It looked like a little slot car.
Forgotten, is the Sub-Ository, one cylinder, sleek contour and Teflon coated surface. You do not 'drive' it: you 'wear' it. Before buying, you need a prescription.
What ever happened to the ELio Motors E1c car?
I was disappointed to not see the Crosley Hotshot, but even more the Suburu 360, It took almost a decade, but I rode in both sedan models, the van and the pickup, The engine was very easy to access on the pick up, it was set into the back of the truck bed. I was in a junk yard in Kansas in the late 70's, the owner drove me out to look for a part for a Hillman Minx in the Suburu360 pick up, the starter didn't work, the owner started it with his belt,(around the generator pulley.)
So what is the difference between weight and kerb weight ?
Had to laugh at the pronunciation of the BMC mini designer, Alec 'Issoganis' It's Issi - go - nis .
Indeed!
any micro-car fan should visit the Lane Motor Museum, in Nashville.
From my understanding many of the Bruce Weiner Micromusem cars are now there/
They nave dozens of micro cars in addition to European pre WWII. ( my favorite of these are the Tatras)
There you can find peel 40 and Trident among others, but my favorite is the 1951 Hoffman, a three wheeler that steering included movement of the entire engine, so dangerous that ralph nader would have had a stroke if he was aware of it
Thanx for the tip, but the Tatra was far removed from being a small ar.
The Mini is just a Mini. The Mini Cooper was a special edition of the Mini developed by John Cooper with a larger capacity race tuned engine. The standard Imp had an 875 cc engine but a 998 cc version was used in some variants.
You forgot the BMW that pioneered the front opening door as per your NO. 1...
Thanks for showing the Trivette. I drove it for a day; price too high and not thrilled with the Fiat motor (having owned a Fiat 500). BTW, it's pronounced "Try ... Vet" (3-wheeled "Corvette" ... not quite, but that was the notion. It was fast "off the line" ...
The mini was not designed by Alec Is-sogga-nis. It's pronounced Alec Issy-go-niss with the "go" part being the emphasised syllable. He was an engineering genius of Greek extraction (hence the difficult to pronounce surname) who lived in England.