micro car?

[Erich]

Tony Griffiths, thanks for posting a photo of the Invacar. I had never seen one but heard about them because I had a Greeves Griffon for a time. Vancevr the early small basic cars in the early 20th century were referred to as cycle cars in the UK and voiturette in France. The GN was one of the more popular one in the UK. They were fairly basic, often cycle motors, steering by bobbin and wire, chain drive. I might guess that the micro car, as others have said, is a post WW2 invention like the famous Mini. Of course, even micro cars are bigger than the Peel 50, so I don't know what category that would fit in.


Erich in Mukilteo

[Andy Bennett]

A Peel 50 makes an Austin 7 look big...


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[Henry Harris]

My favourite GN pic. Apparently it's a 1913 model.

   

[Dave Mann]

The one thing all the micro cars do is demonstrate the lack of climate change thinking by manufacturers and government.

[Paul N-M]

Gosh! Has Jason Plato been arround that long. Mind you he is starting to show his age now. Dosn't seem to slow him down much though.

[Steve Clare]

Some years ago, I had a Grahame-White cyclecar. Talk about skin of the teeth motoring! 
My friend Dick Makin of Rudge motorcycle fame, helped me to make a clutch device for the chain driven dog gears. This is a death trap he said, you will drive this once and it will be gone. I persevered, and on my maiden journey, one of the brakes disintegrated on a slope. (rear brakes only). It was a very thin sheet of metal, with heavy canvas riveted to it, bearing on a miniscule bronze drum. I survived, but Dick was right, off it went to one of the cyclecar fraternity, who have bigger balls than I have.
The Austin Seven is enormously civilized in comparison, it's well engineered, and had obvious appeal to motorcycle combination pilots, especially second hand, who were able to keep the girlfriend in comfort when motoring, without bankrupting themselves.
I imagine the films are still on you tube if anyone's interested- type in Grahame White nut.
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[mopetta]

Usually, the term "microcar" is used for post WW2 cabin scooter. Companies like Heinkel or Messerschmitt were no longer allowed to act in their core business of arms, so the started to build small vehicles. I bought my first Isetta in 1999 and started to the Nordkapp Rally some months later. Those cars are so much fun, over the last twenty years, I have had a couple of Messerschmitts , a Brutsch Mopetta and now driving a swiss made Belcar - certainly one of the worst cars ever built :-)

   

   

   

[Tony Griffiths]

My favourite GN pic. Apparently it's a 1913 model.

What a great picture! Thanks for posting it.

[Tony Press]

Usually, the term "microcar" is used for post WW2 cabin scooter. Companies like Heinkel or Messerschmitt were no longer allowed to act in their core business of arms, so the started to build small vehicles. I bought my first Isetta in 1999 and started to the Nordkapp Rally some months later. Those cars are so much fun, over the last twenty years, I have had a couple of Messerschmitts , a Brutsch Mopetta and now driving a swiss made Belcar - certainly one of the worst cars ever built :-)



Not heard post WWII little 'cars' being called MicroCars, this name came later I am sure- weren't they called BubbleCars ?

   


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This is my prototype Zeta Sports Coupe when new

   


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These were pictures taken much later after I sold it but before the FMR engine was unfortunately taken out to be used in a Messershmitt Tiger 

[Bob Culver]

With a GN like that I think I could also muster a smile, the steering arrangement notwithstanding. Presumably disturbingly faster than a stock  Seven.
The baby has a curiously photo shopped look, but maybe the photo aged selectively.