With the inspiration to create a clean, quiet, and graceful vehicle, a Hungarian design team at Schwinn Csepel Zrt challenged the conventional chain-driven bicycle with a rope-and-pulley- driven system.
Born in France in 1923, André Morin’s passion for engineering and design was unmistakable, even at a young age. As a teenager, Morin was already designing small aircraft, often selling his hand-drawn plans.
A.B.C. began producing motorboat and airplane engines prior to World War I, and by the early 1910s, they began producing engines for motorcycles and cyclecars. By 1920, they formed a new company called A.B.C. motors to make airplane engines, motorcycles, and a new light car.
The “L-Category” is a class of cars and mopeds in France that can be driven without a driver’s license. This new category called sans permis (without license), began in the mid 1970s, and ACOMA became a large manufacturer of these modern microcars, taking 30% of the market.
The Super Comtesse is an updated version of the Mini-Comtesse, which was famous for its instability. The Super Comtesse was produced eliminating the 3-wheel design, and used a conventional (and more stable) 4-wheel layout.
In 1880, Heinrich Kleyer founded a bicycle business and by 1900 he moved to automobiles. During World War I, Adler built trucks, transmissions for tanks, and airplane engines. By 1928 Adler, employed 6,000 and was making 60 cars a day in addition to commercial vehicles and bicycles.
The Adler Type 10 you see here typifies this trend. Introduced at the 1937 Berlin Motor Show, Adler’s fastback streamliner caused a sensation and was given the name “Autobahn Adler” referring to its cruising ability on Germany’s expanding motorway network.
Introduced in 1914, the Aero-Sled Company of Chicago, Illinois, marketed their propeller-powered vehicle as both a practical means of winter transportation and for the new winter sport, motorized ice-sledding!
Aixam is France’s largest Microcar manufacturer with about 40% of the French market. This particular Aixam is unique because it was made in India by the Indian scooter maker Kinetic.
The Alfa 2600 was Alfa Romeo's flagship car that succeeded the Alfa Romeo 2000. It is a significant car because it was the first Alfa to be powered by an inline 6-cylinder engine.
Introduced in 1972 and named after the Tipo 158 racing cars of 1939-1950, the Alfetta Saloon utilized a completely new drivetrain for production Alfa models.
Introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1966 to replace the aging Giulietta Spider, the Battista “Pinin” Farina-designed Spider was based on the Giulia 105 chassis.
The SZ, or Sprint Zagato, announced Alfa’s return to sporting cars after their acquisition by Fiat. Known internally as the ES-30 (Experimental Sportscar 3.0 liter), the SZ was the result of a collaboration between parent Fiat, Alfa, and the carozzeria Zagato.