The Larmar holds the claim to be the world's narrowest car. At 2 ft., 4 in. wide, it was designed to pass through a standard gate that was 2 ft., 6 in. wide. That's pretty close, as it only leaves 1 in. clearance on either side.
Aldin “Red” LeGrand started out building a formula race car for himself and three friends in the late 1950s. The car was so successful in competition, Red started a business designing and building race cars.
Marcel Leyat was a degreed engineer who designed, built, and flew his first airplane in 1909. Leyat developed the belief that propeller-driven vehicles were the wave of the future, and in 1913, built his first propeller-driven car.
The 1907 trainer was lost to history at some point, and the only thing that remains of it are three pictures (two of which you see here). Mirko Hrazdira was able to take these three pictures and build this accurate replica in 2011.
In post-WWII Europe, Communist Czechoslovakian cars were a rare commodity. Most people rode motorcycles and bicycles since most of the population simply could not afford a car.
This tiny traditional-style sports car was conceived mainly with hill-climbing in mind. Hill-climbing is a popular motor sport in Great Britain and entails vehicles traveling up a steep hill against the clock.
Guy Ligier, a successful French racing driver and rugby player, built his own sports car--the Ligier JS–and showed it at the Paris Salon in 1970. Ligier then went on to found his own Formula 1 racing team which he owned from 1976 to 1996.
After World War II, Carl Borgward started Lloyd as a lower-priced alternative to the higher-end Borgward family of cars. Lloyd’s first car, the LP 300, was introduced in 1950.
This rugged 4-wheel drive vehicle was built for the French military. It is lightweight and intended for use by airborne troops. A large cargo plane can carry and launch six;a helicopter, one.
Lotus Cars, founded by the late Colin Chapman, was a racing car manufacturer that also built road cars, such as the Esprit and Elite. Chapman was the engineer, and a group of committed staff made his ideas come to life.
The Lotus Elise premiered in Frankfurt in 1995 as a roadster with go-kart handling. It is perfectly suited to Lotus’ heritage: small, light, fast, advanced, race-tuned, and classically styled.
The Elite was Lotus’ first attempt at a mainstream four-seat road car, succeeding the Elan Plus 2, but using much of that car’s underpinnings. Lotus touted the controversial design to be “The Shape of Things to Come.”
