Cars

Beginning in the early 1950s, many amateur race cars were nothing more than a street car with some limited modifications. Competitors often drove their cars to the track, raced, and then drove the car home.

Saab began as developers of airplanes. After World War II, it was obvious that air transportation might not become commercially viable for decades. Saab began looking for an alternative product.

The Saab 96 was presented at a Stockholm press conference on February 17, 1960. It was well received and proved popular. The 96 was not completely new–you will notice the front was relatively unchanged from its predecessor the 93 (sitting in the competition car area). This model, the 96v4, received a new 4-stroke, 4 cylinder engine for the 1967 model year. The rear was extensively redesigned to incorporate a larger rear window, wider back seat, larger trunk, new fuel tank, and larger rear lights. An instant success, the 96v4 helped Saab to a 41% increase in sales in 1967, a year that overall car sales fell almost 10% in Sweden. The blue Saab wagon sitting next to this car is the same model but with a 2-stroke motor.

The Sonett was originally designed as a race car. The Sonett I was produced from 1955 to 1957, and only six were built. In 1966 Saab resurrected the Sonett and put it into production.

The Formula Monza series started in Italy in the late 1970s. It was a single seater racing class. The rules allowed for any motor less than 500cc. Also, the brakes and other driveline components had to be from a production car. This helped keep costs down.

It may seem hard to believe, but the manufacturer of the Scootacar also produced railroad locomotives.  The Scootacar was developed in 1957 by the Hunslet Engine Works of Leeds, Yorkshire, UK, by Henry Brown, using a Villiers two stroke engine.

SEAB (Societe d'Exploitation et d'Application des Brevet) was perhaps best-known as the manufacturer of the plastic bodies used on Citroën's Mehari, but they later became a manufacturer of vehicules sans permis, or "unlicensed" microcars - cars small enough to not require the legalities of full-sized autos.