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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. Even though it was a large car by Lotus standards, almost a foot longer and wider than anything offered before, it was still only the size and weight of a Chevy
Lotus Elite Type 75 – 1974 Read More »
Japanese company Fuji Heavy Industries is best known as the parent company of Subaru. Before they made cars, FHI was well-known for their line of scooters and motorcycles, including the Rabbit scooter. The little Go-Devil seen here was introduced in 1964 and was marketed as “just what you need, and nothing more”. The Go-Devil folds
Fuji Go-Devil – 1964 Read More »
The 2014 50th Anniversary Edition 911 was built by Porsche to commemorate the 911’s birthday, 50 years after its production launch in 1964. In homage to 1963, the year the 911 debuted at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show, production was limited to 1,963 units; the one seen here is #1480. This example is finished in
Porsche 911 50th Anniversary Edition – 2014 Read More »
The Volkswagen XL1 is a two-seat, limited production, diesel-powered plug-in hybrid that VW introduced in 2014. Volkswagen was developing PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) technologies, and wanted to test them in real-world scenarios. While 250 examples were reportedly built, only 200 were made available for sale to the public. The XL1 car was touted as
Volkswagen XL1 – 2014 Read More »
Dutch manufacturer Waaijenberg introduced this two-seat microcar, the Canta, in 1995. With its low step-in height and the availability of hand controls, the Canta was specifically created to ensure the independence of people with mobility restrictions. At only 44” wide, this car is narrow enough to be allowed to drive on bicycle lanes and pedestrian
Regrettably, little information is available regarding this electrically converted Citroën 2CV. The creator embarked on the endeavor using a 1977 2CV, retaining much of its factory design while removing the original engine to accommodate the electric motor and associated control systems. To power the electric motor and enhance front-to-rear weight distribution, a battery bank was
Citroën 2CV electric conversion – 1977 Read More »
While not a household name, Victor Bouffort (1912-1995) was a prolific French inventor of the mid-20th century. He began working as an aeronautics engineer in the 1930s, and decided to try his hand at designing automobiles after World War II. He is credited with designing several one-off microcars. The French military also commissioned Bouffort to
Valmobile Fold Away Scooter – 1950 Read More »
Victor Bouffort was known as a creative inventor, engineer, and developer of interesting vehicles and was a quizzical, forward-thinking man. He was commissioned by the French army just after World War II to develop small all-terrain Lohr vehicles that could be dropped from a parachute, thus the four-wheel drive Fardier was born. He also developed
Bouffort Three-wheeler Prototype – ca. 1950 Read More »
Following the introduction of the 850 Sedan in 1964, Fiat debuted the 850 Spider two-seater convertible in 1965 to compete with the MG Midget and Austin-Healey Sprite. While the Sedan and Coupe were styled and built in-house by Fiat, the Spider was designed and built by Fiat’s frequent stylist and carrozzeria (coachbuilder) Bertone. Famed stylist
Fiat 850 Spider – 1968 Read More »