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The Gaudin microcar is a one-of-a-kind, designed and built by Monsieur Gaudin. a French plumber. This one-seater, three-wheeled car has its rear wheels driven by a chain. The body is mostly built with wood, only the roof and the front hood are steel. The chassis is built with welded square metal tubes. Monsieur Gaudin designed […]
Gaudin Homebuilt Microcar – 1985 Read More »
The Fiat 124 Spider was originally unveiled at the 1966 Turin Auto Show, starting a nearly two decade long production run. While Fiat provided the technical designs, the body was designed by the Italian car design firm and coachbuilder Pininfarina. Throughout the production run the 124 Spider was available with a variety of engines, starting
FIAT 2000 Spyder – 1979 Read More »
Due to a request for a light reconnaissance plane needed by the French resistance during WWII, Henri Mignet developed the HM.280. Only a prototype was completed. After the war, Mignet did publish the plans for a civilian version, the HM.290. After elongating the fuselage and tilting the firewall back, yet another redesign yielded the HM.293,
HM.293 “Pou Fou” – ca. 1988 Read More »
This ultralight airplane was considered during its time to be the lightest aircraft in the world, with an empty weight of only 145 lbs! It could be launched with a running start or towed by a car until it reached take-off speed. Like the Flying Flea, it is a stagger-wing biplane, and could be built
Butterfly Ladder Airplane – 1979 Read More »
In 1997, inspired by the design of Henri Mignet’s Flying Fleas and by Mignet’s philosophy of making flying accessible to the masses, French engineer Daniel Dalby conceived an idea for an inexpensive, homebuilt aircraft utilizing inherently light and strong aluminum ladders. The example seen overhead is actually made out of three ladders; one makes up
Dalby Pouchel “Ladder Flea” – 1999 Read More »
Driven by the need for post-war affordable transportation, BMW decided to supplement slow sales of their larger models with an inexpensive car. In 1955, BMW acquired the license from ISO (an Italian refrigerator company) to make this “bubble car.” As many as 3,925 Isettas were sold in the US. during 1958. But U.S. sales slowed
BMW Isetta 300 – 1957 Read More »
Created by Californian Jay Eitel, inventor of the cherry picker (the bucket truck), the Tapertail project began in 1941. Inspired by the streamlined Auto Union race cars of the 1930s, Eitel envisioned a rear-engine, aerodynamic car. His initial design was based on a midget racer, with a chassis similar to the belly tank lakesters of
Ford Tapertail – 1937 Read More »
The Lanham Sport Roadster project began in 1947 when Tom Lanham of Illinois, challenged by a friend, set out to build a custom roadster with his brother Bob. They used a mix of salvaged parts, including a 1933 Chevrolet frame, 1937 Plymouth axles, and a Studebaker engine. Tom’s time serving in the Korean War delayed
Lanham sport roadster – 1951 Read More »
The 1958 Fiat Abarth 750 Spider by Allemano is a rare Italian sports car built on a Fiat 600 Chassis and a distinctive roadster body by coachbuilder Allemano. It was designed for competitive racing but also delivers a stylish, agile driving experience for enthusiasts, highlighting Abarth’s tradition of improving small Fiat cars. The car uses
Fiat Abarth 750 Spider by Allemano – 1958 Read More »