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The Panhard Dyna X series of autos was quite a departure for Panhard et Levassor, maker of large luxury cars prior to WWII. Under the post-war Pons Plan, a directive from senior civil servant Jean-Marie Pons of the Ministry of Industrial Production, France realized that there were too many vehicle manufacturers to survive the new […]

Max Walker began manufacturing golf carts in Fowler, Kansas, in 1957. Recognizing the company needed a product that could be produced year-round as well as for wider markets, Walker released the Power Truck in 1962.The Power Truck featured front wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, a mid-mounted engine, and the unusual ability for the truck to be

The Peugeot 202 was the smallest car made by Peugeot in the pre-WWII era. It had a very stylish and somewhat streamlined body, and sales were very good, with over 100,000 cars produced in its 7-year production life. Another unique feature is that the headlights are set behind the radiator grill to give the body

Originally called ACL (Ateliers de Construction du Livradois, or Livradois Construction Workshops), Teilhol manufactured the Renault Rodeo, a plastic-bodied, light off-roader, similar to Citroën’s Mehari, from 1970 to 1987. The company branched out in 1972 with its first production model, the three-wheeled Citadine electric car. The Citadine looked very similar to BMW’s Isetta, although its front-opening door

Jeanneau, the parent company of Microcar, began as a builder of fiberglass pleasure boats, but soon turned to the production of sans permis microcars – cars small enough to not require many of the legalities of full-sized cars. Production began in 1980, with LeMans winner Jean Rondeau as technical advisor, and continues to the present

Ten years prior to the launch of Renault’s Espace people carrier, microcar company Marden debuted their Espace in 1975. Powered by either an electric motor or a Sachs 47cc engine, Marden’s Espace was marketed as a “luxurious” sans permis (no license needed) microcar. Advertisements of the day touted its plush seating, full carpeting, independent suspension,

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. Located in the southern Paris suburb of Villejuif, it

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. Hydraulic brakes were also added, and the vehicle size was increased, although this is still a one-passenger vehicle. The motor and

The Mitsubishi Minica is a Japanese domestic market (JDM) Kei Car. It began production in 1962, and remained in production until 2011, making the Minica Mitsubishi’s longest running model. In 1989 Mitsubishi introduced the 6th generation Minica seen here. Along with that model came an improved performance version called the Dangan ZZ. This is a