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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 was […]

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 significant

René Panhard and Emilé Levassor built their first car in 1890, amid-engined, back-to-back horseless carriage. The following year, they built what many consider to be the first modern car, in terms of architecture: front mounted engine, clutch mounted between the engine and gearbox, and a driven rear axle. Almost all automobiles would follow this layout for

The car seen here is one-of-one; it was designed, built, and raced by Frazier Sibbald, George Olsen, and Howard Bliss, all of California. Sibbald was the racer, Olsen the designer (he went on to build groundbreaking racing sailboats and founded a surfboard company) and it is believed that Bliss was the engineer and fabricator. Being