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The Trabant P 70 was the first people’s car made in East Germany after WWII.  The body of the P 70 is made of Duraplast, which is a mixture of fabric and resin that is pressed into a mold.  This method of manufacturing was much more economical than making the bodies out of fiberglass.  The […]

The International Motor Company of San Diego introduced the Towne Shopper to the world in December of 1947. The little car weighed 600lbs and promised to sell for $600. It was claimed to go 50mph and get 50 mpg. Now ready for production, the newly-renamed Harvey Towne Shopper was to be the postwar housewife’s best

The T602 Tatraplán Sport was created by Tatra for the 1949 Czechoslovak Grand Prix. It was based on the T600 Tatraplán, which was a continuation of the pre-WWII T77 and T87 models designed by the legendary engineer Hans Ledwinka. The T602 was driven by veteran racing driver Bruno Sojka and even though it finished in

After World War II, Tatra found itself stranded behind the Iron Curtain.  Hans Ledwinka was accused of collaborating with the Nazis and was imprisoned from 1945-51.  The T600 was introduced at the 1947 Prague Auto Salon. After World War II, Tatra’s chief designer was Julius Mackerly.  He used many elements of the T87 to design

When Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939, the German military dictated the output of Tatra factories.  Before you is an interesting project that was designed for war use only.  The German military wanted Tatra to develop a vehicle that could move people across the vast snowy plains of Russia.  Tatra began work on the Aerosled in

In 1931, Tatra introduced the T57 model, with the air-cooled, four cylinder, overhead valve engine placed in front.  The T57 was one of Tatra’s most popular models – four series were produced.  It remained in production until 1949.  The T57 was a faster and more powerful version of the T12.  By adding two cylinders, Tatra

The Tatra T11 was the first car made entirely by Tatra in 1923. The T11 was famous for its robust and innovative designs which featured an air-cooled engine and swing axle rear suspension. The T11 was designed by Hans Ledwinka who was one of the most original and logical designers to work in the motor

Mort Smit was a Subaru 360 enthusiast that built this special car he called “Peanut”.  Mort retired and converted an old Greyhound bus into a motor home to travel in.  He wanted to have a car to drive when he was parked at different campgrounds, but did not want to tow a car behind the

In 1999 the smart City Coupe was introduced in Europe.  This small 2-seater car was designed to be used in heavily-populated urban areas.  Smart decided in 2000 to expand its line of cars, and showed a concept of the smart Roadster at the 2000 Paris Motor Show.  Smart Roadster production finally started in 2003, and