- For the modified American sedans also called "bubbles", see Hi-Riser (automobile).
A BMW Isetta 300
A Messerschmitt Kabinenroller KR 200
.jpg){kind=link}
A Peel Trident
Bubble car is a subjective term used for some small, economical automobiles, usually produced in the 1950s and 1960s.[1][2]
Varieties[]
The Messerschmitt KR175 and KR200, and the FMR Tg500, had aircraft-style bubble canopies, giving rise to the term bubble car to refer to all these post-war microcars. Isettas and others also had a bubble-like appearance.
Bubble cars became popular in Europe at that time as a demand for cheap personal motorised transport emerged and fuel prices were high due in part to the 1956 Suez Crisis. Most of them were three-wheelers, which in many places qualified them for inexpensive taxes and licensing as motorcycles.
Most bubble cars were manufactered in Germany, including by the former German military aircraft manufacturers, Messerschmitt and Heinkel. Automobile and motorcycle manufacturer BMW manufactured the Italian Iso Rivolta Isetta under licence, using an engine from one of their own motorcycles. France also produced large numbers of similar tiny vehicles called voiturettes, but unlike the German makes, these were rarely sold abroad.
The United Kingdom had licence-built right-hand drive versions of the Heinkel Kabine and the Isetta. The British version of the Isetta was built with only one rear wheel instead of the narrow-tracked pair of wheels in the normal Isetta design in order to take advantage of the three-wheel vehicle laws in the United Kingdom. There were also indigenous British three wheeled microcars, including the Trident from the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man.
The introduction of the Austin Mini in 1959 is often credited with bringing about the demise of the bubble car. The Mini provided four adult seats and more practical long distance transport often at a lower cost.
See also[]
- Some well known Manufacturers
- Citroën Prototype C
- FMR Tg500
- Fuldamobil
- Heinkel Kabine
- Isetta
- Messerschmitt KR175
- Messerschmitt KR200
- MIT Car
- Peel P50
- Peel Trident
- Peugeot BB1
- Reliant Robin
- Tata Nano
- Trojan
- Velorex
References[]
External links[]
- The Bubble Car Museum A Museum of Bubble cars in England
- The Micro Maniacs - the UK's largest multi-make bubblecar and microcar club
- The Australian Microcar and Scooter Club
|
This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Bubble car. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons by Attribution License and/or GNU Free Documentation License. Please check page history for when the original article was copied to Wikia |
 |
This Car-related article is a stub. You can help Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki by expanding it. |