Microcar

This article is about small cars. For the French car manufacturer, seeMicrocar (brand).

1957Heinkel Kabinebubble car

2012Renault Twizyquadricycle

Microcaris a term often used for the smallest size ofcars,with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than 700 cc (43 cu in). Specific types of microcars includebubble cars,cycle cars,invacar,quadricyclesandvoiturettes.Microcars are often covered by separate regulations to normal cars, having relaxed requirements for registration and licensing.

Predecessors

Main articles:VoituretteandCyclecar

Voiturette is a term used by some small cars and tricycles manufactured from 1895 to 1910.

Cyclecars are a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive car manufactured mainly between 1910 and the late 1920s.

Europe 1940–1970: Microcars

The first cars to be described as microcars (earlier equivalents were called voiturettes or cyclecars) were built in the United Kingdom and Germany following World War II, and remained popular until the 1960s. They were originally called minicars, but later became known as microcars.

Francealso produced large numbers of similar tiny vehicles calledvoiturettes,but they were rarely sold abroad.

Characteristics

Microcars have three or four wheels, although most were three-wheelers which, in many countries, meant that they qualified for lower taxes and were licensed asmotorcycles.Another common characteristic is anengine displacementof less than 700 cc (43 cu in),although several cars with engines up to 1,000 cc (61 cu in) have also been classified as microcars.Often, the engine was originally designed for a motorcycle.

History

Microcars originated in the years followingWorld War II,whenmotorcyclestransport was commonly used.To provide better weather protection, three-wheeled microcars began increasing in popularity in the United Kingdom, where they could be driven using only a motorcycle licence.One of the first microcars was the 1949Bond Minicar.

Microcars also became popular in Europe. A demand for cheap personal motorisedtransportemerged, and their greaterfuel efficiencymeant that microcars became even more significant when fuel prices rose, partly due to the1956 Suez Crisis.

The microcar boom lasted until the late 1950s, when larger cars regained popularity.The 1959 introduction of theMini,which provided greater size and performance at an affordable price, contributed to the decline in popularity of microcars.Production of microcars had largely ceased by the end of the 1960s, due to competition from theMini,Citroën 2CV,Fiat 500andRenault 4.

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  1952–1958SMZ S-1L
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  1955–1964Messerschmitt KR200
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  1959–1962BMW Isetta
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  1962–1965Peel P50

Bubble cars

"Bubble car" redirects here. For the British rail vehicle, seeBritish Rail Class 121.

Several microcars of the 1950s and 1960s were nicknamedbubble cars.This was due to the aircraft-style bubble canopies of vehicles such as theMesserschmitt KR175,Messerschmitt KR200and theFMR Tg500.Other microcars, such as theIsetta,also had a bubble-like appearance.

German manufacturers of bubble cars included former military aircraft manufacturersMesserschmittandHeinkel.BMWmanufactured the ItalianIso RivoltaIsettaunder licence, using an engine based on one from one of their own motorcycles.

TheUnited Kingdomhad licence-built right-hand-drive versions of theHeinkel Kabineand theIsetta.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 thePeel Trident.

Examples include theCitroën Prototype C,FMR Tg500,Fuldamobil,Heinkel Kabine,Isetta,Messerschmitt KR175,Messerschmitt KR200,Peel P50,Peel Trident,SMZ S-1L,Trojan 200,andKleinschnittger F125.

Worldwide 1990–present

Recent microcars include the 2001Aixam5xx series,Renault Twizy,Citroën Ami,andXEV Yoyo.

Electric-powered microcars which have reached production include the 1987CityEl,the 1990Automobiles ERADSpacia, the 1999Corbin Sparrow,the 2001REVAi,the 2005Commuter Cars Tango,the 2009Tazzari Zeroand the resurrectedPeel P50of 2011 (the original model of 1962 - 65 being petrol powered).

TheSmart Fortwois often called a microcar in the United States;although it requires a regular licence to drive.

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  Squad Solar,aNeighborhood Electric Vehicle
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  TheCommuter Cars Tango,8 ft 5 in (257 cm) long and 39 in (990 mm) wide

Quadricycle legislation

Main article:Quadricycle (EU vehicle classification)

The European Union introduced the quadricycle category in 1992. In several European countries since then, microcars are classified by governments separately from normal cars, sometimes using the same regulations asmotorcyclesormopeds.Therefore, compared with normal cars, microcars often have relaxed requirements for registration and licensing, and can be subject to lower taxes and insurance costs.

Junior cars

Roland and Jean Bugatti in their Baby Bugattis

Junior cars are motorized cars for children, typically copies of real designs. Originally powered either by electric engines or small internal combustion engines, electric engines currently dominate. From the 1926Baby Bugattiuntil today, junior cars are often as expensive as a real car and are built to a higher standard than a ride-in toy car. As with the Bugatti, these are frequently sold directly by real car manufacturers such as Porsche and Ferrari. In the 1990s Aston Martin built a half-scale junior car version of the then-newAston Martin Virage Volante,with a handmade aluminium body, leather interior, and 160-cc Honda engine. It cost as much as a brand newMercedes-Benz 190E.

Manufacturers includePocket Classics,theLittle Car Company,Eshelman,andHackney.

Microcar trucks

There are also a variety of microcar trucks, usually of the "forward control" or van style to provide more cargo room. These might be used for local deliveries on narrow streets that are unsuited to larger vehicles. ThePiaggio Apeis a three-wheeled example.TheHonda Actyis a four-wheeled example.

Microcars by country of origin

Main article:List of microcars

See also

• Car classification
• Economy car
• Kei car
• Neighborhood Electric Vehicle
• Velomobile