This years GPNW Microcar Extravaganza was huge fun. It is hard to believe two weeks have passed since the big event. The weather held out for the better, and 48 Micro-Mini cars attended. I want to personally thank everyone for coming and making it happen. This years multi-day event held at the McMenimans Grand Lodge hotel provided an elegant back drop for all the unique little cars, and great fun for the guests who stayed.
The Forest Grove News-Times did an article: Click Here
All the dramatic pictures can be found in the album Here
If you were flying Delta in the last month and happened to browse through the May issue of “SKY” magazine in the seat pocket in front of you, you may have found this little trend-watch comparison chart on…Microcars!
Who would have thunk it? Microcars are trendy now and worth watching?
Listed from smallest to largest :
Smart ForTwo 106″
BMW Isetta 112″
“new” Fiat 500 117″
Toyota IQ 117.5″
TATA Nano 122″
BMW MINI 145″
yeah, many are just small cars, but apparently any modern small car is a microcar according to the media…at least they stuck an Isetta in there for reference. click the pic to see it larger if you want
Micros In Madison 2009 and The National Meet of The Vintage Microcar Club is over.
A bit o’rain did not seem to make any difference, when it rained, people just went under numerous canopies or in the barn and continued until it stopped. The only thing dampened by the rain were the late night campfires.
415 people Registered
96 Microcars Registered (that showed up)
25 smarts of all variety Registered (that showed up)
Winners of People’s Choice awards include: “smartest”: Sue Shelton of GA “smartest guy in the room”: Leonard Ingle for his 2002 smart “glider 3rd place Microcar: Kerry & Linda Erendson’s 1965 Scootacar MK II 2nd place Microcar: Burt Richmond’s 1956 Fiat Abarth Zagato Double Bubble coupe 1st place Microcar: Wayne Parrish’s 1956 King Midget III Prototype Best of Show: Buster Tankersly’s 1949 Bantam
The current issue of CAR & DRIVER magazine has a small “featurette” about Chuck Miller’s Isetta cabrio that he refurbished with a Taxi motif.
Not much more to it than that. A pic of Chuck, the car and how he got it for $1500 13 years ago from someone.
Does anyone from the BostonNew Boston MI area ever see this car driving around? I’ve certainly never seen it at Gould’s in all the years I have been there.because he is not in Boston MA! (duh! thanks to JW for actually reading the featurette and making the correction)
This amazing one-off creation by Perry Watkins of the UK takes a quad bike and some sort of toy version of Postman Pat’s Van and makes a driveable vehicle that Perry can barely fit into. Watching it on the road is just hilarious.
Perry says “Watch out Peel P50″ as he thinks it should now qualify as “World’s Smallest Car” but I am pretty sure the Guiness Book of World Records classifies the P50 as “world’s smallest *Production* Car. Also, I think the thing has to be able to be registered and licensed for road use. None the less, it is an impressive achievement, it is about HALF the size of a Peel P50!
note: sometimes this video will not work for people viewing OUTSIDE the UK. sorry, don’t complain here, it is the BBC…
The New York Daily News decided that Vintage Microcars warranted an “above the fold” teaser on the Saturday Edition. A full “story” appeared inside on Page 7.
After this issue hit the newstands people came in through the front door of the Javits Center and went RIGHT to the Peel P50,
usually with kids towing their parents and pointing “There it is! There it is! The World’s Smallest Car!”
The Largest Auto Show in the United States and we are right inside the main entrance.
We have a 1962 Messerschmitt Kr200 from Gary Sonnenschein, a 1965 Peel P50 from The Lane Motor Musuem, a 1956 BMW Isetta from Jim Janecek and a 1958 Vespa 400 from Larry Newberry.
The above photo was taken before people started coming in, later it looks like this, only more crowded:
The exhibit is just mobbed with people constantly.
This time the 2 most annoying questions are: “Are these street Legal” and “How much is that?”(referring to the Peel)
Earlier in the day we were asked to participate in the Opening Day Ceremonies which involved a PR stunt.
The NY Auto Show opens with a PR stunt of some sort so that the local news shows up to cover it. This year they had a “Strongman Competition” where they were pulling a “train” of 10 KIA Soul cars.
As a gag, they brought out a Microcar at the last minute and had it compete against a couple other Auto Show staff who actually tried to pull just one car. How many Union Carpenters and Decorators do you think it takes to push a Peel P50 into place and then hide it under some black fabric?
The Peel P50 was surprisingly easy to pull for some reason.
Here is a behind the scenes video of the prep involved for Opening Day Ceremonies (2 minutes)
Otherwise, look for it on Speed Channel. (the entire episode is not available for download at this time and the DVD for 2009 season probably will not come out until the 2010 season starts.)
Also- dates for MicroSouth 2010 are not yet available, so if that is what you are looking for, please check the MEETS page at Microcar.org for updates and information as it becomes available.
27 Vintage Microcars from the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum are on display in a 9000 square foot area of the Atlanta Auto Show at the World Congress Center. (also present are new cars from Toyota, Mercedes etc….meh, who cares about those?)
The Club was there this weekend to chat up Microcars with people, look! they put us right next to Mercedes!
Most often repeated question: “Are these things street legal”?
Best comment so far: “Are these the first cars ever made?”
The show is open to the public and runs through Sunday March 22.
More info: www.ajcautoshow.com
Here is a short video that just appeared on GOOD DAY ATLANTA:
Check out the “official” Ripley’s video below.
They talk about how rare it is and how it gets great gas milage but that “this one is electric”.
I am pretty sure this car is a replica that was built for a TV show last year (no, not the blue one that was on Top Gear)
another film crew “needed” one that could be driven indoors and the original 2-stroke motor threw out too much smoke, making it electric drive solved that problem. I am waiting for confirmation from the person that provided the car before posting my speculations but I am pretty sure this is the car they used.
Update: the car was purpose-built for Ripleys Museum.
“A Prize of Gold” starring Richard Widmark was released in October of 1955
He manages to get his Jeep stolen and has to rent a Messerschmitt KR175
to get around post WWII Germany.
This film has never been released on VHS or DVD that I can find, but it does very occasionally pop up on TV, on the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) channel on Cable. Horray for TIVO. It found this and automatically recorded it for me.
Here are ALL the segments that feature the KR175 driving around.
What “Roman Holiday” was for the Vespa, this film was for the Messerschmitt.
Watch how he handles opening and closing the canopy *OUCH*!
Also- listen for his references to the KR175: “I’ve got a car here …well, its sort of a car”,“We’re really too young to die like this” and “OK, more thrill rides!”
I have no more anecdotes about this, if you spot something worth noting,
please leave a comment below.
Check out the “official” Ripley’s video below.
