Photo – RM Auctions
The three-wheeled Velorex Oskar was built in Czechoslovakia (in the city of Hradec Králové, modern-day Czech Republic). Production ran from 1954 through 1971, which is kind of a long time for a little cloth-covered car like this. The engine is a Jawa-sourced 249cc two-stroke single-cylinder making nine horsepower. Top speed is 52 mph. You can read more here.
Update: Sold $12,650.
You can kind of see it, but this car was actually built around a motorcycle sidecar. It was built by Carl Jurisch of Altdorf, Germany. From 1957 through 1959, he turned out three examples: one red and two blue. This is the only one known and it has a 173cc single-cylinder making 9.5 horsepower. Top speed is 54 mph. Read more here.
Update: Sold $103,500.
Photo – RM Auctions
Bruce Weiner, the undisputed king of microcars, is selling off most of the cars in his museum. That’s about 200 cars – all of them tiny, rare and really fun. There are, seemingly, about a hundred I want to feature but there’s no way will I have time – especially with all the fun in Arizona approaching in January. So, instead, every Monday (or at least, we’ll try to make it every Monday) we’ll feature about 10 cars from this one-of-a-kind collection.
First up is this 1951 Atlas Babycar. These were built in France from 1950 through 1952. It uses a 170cc single-cylinder making 8.5 horsepower (yeah, you better get ready for a lot of lawn-mower-esque power ratings). It will do 37 mph and it is one of two in the world. More info can be found here.
Update: Sold $60,375.
Update II: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2017, $30,250.
Photo – RM Auctions
So is it coming or going? Looking at the Zündapp Janus directly from the side makes it difficult to tell. The Janus was the only car Zündapp ever built, although they made plenty of motorcycles. In production for 1957 and 1958 only, 6,902 were made – a testament to the size and production capacity of Zündapp at the time. It’s one of the the muscle cars of the group featured today, making 14 horsepower from it’s 248cc single-cylinder. Top speed is 49 mph. Fun fact: the villain in the Pixar film Cars 2 is a Zündapp Janus. Only a few are left. Read more here.
Update: Sold $51,750.
If this Italian Mivalino looks a lot like a Messerschmitt KR-175, that’s because, essentially, it is. Metalmeccanica Italiana Valtrompio S.p.A. – or Mi-Val for short – was an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and in late 1953 they decided to build their own version of the Messerschmitt. They imported parts from Germany and threw their own engine in it and called it an original.
About 100 were built between 1954 and 1956 and about eight survive, this being the most original and complete, having covered less than 200 kilometers in its life. It was originally owned by an Italian family who also owned the oldest Ford dealership in Rome. The engine is a 171cc single-cylinder making 9 horsepower. It’ll do 55 mph and you can read more here.
Update: Sold $83,375.
Photo – RM Auctions
Another car of French origin, this Kover was actually made by the same company that produced the Atlas above. While its single-cylinder engine only displaces 125cc and only puts out 5.5 horsepower, it matches the Atlas’ speed of 37 mph. Only a few were made – and good luck fitting under that convertible top. More info can be found here.
Update: Sold $28,750.
Here’s a weird one. Built by a Frenchman, last name Grataloup, of spare parts he found. It’s kind of well put together, with the engine essentially under the driver’s seat, but exposed on the right side of the body. It’s a single-cylinder Villiers two-stroke of 247cc making 7.5 horsepower. It’s normal sized twin front wheels help it reach 52 mph. It’s the only one ever built and they aren’t even sure when it was built. The man just showed up with it one day at Citroen garage in France. Read more here and check out more of the collection here.
Update: Sold $34,500.
Photo – RM Auctions
The Peel Engineering Company is the only automobile manufacturer ever to be located on the Isle of Man. Unfortunately, that is still part of the U.K., so it won’t get its own section on our “Country of Origin” page. The Trident was the second car built by Peel and only about 45 were made, the last six of which used the 98cc one-cylinder engine making 6.5 horsepower. This is one of the last six built and has that engine. Horrifyingly, this car will do 46 mph. This example has spent most of its life in museums and is one of few extant. Read more here.
Update: Sold $103,500.
D.F.P. – which stood for Doriot, Flandrin & Parant – was a French automobile manufacturer in Courbevoie that was originally founded in 1906 by August Doriot and Ludovic Flandrin (former workers of Peugeot and Clement-Bayard, respectively). They produced cars using both their last names until Jules-René Parant joined the firm in 1908 and the company changed it’s name to D.F.P.
So this is obviously a rare car, having been made somewhere between 1906 and 1908 – the only years Doriot-Flandrin existed. This is an eight horsepower car, the larger of the two initial models offered by the company. It has a single cylinder of 1.1-liters.
D.F.P. lasted through 1926 but Doriot-Flandrin-badged cars are never seen. In fact, this might be the only one left in existence. The restoration is listed as “recent” and it looks good. The price should be between $19,500-$26,000. For more information click here. And for the rest of Osenat’s lineup, click here.
Update: Not sold.
Here’s another amphibious vehicle – although it’s much smaller than the Duck above. And it’s much rarer, being the only one in existence as the vehicle never entered production as it was “not fit for duty.” It could hold eight men or 1-ton of supplies and has two engines (of 14 horsepower each) and transmissions – one for each side/set of three wheels. This is also how it turned (operating them at different speeds), as you can see how close the wheels are to the body. Unpopular in 1940, this style would become more popular decades down the road on some ATVs. The estimate is $30,000-$50,000. More info here.
Update: Sold $47,500.