by "Spoon II" (Spoon_II)
Published 06/02/2017 at 18:32
by "Spoon II" (Spoon_II)
Published 06/02/2017 at 18:32
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STARS: 5
If a Reliant Robin aimlessly wandered into a mad scientist’s shrink lab and got zapped straight to tiny town, the result might resemble the “Wee Bluey”.
This particular three-wheeled pokemon hails from 1971, and while the Scottish nickname was “Wee Bluey”, it was known properly as the AC Model 70. You might be thinking to yourself that the AC name sounds awfully familiar, and you’d be right. It’s the AC of AC Ace fame, the car that would later be transformed into the Shelby Cobra. You can feel the racing pedigree (more on that later).
All jokes aside though, the cute looks and small size actually hid a noble purpose: To provide mobility to the mobility-impaired. That’s right, this car was created to serve the disabled. A task that it completed with the help of the United Kingom’s National Health Service (NHS).
It turns out that the AC Model 70 was the most famous production model of a class of vehicles known as an Invalid Carriage. Simply put, an Invalid Carriage could be described as a road-going wheelchair. A predecessor to the modern modified minivan or car. The Invalid Carriage had a major advantage over a regular car though, because thanks to its size and legal allowances, some could be driven on not just standard roads, but sidewalks as well.
The AC Model 70 was produced under license from Invacar Ltd, with AC being just one of several companies licensed to do so. The Invacar company was founded in the late 1940's, after engineer Bert Greeves created a modernised Invalid Carriage for his paralysed cousin. He realised that his creation could be beneficial to the droves of injured military personnel and civilians from WWII, and the government of the United Kingdom agreed. In fact, they agreed to such an extent that the Invacar was provided to the disabled by the NHS via a lease, with all repairs and upkeep covered by the government. A program that kept Invacar production running until 1977, and resulted in 21,500 Invalid Carriages running around at the peak of the program.
Now, back to that racing pedigree. Originally, the AC Model 70 was offered with just a 147 cc Villiers engine, which probably provided the performance that you’d expect from a minuscule trike. However, in the early 1970s, the means of motivation received a step-up in the form of a 500 cc, or 600 cc, 4-stroke Steyr-Puch engine similar to that used in the Puch 500 city car. This resulted in a reported top speed of 82mph (132 kph). A speed that, when combined with the disabled-friendly handlebar steering/throttle/brake controls that were often designed to be operated by a single hand, probably could be classified as a suicide attempt. I couldn’t find any video of someone coming close to that speed, but I personally guarantee many high fives if someone wants to give it a go.
So, what happened to all of these little blue marvels? Even with production shuttering in 1977, many people kept on driving their tiny trikes right up until 2003. At that point, the UK government declared them unsafe, banned them from further road use, and instituted a scrapping program. The cars still in use were destroyed, along with all of the vehicles and spare parts that remained in government warehouses. Despite this, some still remain in the hands of both private collectors and museums. I don’t know about you, but I desperately want, nay need, to see a race between a bunch of these things!
P.S. If you dig the colour on this vehicle, it’s apparently known as “NHS Blue” after the National Health Service.
P.P.S. All pictures were taken in Glasgow’s amazing Riverside Museum. Definitely worth a visit!
"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
06/02/2017 at 18:44, STARS: 2
I just got so excited when I saw that picture because I knew exactly where you took it.
Riverside Museum is my jam. I love that place. I’m incredibly lucky that my work sends me to Glasgow all the time and that the museum is walking distance from where I stay in Finnieston. I really enjoy the Glasgow museums. I did Kelvingrove the last time I was there and only got about 1/5th of the way through.
The only critique of Riverside is that the layout makes essentially no sense at all.
"Spoon II" (Spoon_II)
06/02/2017 at 18:51, STARS: 0
Yeah, they have so much interesting stuff jammed in there! I have something like 200 pictures from wandering around the museum all day, so I’ll probably do a big photodump at some point. Man, totally jealous that you get to hang out in Glasgow all the time, I was just there for a wedding and I loved it.
Haha, that’s a fair critique. It’s like an explosion of things with wheels, and in some cases, hulls.
"Die-Trying" (die-trying)
06/02/2017 at 18:55, STARS: 0
the way those cars are mounted on the wall is pretty sweet, looks like someones wall at home.......
"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
06/02/2017 at 18:57, STARS: 0
Haha - did you see the enormous turbine cutaway? That thing is amazing.
Where do you normally reside? I’m in the Bay Area but get to do Glasgow and Singapore fairly regularly. Glasgow I’ve spent maybe 5 months of the last 2 years in. Every time I go, I fall a bit more in love. It’s a city with a bad rep (crime and weather), but whatever: the museums are great, I’ve good luck dating there, the highlands are close by for world class driving, and the people are nicest I’ve ever met. Many times I’ve given thought to moving there.
"Spoon II" (Spoon_II)
06/02/2017 at 18:57, STARS: 1
Haha, yeah, like a full-sized die-cast display! They have a wall of motorcycles like it too
"Spoon II" (Spoon_II)
06/02/2017 at 19:04, STARS: 2
Oh man, I don’t remember seeing that! Gives me an excuse to go back though!
I’m normally in St. John’s, Newfoundland, which is pretty much the home of fog, so the Scottish weather didn’t bother me at all. I agree, the people are amazing there, and I loved the layout of the city too. I think if I found a job opportunity in Glasgow, I’d definitely move. A few of my friends were there for years, and they can’t speak highly enough about the place.
"Svend" (svend)
06/02/2017 at 19:24, STARS: 1
In fact, they agreed to such an extent that the Invacar was provided to the disabled by the NHS via a lease,
A form of this still runs today called Motability.
Disabled persons amongst other benefits get what’s called (till recently) DLA, Disability Living Allowance, (now called PIP).
You can either agree to give all or most of the DLA to Motability and you will get a new car under lease terms effectively. Insurance, tyres, windows, etc... are all taken care of within the lease.
It’s a good scheme to keep people mobile.
"Spoon II" (Spoon_II)
06/02/2017 at 19:46, STARS: 1
That’s an awesome system, thanks for the info! It’s definitely improving people’s lives
"Jonee" (Jonee)
06/02/2017 at 20:53, STARS: 2
Earlier, AC made a civilian 3-wheeler called the Petite.
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/ac-petite-the-cobras-tiny-nephew-1630624518
"Spoon II" (Spoon_II)
06/03/2017 at 16:06, STARS: 1
That’s awesome, and nice write-up! I love learning about these little oddities
"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
08/12/2017 at 20:33, STARS: 0
