The Scootacar - A Drivable Phonebooth

"Jonee" (Jonee) 09/26/2014 at 15:23 • Filed to: Scootacar, microcars

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The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is one of England’s oldest locomotive manufacturers. In 1957 they hired Henry Brown as new products manager. Brown’s previous venture was “designing” and building a microcar called the Rodley. It was maybe the worst car ever made.

Looking like a 5-year old’s drawing of a car, it was the cheapest 4 wheeled vehicle available at the time and featured a 750cc air-cooled twin in the fully enclosed engine bay in back. Of course an air-cooled motor needs air to, well, keep cool something the Rodley’s design inexplicably failed to take into account. It’s thought they built around 50 of them and most of them overheated and then burned like a new Ferrari. Somewhere 1 survives.

Still, when one of the directors at Hunslet’s wives wanted a car that was easier to park than her Jag, they turned to Brown since he was the only one with any kind of automobile experience. Microcars were a hot market in England in the late 50's and Hunslet figured why not toss their hat in the ring. Brown penned and built a prototype for a 4 wheeled microcar that again constantly overheated. I don’t know what the guy’s problem was, but he clearly had a blindspot in his car engineering skills. But, then he came up with a novel idea. He got a trusty Villiers 200cc single cylinder motor that powered many a British micro, put a chair over it and sat down. He then had an assistant draw a chalk outline on a board next to him and, voilá, he had designed a car.

It was a three-wheeler which meant it fell it the lowest tax bracket for motor vehicles, a big selling point in those days. The Villiers remained and the body was made of sturdy and light fiberglass. The body shell was made in two pieces, left and right halves for easy construction. It had a strong steel floor for rigidity.

The seating arrangement was unusual to say the least.

It was advertised as a covered scooter, which is pretty accurate. It even had handlebars instead of a steering wheel, but the rest of the controls were car-like. The Villiers made 8.5 horsepower giving it a top speed between 45 and 50. It went on sale in 1958 for £350. Even though Hunslet had only made trains, or maybe because of it, the Scootacar was quite well built and got good reviews. It wasn’t as crude as a Bond or Reliant and, as requested, its size and shape made for miraculous parking in crowded London. For some reason, though, Hunslet barely promoted the car and took it to no motorcycle shows which is where microcars always debuted.

Still, word got out and a few hundred were sold. After a year of production, Hunslet decided it needed a facelift which turned into almost a complete redesign.

Even though the original was fairly roomy inside for a car that small, they pushed the nose out to give it even more space for a much more comfortable interior.

It’s downright luxurious. The driver has a proper seat now and you can fit a full sized human in the back which I can vouch for as I’ve ridden in one.

As the 60's dawned, however, people were seeking out cars that looked more like real cars. Hunslet tried a “performance” version with a 324cc twin engine that was apparently a screamer relative to other microcars, but it was too expensive for what it was and Hunslet was back to building solely locomotives by ‘64 having not made any profit on Scootacars. At least that lady wasn’t struggling parking her Jaguar any more, though.

My favorite Scootacar story comes from when they were testing the car at a track in Belgium. Drivers were told to go as fast as they could. One guy, motorcycle trials rider John Wilkinson, took this to heart and was really hooning when he went off the paved track and hit a grassy bank. The nose of the Scootacar apparently dug in which caused the car to roll forward and onto its roof. Momentum kept it going and it performed a perfect somersault ending up on the wheels again when Wilkinson gunned it and finished his lap! That’s a heck of a trick. Despite looking unwieldy, they were actually quite stable which I noticed when I was in it. The center of gravity is low enough that it won’t tip and probably helps when you want to try acrobatics.

A great detail on the mark I cars was the badge which featured a little Scootacar.

There are a few here in the States. There’s a rough one about an hour from me here in southern California and that white mark II lives at the incredible Lane museum. I bet you could talk Jeff into trying some stunts with it.

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Cé hé sin > Jonee 09/26/2014 at 15:27

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In even more interesting news, Hunslet are still making steam locomotives.

505Turbeaux > Jonee 09/26/2014 at 15:30

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WANT

505Turbeaux > Jonee 09/26/2014 at 15:31

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this is such a dope badge

Jonee > 505Turbeaux 09/26/2014 at 15:33

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Are there any other badges that feature the actual car they're stuck on?

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/26/2014 at 17:05

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There sure has been:

They just added the wings on:

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/26/2014 at 18:38

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Of course. How could I forget? I wrote a little piece on Kleinschnittger a couple weeks ago.

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/what-can-you-f…

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/27/2014 at 02:49

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Awesome! Didn't see that piece but Kleinschittgers are epic. I notice you did tag quite some articles with 'Microcar', got something to read the next couple of days, thanks!

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/27/2014 at 03:11

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I think I did tag most of them "microcars." Enjoy.

I once met a guy who literally wrote the book on Kleinschnittgers. It's a great story.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/27/2014 at 04:21

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What book and WHERE DO I GET IT? An ex-colleague of mine had a Messerschmitt KR200, the looks on the faces of innocent bystanders when he drove through town were epic!

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/27/2014 at 11:58

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http://www.amazon.de/Kleinschnittge…

That's the book. It's in German and is no longer in print, but it's amazing and the pictures are great.

I've never had a Messerschmitt, but I've owned a few other microcars and they do get the best reactions. People who've never seen one before don't believe they're real.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/27/2014 at 16:49

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Ouch, 65 euro! That'll have to wait till christmas... The German language is no problem, I've done my graduation paper in Germany, speak it well and love everything about Germany (hence my German projects - this is just one of them).

A freaking FULDA??? Those Japanese are really nice but that FULDA!!!!!! Do you still have it? And man, that DAF! Bummer you sold it cause parts are never an issue over here (the Netherlands!).

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/27/2014 at 17:14

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It wasn't so much the parts with the Daf; I just had too many projects at that time (actually, I still do) and that car needed a total restoration. It's on my list to find another one some day as they're awesome little cars. The Fuldamobil is my treasure, so yes, I still have it. It still looks like that, too, but I'm slowly getting it done. It's an amazing machine and it took a lot of work to get it, so I'll never sell it. The day I finally get to drive it will be like having a child.

That's a great color for that Touring. Looks like you're really going all out.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/28/2014 at 04:18

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Haha, I hear you! Next to the Touring I've got a good & running 911 but that's not what I'd call a project anymore (the 911 on the picture of the yellow-lensed 911 isn't mine, mine is GP white), this one will never be sold either. Furthermore there is a '71 Fiat Dino 2400 Coupé which drivetrain will be overhauled when the Touring is ready. And I was planning on getting a Lenham GT (on the bottom of the article) but this one seems to good to be true history-wise so I'll probably let it pass.

I guess I'll be adding some French beauty first. Please keep us updated regarding that Fulda. If you'll need something from Germany just let me know: I'm there quite often, know it's car-culture and speak their language.

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/28/2014 at 13:39

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That's my kind of car collection. I've always been a huge fan of those Dinos, especially the coupe. That'll be a fun project. That Lenham is so cool. I've never seen one in person. There can't be many here in the U.S. I imagine the Austin mechanicals make it somewhat easy to work on. What French beauty? I love almost anything French. I'm fixing up and old Renault Le Car (5) to be my daily driver. Not really a beauty per se, but they're fun and people here think they're hilarious.

Thanks for the offer. It's always good to have car connections in Europe for something so rare. I'll let you know if there's something only the Germans can find for me. I'm going to do a Fulda post soon where I'll talk about my car. Good luck with your cars. You've inspired me to head out to the garage.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/29/2014 at 03:21

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The Coupé is better looking than the Spider IMO. The spider, although goodlooking, is too curvy. That Lenham should be pretty easy, it's just an Austin-Healey Sprite chassis and all other parts with another body mounted. And that was the problem with this one: Seller claims it to be one of 2 never-finished factory cars but this claim cannot be verified anywhere. Which makes it probably no more than a Sprite with a ( even nowadays available ) bodykit. And then the seller's asking price is way off.

French beauty? I MUST OWN AN ALPINE V6 LE MANS OR AN A110 IN THE END. But those ones are a bit out-of-reach. So I'm thinking about an A310. Or if I ever run into one a CG 1200s. Maybe a 205 GTI. Or a Simca 1200 Coupé. Or maybe even a simple Simca 1000. A Matra Bagheera or Murena could also be an option, the list of French beauties is endless. It just depends on what good project comes along (and what my budget at that moment is). That R5 of yours is great, we had lot's of awfully quick versions (mostly 2nd gen) of that over here but I probably don't have to tell you this. First car I ever got puller over in by the police was an '86 R5 GT Turbo so fond memories!

Remember to post an oppoproject post about your Fulda. Due to the time-difference and the huge amount of posts something is overlooked quickly and this way I'll know where to find it. And the offer to help out also concerns Dafjes of course if you ever get one again!

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/29/2014 at 12:17

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A Simca 1200 coupe would look real nice in my garage, too. I love that car.

You'll be one of the first people I contact if I find another Daf. There actually was a guy in New Jersey who had probably the largest collection of Dafs in the U.S. that was selling off his cars. He had a pickup that really caught my fancy. I should see if he still has it.

Keep an eye open for my Fulda post. One day this week I'll put it up.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/29/2014 at 16:14

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Or... You could get this one shipped over to the US:

That's right, a 66 YA. I know several for sale, from projects to clean ones.

Keep up the good work!

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/29/2014 at 16:31

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Amazing. Living in L.A., that is the Daf I should have, actually.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Jonee 02/16/2016 at 12:11

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If I had one of those, I’d drive it everywhere, all the time. I love it!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Jonee 02/16/2016 at 14:13

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I kind of like this car, truth be told. Not sure how well it would fare in NTSA crash testing, but I’d mod it so it could breathe and then drive it around.

Jonee > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/16/2016 at 15:32

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It does have a certain rugged look to it. Like if Land Rover had decided to build a car. I’d love to see one driving around.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Jonee 02/16/2016 at 16:35

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Utilitarian, I’d say, rather than rugged. But fun.

Spoon II > Jonee 02/17/2016 at 00:28

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I really want one of those redesigned scootacars now. I also want to put a Scooty Puff Jr. sticker on the side, because Futurama