The Time Voisin Gave Spain Their Beetle - The Biscuter

"Jonee" (Jonee) 09/25/2015 at 11:40 • Filed to: Biscuter, microcars, Voisin

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At the end of WWII, Spain was pretty fucked up. People were starving, the economy was practically non-existent, it had little in the way of raw materials to rebuild itself after a decade of civil and then world war, and due to Franco’s affiliation with Hitler and Mussolini, it was ostracized and isolated. Much of Europe was struggling, but Spain was what we’d consider today to be a third world country. Franco had always wanted the country to be self-sufficient economically and now they had no other choice. Spain had never had much of an auto industry or market, but if the country was going to catch up to the rest of the world, personal transportation was going to have to be part of the process. But, what kind of car can you sell to a people who can barely feed themselves? A really, really cheap one, obviously.

Over in France, aviation and automobile pioneer Gabriel Voisin was thinking about the same problem for his war torn nation. Voisin is one of the most fascinating figures in transportation history. You may be familiar with his wild and luxurious pre-war cars, but he also built Europe’s first real powered aircraft as well as the world’s first airplane factory in 1906.

He was an obsessive tinkerer since he was a child. He and his brother Charles would build boats and apparently even guns out of scrap metal and Gabriel seemed to have natural talent as an engineer. In 1898 the two Voisins bought a three wheeled car with casino winnings and, when it soon broke down, Gabriel got to work improving it. A year later he had his own home-built 4-wheeler which he promptly destroyed when he ran over a pig. He then abandoned ground based transport until the end of WWI. During that war, the Voisin factory built around 10,000 combat aircraft for France and its allies.

But, then the airplane market dried up and so he turned back to cars starting with a humble licensed Citroen design before moving up to his own masterpieces of style. His designs were always unique and forward thinking. He liked angles and flat body panels and preached function over form even though the end results didn’t seem to reflect this.

Anyway, Avions Voisin is its own story and we’re going to skip to 1948. Gabriel had lost his company during the Occupation and was looking to start a new venture. He hooked up with airplane engine manufacturer Gnome & Rhone who liked his idea of a cheap car for the masses. They had dabbled in cars in the teens and now, like Voisin after the First World War, were looking to branch out from the plane business. So, Voisin designed a primitive looking, spartan aluminum bodied go-kart thing powered by a 125cc two-stroke.

It was as minimal as a car could be with almost no body to speak of and room for only two. It was kind of the GEM car of its day. It strongly resembled the early 2CV prototypes. This was no coincidence. André Lefèbvre, the 2CV’s chief designer, had worked for Voisin and learned everything his knew from Gabriel.

The primeval Biscooter did have some interesting engineering features like rack and pinion steering, independent coil spring suspension, and it was front wheel drive since with such a small engine and drivetrain that was simpler than sending power from front to back. It had a three speed, column shifted transmission with no reverse. It had a transmission brake in addition to drums on the rear wheels although apparently the transmission brake was useless. Gabriel called it the Biscooter since it was basically like two scooters side by side. It was presented at the 1950 Paris Motor Show and created quite a buzz.

It seemed like he was on to something, but Gabriel and Gnome & Rhone argued over the car’s sparse nature and only 16 ended up being built. By this time Mochet and a few other microcar makers had released cars, and 2CV and Renault 4CV production was ramping up, so there was no market in France for Gabriel’s Biscooter.

However, in 1953 a group of Spanish entrepreneurs approached him about building the cars in Spain where the little car’s minimalist design was perfect. The now 73 year old Voisin agreed to give them the license, and went to Barcelona to oversee production. The car was tweaked. It got more of a body and a larger 9 horsepower 197cc Villiers motor that gave it a top speed of 76 kph. They also Spanishized the name to Biscúter .

When it debuted at an industrial fair in late ’53 it was a sensation. The idea that Spain could produce a car was a cause for celebration. And its price of 25,000 pesetas was a quarter of what any other car on sale cost. By this time Spain was receiving aid from the U.S. in exchange for letting America build army bases in the country, so things were slowly beginning to improve. And now here was something that could get people mobile. Over 1,000 were sold in the first year making it the best selling car in Spain’s history. They kept improving the car’s design as they learned the ways of automobile production. It gained doors and some were made with wooden cargo areas for commercial use.

Spain’s economy continued to improve through the 50’s, but Biscuters kept selling. They quickly became part of the national fabric. They were nicknamed Zapatilla for the shoes that peasants wore that the car resembled. Folks began to use the expression “ugly as a Biscuter.” For most people, it was the first automobile they had ever owned.

In 1957 SEAT began production of their version of the Fiat 600. This was a real car that, with the improved economy, was still affordable and marked the beginning of the end for the Biscuter. They tried boosting sales by producing a “sport” Biscuter with a streamlined plastic body called the Pegasin because of its slight resemblance to the Pegaso Z-102, but since it was still powered by the same 9 h.p. Villiers no one was fooled and only a handful of Pegasins were built.

In 1959, Franco opened Spain’s borders to imports and Biscuter production came to an end. Around 12,000 were built in 6 years, an impressive number considering. After their demise, no one wanted to be seen in a Biscuter because of its association with difficult times and not many were saved. They’re considered national treasures today an very few have made it out of the country. Most of the ones that did went to the former Bruce Weiner museum in Georgia. When that collection was sold off, a few of its Biscuters managed to make it back home, but there’s one at the Lane in Tennessee. I got to drive that one when it was still in Georgia and it’s a blast. It really is like being in a go-kart and it was humbling to think that that was all the car the most fortunate could afford when it was new.

davedave1111 > Jonee 09/25/2015 at 11:44

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“ The primeval Biscooter did have some interesting engineering features like rack and pinion steering, independent coil spring suspension, and it was front wheel drive”

It wasn’t just front-wheel-drive, it was right-front-wheel-drive. As in just a single powered wheel. It would have had torque steer problems if it had any torque.

Berang > Jonee 09/25/2015 at 11:55

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This is one I’ve always wanted to drive. Aren’t these started by a lever? Or is it a kickstart or something else?

I’d be interested in a Seat 600/750 post too, if you’re planning one. The Fiat 500 gets all the glory because it is cute, but the 600 is really the car that had the biggest impact on the world - it needs more credit.

Jonee > Berang 09/25/2015 at 11:58

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It was pull start like a lawnmower, yeah. The later ones may have had a lever. It really is like driving a go-kart, but with a column shift.

Seat would be an interesting one to cover. I agree about the 600. It had much more of an international impact than the 500.

BobintheMtns > Jonee 09/25/2015 at 12:06

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Those Spanish microcars seem like they should be in one of those Richard Scarry books.....

Jonee > BobintheMtns 09/25/2015 at 12:15

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Totally. They were really fanciful little machines. You should check out this one that didn’t make it to production.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/dr-seusss-car-…

Jonee > davedave1111 09/25/2015 at 12:16

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Was that true for all of them do you know? I don’t remember the one I drove only having one powered wheel, but you could be right.

Leon711 > Jonee 09/25/2015 at 12:29

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I’m planning on doing a small piece on the 600 Multipla as long as the one I want to see is at the next Goodwood Breakfast Club.

Jonee > Leon711 09/25/2015 at 12:36

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Awesome. I’ve always wanted a Multipla. The mini-est minivan. They’ve gotten so damn expensive, it’s absurd.

Leon711 > Jonee 09/25/2015 at 12:52

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You are not wrong, I’m sure I could build a brand new one from scratch for less.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Jonee 09/25/2015 at 12:54

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I always read that car's name as Bicuiteer, like there is a Buscuit Club; Mousecateer or the like.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/25/2015 at 16:38

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Great story! And great collection of pictures to go along with it. Hard to believe Spain was still a dictatorship in the ‘70’s.

That Pegasin looks brilliant, that was in the Bruce Weiner collection as well?

Quixotic > Leon711 09/25/2015 at 16:46

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I hope you get to do a piece on the Multipla. My folks had one before I was born. I remember when a friend of mine got a 750 Spider, my dad pointed out that it had the big engine. I’ve always wanted one, and I’m disappointed that they’ve become spendy.

Leon711 > Quixotic 09/25/2015 at 18:41

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I’d love one, the particular one in question is used at the Goodwood Revival for transporting drivers. As you can imagine he’s had a few greats, his name is Mario,he is on facebook under mario the Multipla. I got a pic of him last time I went.

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/26/2015 at 04:02

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Thanks. I was surprised how little info there was about the Biscuter considering how important it was to Spain. Those pictures are amazing. It is incredible how long Franco lasted. A dictator in Europe in my lifetime. It’s crazy.

Yeah, Bruce did own that car. I don’t know where it went in the sale. It’s really cool in person. It looks like it should be a kid’s pedal car.

Hey, did you report the Le Car Van’s connection to Lui magazine in your post?

http://boitierrouge.com/2015/01/09/ren…

davedave1111 > Jonee 09/26/2015 at 08:18

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I don’t know about all, but certainly most were - by reports, I’ve never driven one at all.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/26/2015 at 13:16

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Not even more info in Spanish?

I did not! But it’s a great article. “Et lupanar à l’arrière”: a whorehouse in the back hahaha! Now how on earth did you ran into this?

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/28/2015 at 04:19

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Not as much as I would have thought. The best article I found was in German, actually.

Isn’t that hilarious? It does look like a whorehouse in the back. Heuliez is even cooler than we thought. Someone posted it to a Renault Facebook group.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/28/2015 at 07:12

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Ah, your native language. That should be easy.

It is! Fleshbook is something I rarely use. The only “social media” I use is Kinja ;-) But Heuliez definitely is ice-cold. Too bad there’s no French carmaker that saved it somehow.

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/29/2015 at 03:09

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I mostly use Fleshbook for pictures of cars and articles about mobile whorehouses.

Yeah, Heuliez was a French national treasure. Maybe JobJeisen can return it to them some day.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/29/2015 at 04:53

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Maybe we should use the name Heuliez for a (top) trim level. Like Ford does with Ghia (in Europe). To at least keep people remembering their name. Or the wagon. As that’s what they’re best known for.

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/30/2015 at 04:06

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Yeah, good idea about the wagon variant. The JobJeisen Wanke r l Heuliez. What’d be interesting is if we could make the back extendable. Like, it could be a normal 5 door with a cargo area that expands to wagon size. And the hatch should be hinged at the bottom to make it completely impractical. But still Wankel powered.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/30/2015 at 06:46

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An extendable back should be awesome. And a bottom-hinged back sounds great. Making it two-way openable is something we should investigate! When you have to ride your bike or childs-cart into the car, just drive it up to the ramp! If your hauling beer just throw it open upwards. We should do more with beer-practicality if we want to sell in Germany!

Jonee > Jobjoris 10/01/2015 at 03:36

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The double hinge thing will be appropriately complicated to engineer. I like it. You’re right, there should be a German variant. You can option to replace the Dj booth with a minibar with a tap. And we can stock it with our own steins with the JobJeisen logo.

Colddeadfinger > Jonee 10/13/2015 at 15:48

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I cant believe i bought the whole thing...

Spridget > Jonee 09/18/2016 at 21:20

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I recognized the background from the top photo; it’s Hyman Ltd, a luxury car dealer based out of Missouri. They specialize in Ferrari’s, Porsche’s, Maserati’s, and the like, so how one of these ended up there must be an amazing story.

Jonee > Spridget 09/18/2016 at 22:24

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It may have been a former Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum car. He managed to import a bunch of them, and I know his connections in Spain were pissed that he sold those cars. It took a lot of favors to get them.

Spridget > Jonee 09/18/2016 at 22:46

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That would make the most sense; I can’t imagine that there are many of these in the states. Did he offer them to his Spanish connections first? I can understand why they’d be pissed.

Jonee > Spridget 09/18/2016 at 23:02

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I think he had almost all the ones that were in the States. There may have been a couple others. I think a couple of his did find their way back to Spain, but most of them didn’t. As far as I know, they had no idea they were going up for sale until the auction was announced.