Do you remember the Messerschmitt 3 wheel Car
Submitted: Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 18:07
ThreadID:
56019
Views:
7433
Replies:
11
FollowUps:
23
This Thread has been Archived
CLC50
If fuel goes up to much I will have to buy one of these,But where will I put all my camping Gear.
These where on sale in Australia Late 50s to mid 60s.
Built for 2 people ,front & behind ,rear wheel Drive.
Image Could Not Be Found
Web Site Below.
Messershmitt 1960-64
Reply By: Member - Pomoriganie (QLD) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 18:39
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 18:39
I used to have one of these in the mid 60s in the UK, loved the little thing. Went caving one weekend and had a couple of large blokes crammed in the back and we had our gear strapped on the rack which is over the engine cover. With all that weight I rolled the poor beast and smashed the canopy.
They also did a version with two wheels on the back. Great little vehicle.
AnswerID:
295285
Reply By: mfewster - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 18:43
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 18:43
If you remember these, I guess the restrictions of the back
seat will not be a deal breaker when you buy your new one.
AnswerID:
295286
Reply By: Member - barry F (NSW) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 18:48
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 18:48
Hello there, I don't remember those but did have my heart set on a Gogomobile in the late fifties. Can't remember how much they were back then but do remember I could not afford one at the time.
Anyway it worked out to my advantage because I managed to buy my first vehicle in 1961 which was a VW.
My interest had shifted from Gogomobiles to Sheila's by this stage & the VW offered lots more scope in my education about the birds & the bees. It was a wonderful little car, you could slip the front seats out in a matter of seconds & place them on the ground which made the interior much more roomier for the business at hand. Aaaaah ,what beaut memories & what a simple & reliable little vehicle.
I had better get back in my kennel now just in case SHMBI starts asking silly bloody questions about my youth!! LOL & cheers
AnswerID:
295289
Follow Up By: CLC50 - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 18:56
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 18:56
If was the first model in Australia how many times did you roll it over,One of mates 3 times in one Year,but he was a rat behind the wheel, I must admit
FollowupID:
561253
Reply By: Member -Signman - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:07
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:07
And then there was the ' Lightburn Zeta'...made by a washing machine company....
And the Victa Airtourer aeroplane- built by a lawnmower company...
AnswerID:
295294
Follow Up By: Member - David P (VIC) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:20
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:20
Yea, been in all of them
FollowupID:
561271
Follow Up By: Member - joc45 (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:29
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:29
Whereas the Lightburn Zeta arrived 15 yrs late (they should have done their marketing), the Victa Airtourer was a very capable 2-seater, with very good aerobatic qualities. They designed a bigger craft, but couldn't get govt backing, and sold the design overseas, I recall.
The Zeta didn't really have many redeeming features, tho. Australia had moved on from this type of vehilcle by the time it had arrived, which the 2-stroke Goggos and Messerschmidts filled years earlier. It wasn't a great deal cheaper than a Mini in the early 60's. With only 4 forward gears, you had to start the tiny 2-stroke engine in reverse to reverse the car. But the plus was that you had 4 reverse gears as
well!
Gerry
FollowupID:
561275
Follow Up By: Member - joc45 (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:32
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:32
Actually, there was another tiny one; the NSU Prinz 4-seater, which had a really gutsy 2-cyl 4-stroke, which turned in about the same speed as a Mini, tho a bit smaller. This was in the same league as the Fiat 500, but faster.
Gerry
FollowupID:
561278
Follow Up By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:39
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:39
joc45, the Air Tourer production went to NZ , original design was by a Polish person I think. 100, 115, 150hp (4
seat) versions and then the larger airforce 250hp version. The 150 would loop from straight & level.
FollowupID:
561281
Follow Up By: Member - joc45 (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:49
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:49
Yeh, I seem to recall that it went to UnZud. The 2-seater was a good plane, stronger airframe than the Cessna 150, but couldn't compete on price with Cessna when made in Oz.
Whatever happened to them in NZ?
Gerry
FollowupID:
561284
Follow Up By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:05
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:05
Finally could not compete with the modern plastics & fibreglass construction (price) of their competitors.
FollowupID:
561297
Follow Up By: Member - David P (VIC) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:18
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:18
Un Zud used it as an ab initio trainer for their Air Force....silverback
FollowupID:
561301
Follow Up By: Go-N-Grey (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 23:29
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 23:29
Yes Cessna did dump 150's in Oz. I bought a brand new one in 1969 for $4,000 = just a year's salary and spent the next four years of my life trying to kill myself aerial mustering.
The Airtourer/Aircruiser with a 210HP engine was competing in the same market was closer to $10,000 and you could by a C182 with 230hp engine new for $12,000
The Victa's wouldn't fly under 70kts and thus were useless for aerial mustering, for which the 150 was king! A 182 was necessary in the Kimberlies because of the hills and temperatures.
I did donate $10 towards the fighting fund to keep the Victa Aircraft production is Oz, but that was not a good investment!
FollowupID:
561355
Follow Up By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 07:38
Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 07:38
Go-N-
Grey,
I think it was a big dought that really caused Victa to have financial problems and sell off the aircraft division. Their core bussiness of selling lawn mowers was not doing very
well and so they did not have the spare cash to step up marketing or production. I flew the prototype air cruiser when it was on a demonstration tour in NZ but I don't think they actually made more then one. I agree with you that the air tourer was a waffleing dray and not suitable for sharp manouvering at low levels below 70 knots.
FollowupID:
561373
Follow Up By: Member - David P (VIC) - Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 09:38
Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 09:38
It always seemed to me that their high wing loading was a bit of an Achilles heel . Not much fun mustering...:)) unless you like to live on the edge..... silverback
FollowupID:
561389
Follow Up By: Go-N-Grey (WA) - Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 09:58
Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 09:58
Your right they only ever made one Aircruiser. The Govt of the day would not give it tarrif protection, unlike what they did for just about everything else in those days.
FollowupID:
561392
Follow Up By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 10:15
Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 at 10:15
David, the high wing loading was fantastic in the rough weather and gusting crosswinds where I was at the time. Having 'wheelbarrowed' a C.172 about that time I know the advantages first hand ! When we got airtourers utilisation hrs were up almost dbl that of high wing aircraft due to the cross winds and we just had to have low wing aircraft. 110 degrees a second rate of roll made picking a wing up during landing as simple as... the 150 hp version was an absolute joy but I only saw a few of those and the fuel consumption was rather high.
Go-N-
Grey, You are right I had forgotten about all that. Even I didn't have any
grey back then :-)) That's about 40 years ago !
FollowupID:
561395
Reply By: Willem - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:23
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:23
'Twas about the time they started thinking of kicking me out of school.
Went for ride in one once. Me 190cm frame could even fit in one in those days(these days I need a Kenworth...lol)
I eventually bought a Fiat Bambino. Flat chat at about 80kmh. Got in with bad company one night and rolled it on an S bend. Fell out through the open sunroof and watched it bounce down the road. We both survived....hahahahaha
Cheers
AnswerID:
295300
Follow Up By: Member - joc45 (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:50
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 19:50
190cm frame in a Bambino?!!! LOL!!
Did you ever try the NSU Prinz?
Gerry
FollowupID:
561285
Follow Up By: Willem - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:47
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:47
Yes NSU Prinz.....Hmmm....my Dad had Gutbrod ute. Two stroke something. We spent more time pushing it....lol
I started with an Anglia 100E, then a Simca 1000. Then a flurry of Cortinas and VW's
Then I had an Auto Union(fore runner to the Audi). 3 cyl 2 stroke with a disengaging clutch when you took your foot off the accellerastor. It also had Suicide Doors....lol
After that I had a Mini Cooper and started getting serious about cars
104 cars later and I am still driving a busted arse heap....hahahaha
FollowupID:
561315
Follow Up By: Member - Kevin J (QLD) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:49
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:49
Mate on the Sunshine Coast has a Bambino in tip top order. He had a
shop in town and he used it to go to work as he could park it in a corner where nothing else could fit.
Bright red and goes like a rocket - Ok like a penny bunger.
Kevin
FollowupID:
561316
Reply By: Member - joc45 (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:01
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:01
Yes, I certainly remember them punting around in the late 50's, early 60's.
Like the Goggos, Isetta, etc, the market in Aust was limited because the fuel economy was not a real consideration; just the cost of purchasing the car was the main issue. A
young guy back then would rather buy an old 6-cyl FJ than buy a new bubble car, partly coz of the prestige of a larger car. War-recovering Europe was a different matter.
Gerry
AnswerID:
295309
Follow Up By: CLC50 - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:17
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:17
Hi Joc 45
First Holden 1952 $ 989 Pounds bought by my father,I leaned to drive on this car
1970 Fairland $ 4236 Pounds
New !972 Millard 24 Foot Caravan Shower & Toilet 4480 Pounds
weeks Food 20 Pound a week .1970
My years Wages would Buy a new Fairlane in 1970
To - day I would have Change on years wages. if I was still working
FollowupID:
561300
Reply By: Member - Bushpig - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:17
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:17
Yeh I had one in the late sixties. It
broke down one night and left it in a servo at Chullora. Some Flickin fliker set it on fire. Nothing left and tossed it into the tip. Crying still today.
Cheers
jack
AnswerID:
295315
Reply By: pajdid - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:52
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:52
What about the Lloyd Hartnet? Another Australian car that fell by the wayside, Thank goodness.
AnswerID:
295316
Follow Up By: Member - joc45 (WA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:18
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:18
Didn't Hartnett go on to help develop the first Holden?
FollowupID:
561338
Follow Up By: pajdid - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:33
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:33
Yes he was some way involved with Holden, and i think the Lloyd Hartnet was tied up with Borgward, but the only Borgward I can recall was a Isobella.
I did work with a girl in Brissy in the early 70's that had a Messerschmit, and only about a month ago,on ebay there was a Zeta advertised.
FollowupID:
561348
Reply By: Member - kevin Y (SA) - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:58
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 20:58
great in its day but like the goggomobile now a museum piece, there was quite a few 3 whhelers around in the early fifties
AnswerID:
295319
Reply By: japmel - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 21:49
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 21:49
CLC50,
Where was the photo taken? If it is the Messerschmitt that was in the
Queenstown Museum in NZ my Father in the one that donated it to them.
I'm not sure if it is still in
Queenstown, It may have been moved elsewhere now.
Regards
John
AnswerID:
295334
Follow Up By: japmel - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 21:51
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 21:51
typo........in should be is
FollowupID:
561328
Follow Up By: CLC50 - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:04
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:04
The photo is from the web Site .I do not know where it was taken
Regards
CLC50
FollowupID:
561333
Reply By: CLC50 - Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:02
Friday, Mar 28, 2008 at 22:02
Pages in category "Three-wheeled motor vehicles"
The following 67 pages are in this category, out of 67 total.
To see full Information on 3 wheeled Motor Vehicles click link Below
List 3 Wheeled Motor vehicles
A
Aptera Motors
Arola (microcar)
Atomette
Auto rickshaw
Autotrix
B
Biotechnia Ellinikon Trikyklon
Bond 875
Bond Bug
Bond Minicar
Brütsch
C
CLEVER
Can-Am Spyder
Carver (automobile)
CityEl
Corbin Sparrow
D
Daihatsu Bee
Daihatsu Midget
Dymaxion car
E
Electric motorcycles and scooters
F
Fabrique Nationale AS 24
Felber Autoroller
Fend Flitzer
F cont.
Fuldamobil
H
Harley-Davidson Servi-Car
Heinkel Kabine
Honda Gyro
I
Isetta
J
JZR Trikes
K
Kapi
John Henry Knight
Krauser Domani
L
Lambert (cyclecar)
Le Favori
Leanster
Libelle (microcar)
M
Marie de Bagneux
Mazda Mazdago
Messerschmitt KR175
Messerschmitt KR200
Morgan Motor Company
O
Opelit Mopetta
P
Peel Manxcar
Peel P50
Peel Trident
Piaggio Ape
P cont.
Piaggio MP3
R
Reliant Regal
Reliant Robin
S
Scootacar
Scott Sociable
Shelter (automobile)
Sinclair C5
Steam tricycle
Styl Kar
T
T-Rex (automobile)
Three wheeled car
Tilting three wheeler
Tourette (automobile)
Tri-Magnum
Triking
Tuk-tuk
Twike
V
Velorex
VentureOne
X
Xtra (automobile)
Z
ZAP Xebra
Zoe Motor
AnswerID:
295338