Let's Talk Cyclecars

NOT OFFENDED IN ANY WAY.

FOR THE MOST PART THE ONLY CYCLE CAR YOU'LL FIND ON THE INTERNET IS ONE THAT SOMEONE FOUND BEFORE YOU AND IS NOW TRYING TO MAKE MONEY ON.

THE LITTLE CAR I POSTED HERE IS IN AZ HONEST I JUST LOST CONTACT WITH THE OWNER. BUT IT AND A LOT OF WONDERFUL HISTORY IS AROUND YOU. AND WORTH LOOKING FOR HONEST.
IT'S NOT ABOUT MONEY OR LUCK. THESE DO HELP, BUT MORE ABOUT GOOD DETECTIVE WORK AND EFFORT.

MY POINT IS THAT IF YOU HAVE THE DRIVE AND INTEREST IN QUIRKY AUTOMOBILES WHY NOT SAVE SOMETHING. IN THE END YOU'LL HAVE HISTORY AND SOME WONDERFUL STORIES TO TELL.
THE COUPE IN THE PHOTOS WAS LOST FOR 30 YEARS... I FOUND IT AFTER A 7 YEAR HUNT. I WAS IN SO CAL IT WAS IN CONN. ALL DONE PRE-INTERNET.
SOMETIMES RARE AND WONDERFUL ISN'T AS EXPENSIVE AS YOU MIGHT THINK.
I DO ADMIT TO USING THE INTERNET BUT OFTEN TO SEARCH SMALL TOWN NEWSPAPER LISTS .... THINGS LIKE THAT.
I BROUGHT A GROUP SEVEN CAN-AM CAR ADVERTISED AS A DUNE BUGGY ONCE. THE POOR GUY WAS GETTING MARRIED AND HIS SOON TO BE TOLD HIM TO "GET RID OF THAT JUNK"..... LIKE I SAID CARS AND STORIES TOO.

 

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Hello, Rev. Bow!​

You shouldn't apologize for anything written and shown here. This is the Forum about classic and modern cyclecars (replicas?), or at least it is so started and developed.

Misunderstanding is because there is quite a difference between CycleKarts and cyclecars or their full-size replicas.

CycleKarts are here less known, but that movement started some 15-20 years ago by Stevenson family and friends in California (where should be else): making a mixture of cyclecars and go-karts, all influenced by motorised soap-box back-yard made racers. Now, there could be a couple hundred in process of building or already built around the World.

Mostly, they are styled as GP racers or sport/racers from the vintage era. They are scaled-down versions of originals, mostly having 60-70% of wheel-base and most of other measures. CycleKarts should be cheap - around 2.0-2.5 thousand of $$$, simply and quickly built in a shed or garage, with cheap tools...
There are no official plans, neither kit-completes nor they could be bought new - just some of the components and parts. Would be owners and wannabe "racers" choose original automobile as inspiration, make their own plans and construct them, test them and enjoy driving them alone or in groups...
Some shows/races gathered a few of them and some even 2-3 dozens.

Your CycleKart is a cute and good replica of four-wheel Morgan, quite rare model. However, everybody should notice that small engine (Honda 200 or its clone, with 6.5 HP) and CVT is positioned at the rear! Of course, it is something smaller than original, slower a lot.

How much would it a cost to buy one original Morgan 4-wheel racer, or even more regular 3-wheel sport/racing car, then serviced it, enter high-level racing?

More about all that could be found at:

http://www.cyclekarts.com/
www.cyclekartclub.com/
http://www.gittrevillegp.com/www.gittrevillegp.com/Welcome.html
http://www.cyclekart-fr.com/index.php

A few other websites could be found as many videos about construction, driving or "racing" them.

Ciao,
Zoran​

 

the Chamberlain 8 is worth a google for the unaware ...

 

When I see your smile on your face I have the impression you are happy with your creation.
Keep going your way.

 

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Hello, Rev. Bow!​

Chamberlain is a magnificent sport/racing car, that we discussed some time ago, but creator's life and other of his cars are too interesting to not be seen again:

https://primotipo.com/2015/07/24/chamberlain-8-by-john-medley-and-mark-bisset/

Especially that one with four-cylinder two-stroke engine - and 8 pistons. However, upper pistons were much smaller and were used more as valves, but an entire mechanism of an engine is magnificent and, even unorthodox - it works in an excellent way, in its period races and today:



In spite that neither two-stroke nor V-twin Chamberlain's sport/racers are cyclecars, it is nice to see them from time to time.

V-twin, upper and lower photo!

Quite difficult to make a replica of one and even harder to buy one of them as original?

Ciao,
Zoran​

 

I love it. Just don't let your feet slip...

 

I couldn't find anything on this little gem, but while I searched, I found:

Raoul Pegulu, Marquis de Rovin, founder of the Rovin motorcycle company, racing a 175cc cyclecar of his own design, circa 1926. This car was replaced by the 500cc Rovin-JAP Monocar. The Monocar also came in a 'Record' version. The Record came with a Cozette supercharger. I wasn't able to find a photo of the Record engine compartment. I'm curious how he overcame the limitations of a supercharger on a single cylinder engine.
Pegulu opened a sports car dealership in Paris in the 1930s. After the war, Pegulu & his brother produced the Rovin D series microcars in the former Delaunay-Belleville factory:
D2

The Viratelle, built in Lyon:




And my favorite, built for Sir Channing Wills by W.H Jones out of a Bleriot fuselage and a motorcycle engine:

Jones claimed it was comfortable over rough terrain. He built at least two more cars, but neither was quite as distinctive as this one.

 

DOES THAT MEAN HE DESTROYED TWO OTHER BLERIOT AIRCRAFT????

 

Maybe they wrecked before they got to the Channel. Bob

 

THIS AIRFRAME LOOKS PRETTY "CRASH FREE"
THE ANZANI 3 IS THE FIRST THING TO THE ACCIDENT UNFORTUNATELY

 

HELLO,​

A MAJORITY OF STATES READY FOR THE GREAT WAR (THE FIRST WOLRD WAR), EQUIPPED THIER AVIATION FORCES BY BLERIOT MONOPLANES, FROM PERIOD OF 1910-11 UP TO 1914-15...

EVEN SMALL AN POOR SERBIA HAD A FEW BOUGHT, BESIDE A FEW FARMAN BIPLANES...
NAME "ОЛУЈ" - (AT LATINIC ALPHABET "OLUJ") IS THE NAME OF OLD-SLAVIC GOD FROM PAGANICE TIMES.
HE WAS "IN A CHARGE" FOR THUNDERSTORMS, LIGHTINGS, HEAVY RAINS, ICE AND SNOW - AND EVERYTHING BAD THAT COULD COME FOM THE SKY...

AS BLERIOT MONOPLANES SOON BECOME OBSOLETE - THEY WERE WITHDRAWN FROM THE FRONT LINES EVERYWHERE, SO AFTER 1918, THEY COULD BE FOUND IN THOSUANDS ABOUNDED AROUND AIRFIELDS OR DERLICTED HANGARS...



THEREFORE, SUCH UNUSUAL CYCLECAR COULD BE NEW LIFE FOR BLERIOT FUSLAGE?
THEY WERE NOT OF ANY HISTROICAL IMPORANTCE THOSE DAYS - JUST OLD, UNNECESSARY AND USELESS AEROPLANES...

CIAO,
ZORAN​

 

===========================

Hello SR,​

Quite interesting stories and nice photos about rare, less-known cyclecars!
Bleriot fuselage had steerable front/main wheel, well suspended on bungee-cords!

Touching is a fact how one Marquis and one Sir didn't have vanity and dare to design and use quite unorthodox, but simple and cheap automobiles!

Ciao,
Zoran​

 

P.S:
Viratelle cyclecar - a few more photos




... and, Viratelle bicycle and motrocycle :



... and, Viratelle factory:

 

REST EASY, BLUTO, HE ONLY DESTROYED SIR CHANNING WILLS' BLERIOT. HERE IS THE 2ND CAR:


THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE 3RD CAR IS NOT ONLINE, BUT PER THE DESCRIPTION, IT WAS MADE FROM PIECES OF THE 1ST:
"THE FRONT WHEELS, STEERING & SEAT IS TAKEN FROM NO. 1 CAR BUILT IN 1911, THE REAR AXLE & WHEELS ARE FROM AN OLD 'BE LION' CHAIN DRIVEN CAR, THE ENGINE IS A TWIN AIRCOOLED "'F. V." MOTOR CYCLE ENGINE, MOUNTED IN LINE FORWARD TO CENTRE OF AXLE. THE FRONT AND REAR WHEELS ARE COUPLED TOGETHER BY ONE MEMBER ONLY, WHICH SUPPORTS THE SEAT, FUEL TANK, AND ENGINE. THIS CHASSIS MEMBER IS AN OLD GATE PORT CASING AND WHEN LIFTED ONTO SUPPORT BRACKET, WHICH IS SEEN AT REAR OF SEAT, LIFTS REAR WHEEL CLEAR OFF THE GROUND."

 

"... Raoul Pegulu, Marquis de Rovin, founder of the Rovin motorcycle company, racing a 175cc cyclecar of his own design, circa 1926. This car was replaced by the 500cc Rovin-JAP Monocar. The Monocar also came in a 'Record' version. The Record came with a Cozette supercharger. I wasn't able to find a photo of the Record engine compartment. I'm curious how he overcame the limitations of a supercharger on a single cylinder engine ..."
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Hello,​

There are a lot of photos with Rovin 500cc JAP Monocar, couldn't be sure for model "Record", but not one clear photo of an engine?
In articles from a period, I couldn't find any mention of the supercharger (compressor) - just COZETTE carburettor!
Therefore, maybe Rovin racer didn't have any supercharger - just "standard" JAP 500 cc single-cylinder racing engine, mostly used for speedway motorcycle races... That could explain the absence of problems with the use of supercharger with single-cylinder four-stroke engines?

However, an interesting issue for further searching...

Ciao,
Zoran​

P.S.: Could that be chain/belt transmission to the rear wheels or that are trailing arms of suspension?

 

The reference to the supercharger on the Record model came in the Prix section of the advertisement below:

It is of course possible that no cars were actually fitted with superchargers.
One other intriguing note, the caption to the upper photo (below) describes Rovin entering a race with a 750cc version. This may be an error, though, the sub-editor may have assumed that since the car won the 750cc class, that it had a 750cc engine.
The lower photo shows Rovin & his teammate Dhome with the Nashes they drove in the 1930 Tour de France. Both completed the tour without penalty and earned gold medals.

 

ROVIN?? SOMEONE SAY ROVIN... TOO EASY....

HERE'S TWO

https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/1391809761.htm?ca=12_s

 

The Rovin D1 looks like a slightly fatter Kleinschnittger.

 

BNC Monza 527

 

Marc pic. ...

 

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Hello, SR!​

Thank you for clarification about classic Rovin's engines with a compressor! Didn't notice that.
Later micro-cars were cute, too.
Thank's Bluto for posting information about the selling of a couple.
Looking relatively cheap and practical oldtimers to have and drive around...
Even the last D-4 model was cute:




...or, older D-2:


Unfortunately - not for me in this round...

Ciao,
Zoran​

 

GUYS

ALL THESE LITTLE CARS ARE A HOOT! THEY DON'T ALL HAVE TO BE RACERS.....

 

BLUTO, YOU ARE QUITE RIGHT, BUT...​

A FEW DECADES AGO, WE WERE USUALLY GO TO HUNGARY TO BUY CHEAP AND EXCELLENT FOOD...
ONCE, AT ONE FLEA MARKET, I SAW A GUY FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA SELLING SOMETHING AND STANDING BESIDE HIS VELOREX OSCAR 350!
FOR THE FIRST TIME I SAW IT IN REAL...
MORE AS A JOKE, I ASKED HIM HOW VELOREX WOULD COST DELIVERED TO BELGRADE (OLD YUGOSLAVIA).
HE SAID SERIOUSLY: A DINNER, PLACE FOR ONE-NIGHT SLEEP AND A TRAIN TICKET FROM BELGRADE TO PRAGUE + 350$$$...
BESIDE PROBLEMS WITH lEGALISATION OF SUCH STRANGE VEHICLE (I HAD SOME CUNNING IDEAS, ILLEGAL BUT NOT IMMORAL) - MY WIFE SHOULD KILL ME!
--- ---
SOME YEARS AFTER THAT, AT BELGRADE'S PERIPHERY I FOUND OLD MAN WORKING SOMETHING AROUND HIS DARK-BLUE BMW ISETTA...
IT WAS HIS FIRST "AUTO" AND THE LAST ONE AS HE SAID...
HIS KIDS WERE ASHAMED OF HIM AND HIS "AUTO", REQUESTING FROM HIM TO LIQUIDATED IT.
HE COULDN'T SELL IT FOR ANY SMALL MONEY AND WAS SORRY TO LEFT IT TO JUNK-YARD.
HE HAD A SECRET PLAN TO BUY OLD TRBANT AND TO DRIVE REAL "LIMOUSINE"...
IN SPITE THAT I HAD GOOD TRABANT, I WOULDN'T MAKE A CHANGE FOR ISETTA, BUT HAVE ONE OLDER THAT HE WOULD ACCEPT...
SORRY, I SAID, BUT MY FAMILY WOULD BE ASHAMED OF IT WATCHING IT PARKED IN FRONT OF BUILDING WHERE WE LIVED (DIDN'T HAVE GARAGE TO HIDE ISETTA)...
--- ---
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/goggomobil/ts400/2073841.html
https://www.classic-trader.com/uk/cars/search/nsu
https://www.classicdriver.com/en/cars/bmw/700?make=1&model=1276&search_type=advanced&page=1
WITH EITHER OF MICRO-CARS, I WOULD BE RICH TODAY, WITH A POSSIBILITY TO BUY SOME GOGGOMOBILE OR NSU PRINZ, TOO - EVEN BETTER BMW 700.
THERE WERE A FEW CUTE COUPÉS OF EITHER OF THEM IN BELGRADE IN THE SAME PERIOD.
THEY WOULD BE MORE FAMILY AND SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE...

CIAO,
ZORAN​

 

MY FRIEND

MOST OF MY LIFE I HAD NO FAMILY... 15 YEARS AGO I MARRIED A LADY THE LIKED ALL MACHINES AND WAS NOT ASHAMED TO BE SEEN WITH ME!

I REMEMBER A BMW 700 LEFT FOR JUNK IN A PARKING LOT IN WARSAW
AND A WARTIME VW JUST PARKED ON A STREET THERE. I SAW IT PARKED ALL OVER THAT TOWN BUT COULDN'T FIND THE OWNER.

 

THE VERY FIRST QUESTION MY FAMILY ASKS WHEN I TELL THEM I HAVE ACQUIRED A NEW CAR IS "DOES IT RUN?". I HAVE BROUGHT SO MUCH "STUFF" HOME THROUGH THE YEARS NONE OF IT EMBARRASS THEM ANYMORE.THEY HAVE COME TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT SOME OF IT IS ACTUALLY VALUABLE.I SUPPOSE THAT REVELATION CAME AFTER FOLKS KNOCKED ON THE DOOR ENOUGH ASKING IF ANY OF IT WAS FOR SALE.

 

WELL SAID, BOB!​

... AND, QUITE TRUE AND PRACTICAL APPROACH FOR ANYBODY WHO HAS UNUSUAL HOBBY (USLES!), ESPECIALLY CONNECTED TO "OLD STUFF", OR INDUSTRIAL ARCHEOLOGY AS BLUTO CALLS IT!

OFTEN, SUCH HOBBY APPEARED AS USEFUL, NOT ONLY FOR OUR MENTAL HEALTH, BUT FOR MATERIAL HEALTH, TOO...
IT NEEDS TIME, DEDICATION, PASSION AND PATIENCE, SOME MATERIAL CONDITIONS, TOO.
UNFORTUNATELY, I DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF NEEDED CONDITIONS FOR MAKING ANY SERIOUS, EVEN SMALL COLLECTION OF "USELESS OLD GARBAGE".

I KNOW A MAN, MY OLD FRIEND IN SERBIA, WHO STARTED MODESTLY 5 DECADES AGO AND NOW IS CO-OWNER OF BELGRADE AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM!
CITY GAVE HIM SPACE (BIG OLD GARAGE IN THE CENTRE OF BELGRADE) AND HE GAVE HIS AUTOMOBILES, MOTORCYCLES, BOOKS, AND ARTEFACTS CONNECTED TO SERBIAN OR INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIAL HISTORY, MOTORISATION...







NOW, I HAVE UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTING WIFE, BUT THAT IS ALL OF THE CONDITIONS!

OF COURSE, I HAVE THIS H.A.M.B. FORUM AND SOME OTHER TOO, BESIDE INTERESTING INTERNET-FRIENDS...

CIAO,
ZORAN​

P.S.: IF SOMEBODY IS CONFUSED WHY WE SOMETIME USE BIG CAPITAL LETTERS - THAT IS FOR BLUTO TO READ OUR POST EASILY!

 

THANK YOU GUYS... SORRY I AM DOWN TO 40% VISION AND SOMETIMES FAR WORSE.

 

ALTHOUGH NO ONE OWNS OR MODERATES THIS THREAD... OUT OF RESPECT FOR OUR FRIEND WE SHOULD ENDEAVOR TO USE ALL CAPS.