Microcars have been born of wartime need

Transportation via the crowded, war-torn streets of Europe during World War II made the size of microcars a necessity. Such inexpensive automobiles with engines smaller than 750 cubic centimeters and a length of less than 10 feet have been perfect for cash-strapped families to navigate through densely populated cities. Collectors treasure microcars more for their style now, reports the brand new York Times. Microcars are now darlings of the collectors’ circuit.

Microcars – Futuristic style and practical purpose

The United States begun to use much larger vehicles with automotive marketing within the 1940s and 1950s. The opposite was true for Europe, and the presence of microcars is a perfect example. The Times heard, “These automobiles were a reaction to desperate conditions,” from Peter Svilans who’s a microcar historian. The front of the auto of the Italian Isetta had egg shaped doors for entry when the German Messerschmitt KR-175 had three wheels at first. These style touches fascinated most auto enthusiasts around. Near Atlanta you are able to visit the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum. This museum shows just how amazing these microcars really are.

Weiner has been collecting microcars since 1991. Microcars are hard to discover, he told the Times.

“With microcars, you don’t just show up with a wad of cash and say sell it to me,” he said. “In Europe, they mean something more. It’s like you showing up and asking me to sell my dad’s watch.”

Microcars are not playthings

It is true that microcars look like they are just children’s playthings but larger. This is not at all true though. Modern crash safety standards are not in any of these cars although the vehicles can go super fast, like the French Rovin Z-4. A microcar has hardly any crumple zone. If you crashed with the vehicle, the collision would cause nearly all of the force to be transferred to the driver’s body.

Monetary wealth killed the microcar

Automotive mass production took place much more often after Europe begun recovering from the economic hardships of the mid 20th century. By the early 1960s, safer, more powerful Volkswagen, Renault and Fiat automobiles started to appear in greater numbers. The “small wonder” that is microcars became increasingly obsolete. The Messerschmitt museum, and others like it, are the only reason anyone even knows about microcars today. Today, only 50 KR-175s are known to exist.

Articles cited

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/10/14/automobiles/autospecial2/14MICRO.html