Cyclecar

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bédélia from France with tandem seats
GN from England
Slaby Beringer from Germany
Argo from the USA

As Cyclecar refers to small, usually inexpensive cars that were built primarily between 1912 and the late 1920s. The demarcation to larger automobiles was determined by weight, displacement and tire size.

description

Cyclecars were powered by single-cylinder engines, V2 engines or, more rarely, four-cylinder engines. Often these engines were air-cooled and originally intended for motorcycles , from which other components such as transmissions were also adopted. The cycle car stands between the motorcycle and the automobile and was equipped with lightweight structures in which two passengers could often sit one behind the other. Comfort and weather protection were minimal. There were different designs and types of drive, such as three-wheelers , belt or chain drive, occasionally on one wheel, in order to save the differential .

The appearance of the cyclecars was in response to lower vehicle taxes and registration fees for light, low-powered automobiles. The French politician Yves Le Trocquer (1877–1938) stipulated on July 30, 1920 in France that a car was classified in this class if it had three or four wheels, weighed less than 350 kilograms, and had a maximum of two seats and the engine had a maximum displacement of 1100 cm³. The motor vehicle tax was then set at 100 francs a year. In 1924 the annual tax increased to 120 francs. In 1925 the tax advantage in France ended.

A second source confirms that from July 30, 1920, France had an annual vehicle tax of 100 francs on cyclecars. For the next higher vehicle class Voiturette was due for 280 francs. It turned out that despite the small displacement, high performance was achieved. The lightweight chassis were overwhelmed with that. In April 1924 there was a new regulation. After that, cyclecars cost 120 francs and voiturettes 180 francs a year in taxes. In 1925 these special regulations ceased to exist in France. As a result, all vehicles were taxed according to their tax horsepower.

The appearance of the cyclecars

Automobile production grew rapidly from 1898 to 1910. Light wagons from this period were usually referred to as voiturettes . The smaller cyclecars appeared around 1912. There was a real boom up until the First World War . The first successful cycle cars were built by Bédélia in France and GN in Great Britain.

In 1920, 814 cyclecars were registered in France. In the following year the number rose to 3191, 1922 to 9621 and 1923 to 20,426. In 1924 the peak was reached with 29,542.

Sports car and cycle car races

Some cycle cars , such as Major or Salmson in France, were sufficiently motorized and equipped with sporty chassis that they could be described as sports cars. There were races especially for cycle cars. The first was organized by the Automobile Club de France in 1913 . In 1920 there was a cycle car GP in Le Mans .

Vehicle classification

La Vigne advertising leaflet for their vehicle from 1914. It is called a cyclecar. However, the 1419 cc engine is too big to be classified as a cycle car.

On December 14, 1912, the Fédération Internationale des Club Motocyclistes decided on an international classification for cycle cars in motorsport, which was valid in Great Britain , Canada , the USA , France, the Netherlands , Belgium , Italy , Austria and Germany . Two classes of cycle cars were introduced:

(i) Great class

  • Maximum weight: 350 kg
  • Maximum displacement: 1100 cm³
  • Minimum tire width: 60 mm

(ii) Small class

  • Minimum weight: 150 kg
  • Maximum weight: 300 kg
  • Maximum displacement: 750 cm³
  • Minimum tire width: 55 mm

All cyclecars should have clutches and transmissions with multiple gears. These regulations could also be implemented with simple devices such as relaxation devices for slipping the drive belt as a clutch and different pulley diameters for different gears. A delimitation of vehicles with 3 or 4 wheels did not take place. Light vehicles in the 21st century have 4 wheels by definition. Light motorized tricycles are also called motor tricycles .

The disappearance of the cycle cars

In the USA, the cycle car boom, which had lasted until around 1914, collapsed first and massively. The main cause of this is the Ford Model T , as the list below shows:

  • Ford Model T 2p Runabout
    • 1913: USD 525
    • 1914: $ 440
    • 1915: USD 390
  • Ford Model T Roadster
    • 1916: $ 345
    • 1917: $ 345

A cycle car typically cost a little under $ 400. So in 1915 it cost as much as a full-fledged Ford T-model. In addition, at the same time as these price reductions, Ford continued to reduce the surcharge from the roadster to the popular four to five-seater touring ; from $ 80 (1913) to $ 10 (1917). Thus in 1917 a fully-fledged, solid and reliable family car cost less than a two-seater, narrow and often somewhat provisional cycle car.

At the beginning of the 1920s, the days of the cycle cars were numbered in Europe too. Mass manufacturers such as Ford or Citroën were able to reduce the sales prices of their cars so much that they were also below those of the usually small cycle car manufacturers. Affordable cars such as the Citroën 5 CV , the Austin 7 or the Morris Cowley were also offered in Europe .

The cycle car boom was over. Most cycle car manufacturers closed their doors. Some companies survived by returning to motorcycle manufacturing.

After the Second World War , small, economical cars were again in demand in Europe. The name Cyclecar, however, no longer appeared; these cars were called scooters or later light vehicles . In the USA they hardly played a role anymore.

Buckboard

Buckboards are older than cyclecars and were produced again in the mid-1950s by the automobile manufacturer American Buckboard without success. With their simple construction, they anticipated elements of the cycle car. In these very simply constructed motor vehicles, a real body and often also the suspension were dispensed with. As a rule, such vehicles are designed for one to two people. For later buckboards, motorcycle technology was occasionally used. A well-known buckboard was the Smith Flyer , whose small gasoline engine was mounted on a fifth wheel at the rear.

Cyclecars by country of manufacture

The brands of Cyclecars are listed below. If there are articles for individual Cyclecar models, they are given in brackets after the brand without the brand being mentioned again.

Australia

Belgium

Denmark

Germany

France

Great Britain

Italy

Canada

Austria

Austria-Hungary

Sweden

Switzerland

Spain

Czechoslovakia

United States

literature

  • Michael Worthington-Williams: From Cyclecar to Microcar - The Story of the Cyclecar Movement. Beaulieu Books, 1981
  • David Thirlby: Minimal Motoring - From Cyclecar to Microcar. Tempus Publishing Ltd., 2002, ISBN 0-7524-2367-3 .
  • Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 .
  • George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 2: G – O. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 . (English)
  • George Nick Georgano: Cars. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours. Courtille, Paris 1975. (French)
  • David Burgess Wise: The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles. Greenwich Editions, London 2004, ISBN 0-86288-258-3 . (English)
  • David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975. Veloce Publishing PLC, Dorchester 1997, ISBN 1-874105-93-6 (English)
  • George Nick Georgano: The New Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. 3. Edition. Dutton Publishing, New York 1982, ISBN 0-525-93254-2 . (English)
  • Nick Baldwin: A – Z of Cars of the 1920s. Herridge & Sons Ltd, Beaworthy 2010, ISBN 978-1-906133-24-5 . (English)
  • Beverly Rae Kimes (Editor), Henry Austin Clark Jr.: The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942 . 2nd Edition. Krause Publications, Iola (Wisconsin, USA) 1985, ISBN 0-87341-111-0 .
  • Hans Seper , Helmut Krackowizer , Alois Brusatti : Austrian motor vehicles from the beginning until today. Welsermühl, Wels 1984, ISBN 3-85339-177-X .
  • Marián Šuman-Hreblay: Encyclopedie automobilů. České a slovenské osobní automobily od roku 1815 do současnosti. Computer Press, Brno 2007, ISBN 978-80-251-1587-9 . (Czech)

Web links

Commons : Cyclecars  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile.
  2. www.classicdriver.com (accessed May 1, 2014)
  3. ^ A b Gilles Fournier, David Burgess-Wise: Amilcar . English edition. Dalton Watson, Deerfield 1994, ISBN 1-85443-218-4 , pp. 4-5 (English).
  4. a b Kimes (1985), p. 554.
  5. Kimes (1985), p. 555.
  6. a b Kimes (1985), p. 556.
  7. Kimes (1985), pp. 554-556
  8. a b c d The International Automobile Encyclopedia. and The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles.
  9. 260 kg weight according to The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile
  10. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw dx dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei ej ek The International Automobile Encyclopedia. and The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile.
  11. 300 kg weight according to The International Automobile Encyclopedia.
  12. a b c d e f The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles.
  13. 320 kg weight according to The International Automobile Encyclopedia.
  14. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z The International Automobile Encyclopedia. 2008.
  15. 295 kg weight according to The International Automobile Encyclopedia.
  16. 180 kg weight according to solarmobil.net (accessed on April 8, 2012)
  17. 340 kg weight according to The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942
  18. ^ A b The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. and The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles.
  19. 350 kg empty weight according to Amilcar
  20. a b c d e f g h i The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. and cars. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours.
  21. a b c d The International Automobile Encyclopedia. and cars. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours.
  22. Cars. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours. and The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles.
  23. 350 kg weight according to The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile
  24. 350 kg weight according to The International Automobile Encyclopedia.
  25. 300 kg weight according to The International Automobile Encyclopedia.
  26. 340 kg weight according to The Fast Twenties. History of cyclecars and voiturettes.
  27. 340 kg weight according to automobile exhibitions and vehicle tests around the world. The best from "Der Motorwagen", the magazine for the automotive industry and engine construction. Part 2: 1919-1929. Transpress, Berlin 1985, p. 109.
  28. a b c cars. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours.
  29. under 350 kg weight according to www.peugeot.com ( memento from June 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed on October 3, 2013)
  30. 343 kg weight according to A – Z of Cars of the 1920s
  31. 279 kg weight according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  32. 127 kg weight according to A – Z of Cars of the 1920s
  33. 250 kg weight according to A – Z of Cars of the 1920s
  34. 305 kg weight for the smaller model according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  35. 318 kg weight for the first model according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  36. 75 kg weight according to A – Z of Cars of the 1920s
  37. 140 kg weight for the first model according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  38. 127 kg weight according to The New Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present.
  39. 305 kg weight according to A – Z of Cars of the 1920s
  40. 203 kg weight according to The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile
  41. 68 kg weight according to A – Z of Cars of the 1920s
  42. Allcarindex (English, accessed on April 18, 2014)
  43. 250 kg weight according to A – Z of Cars of the 1920s
  44. ^ A b c The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975
  45. 254 kg weight according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  46. 203 kg weight according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  47. 254 kg weight according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  48. 292 kg weight for the first model according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  49. 330 kg weight according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  50. 203 kg weight according to A – Z of Cars of the 1920s
  51. 279 kg weight according to A – Z of Cars of the 1920s
  52. 203 kg weight for the first model according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  53. 178 kg weight for the first model according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  54. 152 kg weight for the small model according to The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile
  55. a b c A – Z of Cars of the 1920s.
  56. 305 to 356 kg weight according to The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975
  57. 152 kg weight according to A – Z of Cars of the 1920s
  58. ^ Wolfgang M. Buchta: Formula Ö. Racing car from Austria. Austro Classic Special Issue No. 3.
  59. 350 kg weight according to the Encyklopedie automobilů
  60. 260 kg weight according to Austrian motor vehicles
  61. 275 kg weight according to article
  62. 350 kg weight according to Swiss cars. Swiss automobile designs from 1868 to the present day.
  63. ^ Automobile and motorcycle chronicle , edition 9/1981.
  64. a b Šuman-Hreblay: Encyclopedie automobilů.
  65. 340 kg weight according to The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile
  66. 340 kg according to the Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942
  67. 204 kg weight according to the Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942
  68. a b c d e f g h i j k l m Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942
  69. 979 cm³ displacement and 231 kg weight
  70. 272 kg weight according to the Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942
  71. 227 kg weight according to the Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942
  72. 1044 cm³ displacement and 159 kg empty weight
  73. 181 kg empty weight
  74. 745 cm³ displacement and 318 kg empty weight
  75. 1092 cm³ displacement