Goggomobil darts

Goggomobil
Darts
Production period:	1959-1962
Class :	Microcar
Body versions :	Roadster
Engines:	Petrol engines : 0.3-0.4 liters (10.9-13.6 kW)
Length:	3050 mm
Width:	1370 mm
Height:
Wheelbase :	1800 mm
Empty weight :	380 kg

Goggomobil Dart (rear view)

The Goggomobil Dart ( English for arrow is) a Kleinstwagen ( microcar ) with sporty Roadster - body from plastic , the 1959 to 1962 on the basis of Goggomobil in Australia was prepared.

history

The dart was developed from 1957 by the Australian Buckle Motors Pty Ltd, a well-known car trading company from Sydney , on the basis of the small car "Goggomobil" by Hans Glas GmbH from Dingolfing in Bavaria . It was based on an idea by Bill Buckle , who remembered the success of the Goggomobil, to offer a sporty and faster version of this scooter mobile for this very market. For this purpose Buckley traveled to Dingolfing, convinced senior boss Hans Glas of his idea and received a license from him to build the Goggomobil as well as the version he had designed. As a name for the new car , Buckley chose the designation Dart, based on the intended sporty character of the two-seater .

The Dart was based on the standard floor pan with the associated mechanical components including the drive unit and gearbox as well as the bonnet of the Goggomobil limousine , all of which were delivered from Germany . In contrast to the original Goggomobil, however, it had a flat, open roadster body made of fiberglass, designed independently in Australia, with a long, rounded front section similar to the Jaguar E-Type with aerodynamically clad headlights and pronounced rear fins . The equipment included a roll bar , a simple black hood and a small trunk in the front of the car. Because of the left-hand traffic in Australia , the car had right-hand drive .

The small Roadster as sedans of a air-cooled series - two cylinders - two-stroke engine is driven at the vehicle rear end, displacement either 300 cc or 400 cc, power 15 or 20 hp. With its very light plastic body, it weighed only 345 kg ready to drive, which is why it offered significantly increased performance compared to the original Goggomobil. With better acceleration, the Goggomobil Dart reached a top speed of 100 km / h (300 cm³ version) or 110 km / h (400 cm³ version).

Like the other Goggomobiles manufactured under license abroad or the largely original or independently modified Goggomobil derivatives - and that was a special feature - the dart also had the trademark with a stylized letter "G" from the Glas company on both the front and the front at the rear without any externally visible reference to the manufacturer in Australia.

The Goggomobil Dart was in the price lists from 1959 to 1962. Due to the relatively high price, the sales success was low compared to the sedan, so that only about 700 vehicles were built.

literature

• Tony Davis: Aussie Cars . Margue Publishing, Hurstville 1987, ISBN 0-947079-01-7

Web links

Commons : Goggomobil Dart  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Australian website (accessed September 8, 2012)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Company Profile . Bill Buckle Volkswagen. Archived from the original on August 29, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 16, 2007. 
2. ^ Wheels magazines, 1959 to 1962