MEBEA

These load tricycles from MEBEA were very common in the 1960s and 1970s, there were also versions with a cabin. Vehicles with the same concept were also produced by other Greek companies.

MEBEA ST150 (1970)

In the service of the Greek Post: MEBEA Hermes (1970)

For export to Southeast Asia: MEBEA Bingo (1972)

Greek workhorse: MEBEA 206 (1977)

Mebea Robin (1974-1978)

MEBEA (pronounced: "Mewea") was a major Greek vehicle manufacturer. The product range ranged from light trucks and passenger cars to motorcycles and bicycles.

history

MEBEA was founded in Athens in 1960 as a merger of two existing companies that had been producing two-wheelers since 1954. The abbreviation stands for MEBEA "Mesogiakai Epichiriseis Biomichanias, Emboriou kai Andiprosopion" (Μεσογειακαί Επιχειρήσεις Βιομηχανίας Εμπορίου & Αντιπροσωπειών, Mediterranean companies of Industry, Trade and representation ). The company developed into one of the most important Greek vehicle manufacturers, it operated two production facilities in the north of Athens. Their most important and most successful products were light cargo tricycles with 50 cm³ Zündapp engines. The tricycles, which had been part of the usual street scene in Greece for decades, were also exported to countries in Southeast Asia. Most of MEBEA's moped and motorcycle models (e.g. Junior , Apollon and Hermes ) were also equipped with Zündapp engines. In addition to the two-wheelers and three-wheelers, which were developed in-house except for the engines, MEBEA built and sold its models TW9 (a heavy tricycle from 1970) and Robin (a three-wheeler car from 1974) in cooperation with the British vehicle manufacturer Reliant . In 1979, the four-wheel lightweight Fox was finally introduced. The vehicle based on the Reliant Kitten was actually a MEBEA in-house development. In order to bypass the difficult Greek legislation on the production of cars, the type approval of the Fox was again carried out in cooperation with Reliant as the licensor.

Vehicle models from MEBEA

motorcycles

• 50-Zundapp 50 cc moped (based on a German Zündapp ), mid-1960s to early 1970s
• Hermes 50 cm³ moped, from 1970.
• Apollon 50 cm³, further development of the Hermes , from 1970.
• Junior , 50 cm³, from 1972.
• Europino , moped scooter in Italian design, 1974–1982.

Light tricycles with motorcycle controls

• First generation, with or without a cabin, 1967–1974
• Second generation, with or without cab, 1974–1977
• Third generation (model 206 ), in large numbers 1977–1983

Tricycles with automobile controls

• ST150 light- duty three-wheeler with 300 kg payload, 1970–1977
• Reliant 1200 / TW 9B load tricycle with 800 kg payload, 1970–1976

Light tricycle passenger vehicles with motorcycle controls

• Bingo , almost exclusively for the Southeast Asian market from 1972

Car

• Robin three-wheeler car (Reliant license), 1974–1978
• Fox Light Passenger Car, 1979-1983

literature

• Labros S. Skartsis, GA Avramidis: Made in Greece. Typorama, Patras 2003.
• Quattroruote, Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1982-1983. Editoriale Domus, Milan 1982.
• Daily Express Guide to 1982 World Cars. Motorfair Edition, 1982.
• Labros S. Skartsis: Greek vehicle & machine manufacturers. 1800 tons present. A pictorial history. Marathon 2012, ISBN 978-960-93-4452-4 , pasiphae.lis.upatras.gr (English)