Dictionary of Meaning
<<Back
Please select a letter:
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 |
0-9
Click here for Shopping
Cyclecar
*** Shopping-Tip: Cyclecar
Image:LaVigneCyclecar1914.jpg right|thumb|367px|[[1914 La Vigne cyclecar advertisement.]]
'''Cyclecars''' were small, generally inexpensive cars manufactured mainly between
1910 and
1923.
General description
Cyclecars were propelled by single cylinder, V-twin or
four cylinder engines, or sometimes
motorcycle engines. Several motorcycle-derived components were used. Cyclecars were half way between motorcycles and cars, some historians say. Bodies were lightweight, sometimes in a tandem two-seater configuration. They used various layouts and means of transmitting the engine power to the wheels, such as
belt drive or
chain drive. Some cyclecars were primitive and offered minimal comfort.
The rise of cyclecars was a direct result of taxation for the registration on cars, because taxation was based on displacement of the engine and weight of the car.
The cyclecars appear
From
1898 to
1910,
automobile production quickly expanded. Light cars of that era were commonly known as
voiturettes. Cyclecars appeared around 1910. The cyclecar boom began shortly before the outbreak of
World War I.
The first successful cyclecars were
Bédélia of
France and
G.N. from Britain.
Sporting cars and cyclecar races
There were sporting cyclecars such as
Amilcar,
Major (automobile Major or
Salmson of
France.
There were also races dedicated for cyclecars with the first event of this kind organised by the
Automobile Club de France in
1913. Memories preserve the Cyclecar GP at
Le Mans in
1920. Until the late 1920's, there were races for cyclecars ''and'' voiturettes.
The decline of cyclecars
By the early 1920's the days of the cyclecar were numbered.
Mass producers, such as
Ford Motor Company Ford, were the extremely successful competitors. The answer of
Henry Ford to cyclecars was simple: he introduced a scaled down
Model T to bring the price of new Ford cars closer to the price of cyclecars. Similar affordable cars were offered in Europe such as
Citroën,
Austin 7 or
Morris Cowley.
The cyclecar boom was over.
The majority of cyclecar manufacturers closed down. Some companies survived, such as
Chater-Lea which returned to the manufacture of motorcycles.
After
World War II, small, tiny cars were again in demand, but this time they were called
microcars by enthusiasts and
bubble cars by the general population.
Cyclecars by countries
Image:14ili15twomblyCycleCar4cyl_Bay.jpg right|384px|thumb|A 1914 [[Twombly (cyclecar)|Twombly cyclecar.]]
Austria
*
Grofri
Belgium
*
SCH
Canada
*
Dart Cycle Car Co
*
Glen Motor Company
*
Gramm (automobile) Gramm
Czechoslovakia
*
Vaja
France
Germany
*
Arimofa
*
Koco
*
Pluto (automobile) Pluto
*
Spinell
Italy
*
Amilcar Italiana
*
Anzani
Spain
*
Alvarez
*
David (car) David
*
Izaro
*
JBR
*
Salvador (automobile) Salvador
Sweden
*
Self (car) Self
United Kingdom
United States
See also
*
List of automobile manufacturers
Books
*'From Cyclecar to Microcar - The Story of the Cyclecar Movement' Author - Michael Worthington-Williams. Publisher Beaulieu Books 1981
*'Minimal Motoring - From Cyclecar to Microcar' Author - David Thirlby. Publisher Tempus Publishing Ltd ISBN 0752423673 2002.
External links
-
http://canadiandriver.com/articles/bv/cyclecars.htm
-
http://morgan3w.de/rivals/rivals.htm
Category:Automobiles
Category:Car classifications
*** Shopping-Tip: Cyclecar
