Úttörő

Úttörő

In 1953, the Ministry of Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering planned to manufacture a vehicle with a category between a motorcycle and passenger car. The same year, two former aircraft mechanics, János Puskás and István Schwanner, started to build a microcar. The idea of the project belonged to Schadek János. The three experienced men built the Úttörő from scratch.

The Úttörő two-seat car was ready for spring 1954. The drive was provided by a 250 cm³ Csepel motorcycle engine, complete with kickstarter, placed over the rear axle. The small wheels were taken from a wheelbarrow. The steering shaft was directly connected to the front axle. The Úttörő had a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). The rudimentary steering gear was later replaced by a rack. The Uttoro was 2650 mm long, 1350 mm wide, and 1254 mm high. It was first seen in Budapest at the Industrial Fair.

The vehicle was inspected by COMECON (The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) in early 1955. However, Schadek had already lost interest in his “child”, so the Uttoro eventually moved to Székesfehérvár, the city in Hungary. Further development of the ideas applied in the Uttoro was realized in microcars Balaton and Alba Regia.

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