Bancroft’s Powered Wheel Chair

The August 1938 issue of “Mechanix Illustrated” magazine featured an interesting article about Charles Bancroft, a resident of Port Arthur, Texas, who had grown tired of manually pushing his traditional wheelchair. To solve this problem, Bancroft designed and built a unique three-wheeled vehicle that resembled an armored car in appearance.

Bancroft’s creation was powered by a 2 horsepower motor that he had salvaged from a lawnmower, and it was equipped with a motorcycle transmission. As a result, the vehicle was capable of reaching speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and could travel approximately 60 miles on just one gallon of gasoline.