Roadsters, Cabriolets and Buggies: A

A

A.G. (Antonio Gomez Cruz) Microcars

Antonio Gomez Cruz, was born in Torredonjimeno, Jaen, in 1907. He was a self-taught man who followed the...

A.M.P. 3-wheeler

In 1957, in Pamplona, Antonio Muñoz Perera (A.M.P.), built a unique prototype of a touring tricycle...

ABC Tricar

ABC Tricar 3-wheelers were made by a small company Auto Bodycraft of Brierley Hills, Staffordshire, England....

ABS Freestyle

The ABS Freestyle Kit Car, now manufactured by Muddy Buggies, is a customizable kit car that can be made SVA...

AC Acedes (Model 57)

In 1957 AC introduced its Model 57 (or Acedes) 3-wheeler for invalids. These microcars were sold by the...

AC All-Weather Tricycle

In 1949 AC made a prototype of All-Weather Tricycle for disabled people. It looked awesome and had the...

ACOMA Comtesse Sport Type 800E

ACOMA Comtesse Sport was a quite similar to Comtesse Coupe, but had a simplier targa body. Instead of a fully...

Acrea Zest

French company Acrea was created in 2005. The first and the only model Zest debuted in Paris in 2006. These...

Ad Art AD-S50

Originally popularized in the mid-1980s for being a “simple car that didn’t require a regular driver’s...

Addax Charly

In 1977, French company Société Anonyme d’études et de Construction Automobiles et Motocycles...

AEM Commanchero Six

AEM Commanchero Six is a rare 6-wheel version of the AEM Scout Mini-based microcar. About 20 cars were...

AEM Scout

The AEM (Automotive Engineering & Manufacturing Company) Scout is a Welsh-built Mini Moke based microcar...

Aero Trike Roadster

The Aero Trike Roadster (or ATR) was a kit designed by Maurice Bourne of Marquez, Texas, who had previously...

AFA Prototype

AFA (some sources affirm that it is the acronym for “Automobiles Fernández y Aymerich”, and...

Aixam Scouty

The AIXAM Scouty is the first no-license convertible with a hard top! As soon as the days are fine, you can...

Alca Volpe

The design of this rare Volpe roadster made by Alca (Anonima Lombarda Cabotaggio Aereo) is very attractive,...

Alco

The German company Kleinschnittger made the F250 microcar with an open body between 1950 and 1957. A...

Aleu Bambi

In 1954, the motorcycle brand “Manufacturas Aleu, s.l.” presented a 3-wheel microcar called...

Allander Roadster 7hp

The Allander Roadster is a one-off car that was built by Claes Allander of Alingsås, Sweden in 1950. The...

Alma 903 Cabrio

Alma is a Hungary-made small car manufactured by Papa’s brothers as a hobby car for young people and...

Alto Boxer

Alto was a British cars and kits manufacture. The company was founded by David Gornall founded in 1985 in...

Altona Condor

The Altona was a Belgian car brand located in...

AM

AM is a self-made single-place microcar from the Czech Republic. It had a streamlined body (like racing...

Amble One

Imagine you want a golf cart. But make it more stylish. Trendier. Electric, of course. And, most importantly,...

AMC Cub

The Andersen Motor Company from Liverpool, United Kingdom, developed the AMC Cub — a microcar inspired...

American Bantam Model 60 / 62 / 65

American Bantam company was a successor of the American Austin Car Company, which was connected to the...

Ant Amphibious

The “Ant” is a wheel-known three-wheeled scooter with a cargo body from in the USSR. But there was...

Antem

The Antem microcar with open body was built by the Frenchman Jacques Antem, son of Jean Antem who was known...

Arbet

“My car is no weird car,” wrote Jeff Gibson. “It is, by all standards, a normal car, except...

Ardex 2+2

In the begins of 50s Ardex restarted producing of microcars. This 2+2 cabriolet was equipped with a 50 cc...

Ardex Type Aero 37

In 1937, Ardex presented the new 4-wheel speedster — Type Aero 37. It got a streamlined body without...

Atlas Babycar

The Atlas was a 4-wheeled microcar produced by the Societe Industrielle de Livry (SIL). The prototype,...

Auto Sandal FN

During 1953, an FN model was launched. The second model of Auto Sandal brand (オートサンダル) was...

Auto Sandal FN-L

In 1954, a full model change was planned, and a model with a front engine and front wheel drive was planned,...

Auto Sandal FS

After World War II, and in the midst of the postwar period, the Japanese government had to rebuild the...

Autocycle by August Paul

This autocycle began as a motorcycle that gradually evolved. Back in the day, cyclist August Paul found it...

Avolette

The Avolette was one of many cars whose origins lay with Brutsch, in this case the Brutsch Zwerg. The design...

Avolette 125 / 150 Lambretta engine

At the end of 1957, a redesign of the “Avolette” with new shapes and better mechanics, equipped...

Avro Monocar

In the 1920s, Edwin Elliott Verdon Rowe, founder of the famous AVRO aircraft company, spent his spare time in...

B

B&B Brogan Doodlebug

The “B&B Specialty Company” was an American company, located in the town of Rossmoyne (Ohio)....

B&B Broganette

“The answer to the demand for a tiny, inexpensive car” was how Frank Brogan described the $500...

Badia-Ballarin

Despite the little information that exists about this curious microcar, and the fact that in the few...

BAIC Arcfox-1

In April 2016, Chinese car manufacturer BAIC presented a tiny concept roadster BAIC Arcfox-1. It had length...

Baldi Betty

Baldi Betty was another buggy version of the Fiat 500 with an original open-top body. It was similar to Baldi...

Baldi El Sabre

Baldi El Sabre was another buggy-styled microcar based on the Fiat 850. This one was built on the Fiat 850...

Baldi Riky

1972 Baldi Riky was a Fiat 850 Special with an original open buggy body. Similar to Betty and Tilly, it had 2...

Baldi Sahara 4

The Baldi Sahara 4 was an Italian open-top vehicle based on the Renault 4. Produced by Baldi GAMC, a...

Bambino Sport

Bambino Sport was a concept car based on the Bambino 200 microcar. The small roadster was designed by Franco...

Barrett Model 60 Midget

Years before MG grabbed the name, Barrett produced its own Midget. A politically incorrect name by modern...

Belcar

This was a licence-built version of the Brutsch 200 Spatz. It swapped the original 191cc Sachs engine for a...

Benteng

Benteng electric convertible was made in China in 1958. It is likely that the only copy was made. The design...

Berkeley Bandini

A Berkeley enthusiast called Andy Argyle started offering replacement chassis, panels and bodyshells for...

Berkeley T60

At the end of 50s, three wheeler cars were popular, especially with motorcyclists in the UK who could drive...

Berkeley T60/4

Berkeley T60/4 came in October 1960 to expand T60 range. Both versions (T60 and T60/4) are mechanically and...

Biota Mk1

John Houghton came up with the concept of the Biota when he owned a Mini-powered midget racer that he...

Biota Mk2

John Houghton redesigned the Biota Mk1 after 25 units had been produced and introduced the Mk2 version. The...

Biscuter 100 / 200 A (Normal Turismo)

Despite what it meant in post-war Spain and its popular roots (which gave rise to jokes such as...

Biscuter 200-F (Pegasin)

Introduced in 1957, the Biscuter 200-F (or Pegasin) was the last of the saga. The new car model was...

BMA Brio

Symmetrical shapes which minimize tooling costs are a recurring part of minimalist motoring history, but few...

BMW Golf Car

Boulevard Machine Works was a small California company founded by Leslie Perhacs, a Hungarian immigrant who...

Borgman Dwerg

Vaguely reminiscent of a Bond Minicar to look at, the Borgman Dwerg (dwarf) was made by a company based in...

Boselli Libellula

The Boselli brothers founded FB-Mondial, a motorcycle company based in Milan that was active from 1948 to...

Bouffort City-Car / Peardrop

Having previously built the JB, aeronautical engineer Victor Bouffort went on to create a whole series of...

Brütsch V2

The Brütsch V2 roadster was created in the mid 50s by the German company Egon Brütsch Fahrzeugbau from...

C

Cambro Cyclecar

This single-seat runabout was built by the Central Aircraft Co. of Kilburn, North London, shortly after World...

CAP Super Scoiattolo

The Super Scoiattolo was the four-wheel-drive development of the Fiat 500-based Scoiattolo, built by...

Chongqing Municipality Public Transport Company Type 58

The Type 58, manufactured in 1958 by the Chongqing Municipality Public Transport Company, was a three-wheel...

Citroen Ami Buggy Vision

Citroen Ami Buggy Vision concept is a beach-inspired fantasy version of the Ami that answers the question:...

Citroën Ami Buggy “Rip Curl” Vision

The French company Citroën is reviving its partnership with Rip Curl. Another joint project is a buggy based...

Citroen My Ami Buggy

Citroen has unveiled the production version of last year’s My Ami Buggy concept, a small Ami electric...

Citroen My Ami Buggy Concept

Citroen has unveiled the My Ami Buggy concept, which is a tiny electric city car with a sporty character,...

Citroën Scarabée d’Or

Citroën Scarabée d’Or was a concept of an all-wheel drive passenger car created in 1990 by the French...

Citroën Scarabée d’Or

The Citroën Scarabée d’Or prototype made its debut in March 1990 at the Geneva Motor Show. The...

Colt Economy

This is the story of one of the many failed attempts to produce an affordable vehicle for local commuting....

Crosley HotShot / Super Sports

Cincinnati radio-and-refrigerator magnate Powel Crosley, Jr., entered the car business in 1939 with dreams of...

Cross

It’s hard to believe, but the base for this stylish beach off-roader was a humble microcar. Created in 2005...

D

DAF Kini Beach Car by Michelotti

When Prince Willem-Alexander — now the king of the Netherlands — was born, the former Dutch automaker DAF...

Daihatsu Cuore Boneschi

The Daihatsu Cuore Boneschi was a one-off concept created by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Boneschi on the...

Daihatsu Fellow Buggy

Daihatsu made only 100 units of the “Fellow Buggy”, which was a recreational vehicle that...

Daihatsu FX-228

The 1991 Daihatsu FX-228 Concept debuted as a convertible interpretation of the fourth-generation Daihatsu...

Daihatsu Osanpo Concept

The Daihatsu Osanpo is an electric crossover convertible concept that combines an appealing design with...

Daihatsu Urban Buggy

The Daihatsu Urban Buggy was a concept car presented at the 27th Tokyo Motor Show in 1987 as part of...

Duport Onyx

The Duport Onyx was a French-built microcar developed by ski lift engineering company Duport to keep factory...

E

Electraction Rickshaw

Electric cars of the 1970s were heavy and slow. They had small weird fiberglass bodies. The Electraction...

ElectraMeccanica Solo O2 Concept

The ElectraMeccanica’s Solo EV has undergone a “concept update” that primarily changed the...

EV roadster from the USSR

This compact electric roadster was created by schoolchildren at the turn of the 60s and 70s of the last...

Evetta Openair

In addition to the base version Evetta Prima, the open-top version Evetta Openair was presented. Although the...

F

FAW Bestune Pony / Xiaoma

The FAW Bestune Pony was unveiled at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show. It is a miniature electric car positioned...

Feiyue

The Feiyue was produced by the Shanghai Mini-Auto Works from August 1958. Feiyue, which means “flying...

Ferenc Grósz Dwarf Car

In the late 1950s, Ferenc Grósz from Hungary and his older son, Ferenc Grósz Jr., made another small car....

Ferves Ranger

At the 1966 Turin Motor Show, the Ferves Ranger was introduced as a unique and distinctly Italian compact...

Fiat 126 Minimaxi Moretti

First introduced in 1970, the Minimaxi models—initially built on the Fiat 500 platform and later on the...

Fiat 127 Holiday

The Fiat 127 Holiday was a low-volume reinterpretation of Fiat’s new supermini, developed in 1972 by...

Fiat 500 Cabriolet Garavini

The Fiat 500 Cabriolet was a bespoke interpretation of Fiat’s compact city car, bodied by the Italian...

Fiat 500 Dolcevita

A model called the Fiat 500 was presented in the 1930s and changed several generations. But the Fiat Nuova...

Fiat 500 F Decathlon

Introduced in 1965, the Fiat 500 F marked the most mature stage in the evolution of Italy’s iconic...

Fiat 500 Minimaxi Moretti

Fiat 500 Minimaxi Moretti was created by the Italian automobile company Moretti Motors. This company began...

Fiat 500 Savio Albarella

The Fiat 500 Albarella was a very limited-production Italian beach car developed by Carrozzeria Savio in...

Fiat 500 Spiaggina

The Fiat 500 Spiaggina is not only one of the most significant works of Carrozzeria Boano from Turin, but...

Fiat 500 Sport Viotti

The 1937 Fiat 500 Spider was a bespoke creation by the renowned Italian coachbuilder Viotti. Developed as a...

Fiat 500 Tilly by Baldy

Baldi GAMC was a coachbuilder based in the Sanremo region of Italy. One of Baldi’s early projects was...

Fiat 500 Zanzara by Zagato

The Fiat 500 Zanzara was a 1969 concept car created by Zagato. Taking its name from the Italian word for...

Fiat 500e Tender2 by Castagna Milano

Italian bodybuilder Castagna Milano has unveiled a new generation of its Tender2 model, based on the electric...

Fiat 600 Savio Jungla

The Savio Jungla was a lightweight Italian utility vehicle developed by Carrozzeria Savio on Fiat 600D...

Fiat Cinquecento Birba

The Fiat Cinquecento Birba was an imaginative concept created by Carrozzeria Maggiora and unveiled at the...

Fiat Cinquecento Cita

The Fiat Cinquecento Cita was a one-off concept born from Fiat’s ambitious plan to mark the launch of the...

Fiat Cinquecento Rush

The Fiat Cinquecento Rush was born from Bertone’s particularly inspired period in the spring of 1992 and...

Fiat Topolino by Castagna Milano

Castagna Milano, known for its “Spiaggina” transformations of the Fiat 500, now extends a...

Fiat Topolino Garavini

Resurrected Italian coachbuilder Garavini has unveiled its version of the electric Fiat Topolino quadricycle,...

Fioravanti Nyce

In recent years, one of the most distinctive emerging segments in the automotive world has been...

Fissore 127 Scout

The Fissore 127 Scout was an open leisure vehicle based on the front-wheel-drive Fiat 127. Designed for...

Foulkes Impala

The Foulkes Impala was a British kit car produced by Foulkes Developments Ltd. in Dartmouth, Devon, from 1981...

France-Jet 1100 cc Prototype

In 1960, France-Jet built a last special version for the American market. It got long front end, bigger...

France-Jet V2N

With the aim of entering the American market, the subsidiary France-Jet Motor Ltd. created for this purpose,...

Freze Froggy EV Beachstar

Dartz has shown a new version of their last year’s Nikrob project. The Freze Froggy EV Beachstar is...

G

General Motors XP-512G

The General Motors XP-512G, revealed in 1969, was part of an ambitious family of experimental commuter cars...

Gitta

In 1958, István Karika, a small craftsman from Budapest, made a three-wheeled miniature car. It was named...

GPM Eole

The GPM Eole was a French leisure and utility vehicle developed by GPM Automobile SA in Roanne, Loire. The...

H

Haiyan 250

This is the three-seat open-top Haiyan 250, powered by a 250cc 2-stroke 1-cylinder Changjiang motorcycle...

Haiyan 730 Second Model

This is an updated version of the Haiyan CK730, now equipped with doors. It was first introduced in February...

Haiyan CK730

Introduced at the National Exhibition of Industry and Communication in Beijing in 1959, this open-top...

Home Built Microcar by Juri Nesterov

In the late 1980s, Juri Nesterov of Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR, completed work on a homemade microcar. He used...

Home built roadster from Siberia

This tiny home-made car was made in Siberia. It was created in 1971. According to the author, the biggest...

Honda Hondina Zagato

The Honda Hondina sports car was created in 1970 by the Italian studio Zagato, commissioned by the Japanese...

Huke 580

The one-eyed, four-seater Huke 580 was manufactured in October 1958 by the Shanghai Bus Repair &...

I

ItalDesign Lucciola

ItalDesign’s 1993 Lucciola concept was a small hybrid city car that combined eco‑friendliness,...

J

Jeep by V.L. Taranukha

October 23, 1966, a parade-competition of home-built cars and motorcycles was held in Moscow. The parade took...

Jet 175 Prototype

Air Tourist and the Avolette brand give way to Union Industrielle and the Jet and France-Jet brands. Air...

Jet V2N

In 1959, Union Industrielle (formerly named Air Tourist) made a turn and announced the new Brutsch design,...

Joaquim Garcia’s first car

In the 1950s the pioneer Joaquim Garcia, a musician, carpenter, and mechanic from Jaboticabal, São Paulo,...

Jurka prototype with Fermín Antonio Capella Hernán body

Spain-based AISA company met some problems: the name was already registered by by a water company from the...

K

Krausemobil

It was built by the private company “Louis Krause Krankenfahrzeugfabrik” from Leipzig in 1961....

L

Lada 1801 Pony

The 70s of the 20th century was a time of fun buggy cars that were very fashionable at the time. Many...

Lada Elf / VAZ 1152

The Lada Elf (know also as VAZ 1152) was a prototype of a compact two-seat vehicle created in Tolyatti,...

Larmar

The Larmar microcar is probably the narrowest car ever built. It was produced from 1946 to 1951 by Larmar...

Lopakodo

This home built buggy was made in 1997 by an artisan from Sárospatak (Hungary) with a “skillful hand”....

Lőrinc Petrovics Children’s Car

At the Budapest Industrial Fair in 1958, many children envied watching the small car in the pictures, which...

M

Matra P28

Matra returned to the spotlight in 1982 with one of Jean-Luc Lagardère’s concepts: the P28...

MCC Smart Eco-Speedster

The story of Smart began with bold ideas rather than cautious compromises. In 1990, Swiss watchmaker SMH —...

MEBEA Fox

MEBEA Fox was a small Greek utility vehicle launched in 1979 and developed in cooperation with Reliant,...

Mega Club / Ranch / Tjaffer

The Mega Club was a leisure vehicle produced by French manufacturer Aixam under its Mega sub-brand from 1992...

Microlino Spiaggina

Microlino first unveiled the Spiaggina concept at the 2022 Paris Motor Show and has now returned to the 2024...

Mitsubishi Lynx

The experimental all-terrain vehicle known as Mitsubishi Link was conceived as a lightweight recreational...

Mitsubishi Minica Jeep Concept

Very little information has been published about the 1969 Mitsubishi Minica Jeep Concept. What is known...

Moke

The British company Moke International – which acquired the ‘Moke’ trademark in 2015 – has...

Moke Californian

The Moke is returning to the United States after a 40-year absence, this time as an all-electric vehicle...

Morrison Midge Runabout

Morrison Midge Runabout was a rare three-wheeled electric car from the 1960s. The Midge Runabout was built by...

Motores Abril Diesel Minicar

The Abril is one of many microcars manufactured in Spain. This was a unique vehicle, which existed at a time...

N

Nakano Yoshimishiro prototype

In 1947, Nakano Yoshimishiro founded the “Nakano Automobile Kogyo Company Limited” in the...

O

Opel Rocks E-Xtreme Concept

Opel has summed up the results of the Rocks-e Design Hack design hackathon and has chosen the winning project...

P

Peel P50 E.50 / G.50

The best Top Gear episode of all time is the one with the Peel P50. That the little car could get rid of...

Powerdrive

In the arcane world of British microcars, David Gottlieb is a near-mythical figure. The designer of three of...

R

Renault 4 Plein Air

The Renault 4 Plein Air was a short-lived open leisure version of the Renault 4, introduced in spring 1968...

Rovin Type D2

Rovin was a French auto-maker established in the Paris region, and most active from 1946 until 1959, although...

S

Seat 600 Multipla Panoramica

In 1960, a hundred thousandth Seat cars were launched at the Seat factory in the free economic zone Barcelona...

Skoda Buggy type 736

In 125 years of existence, Skoda has created not only cars for motorsport but also cars for fun and joy. This...

Skoda Element Concept

Skoda has unveiled a new concept named the Element. Based on the Citigo, the Element is a two-seat beach...

Škoda Sagitta (typ 911)

The 4-seater Škoda Sagitta (typ 911) was created in 1937. The car was equipped with a two-cylinder 845 cc...

Skorpion & Super Skorpion

The Skorpion was a small American sports car with a fibreglass body, developed in California after the Second...

Smart Forease Concept

With the Smart Forease Concept, the company is celebrating its 20th anniversary at the Paris Motor Show...

Smart Forease+

In 2018, Smart brand owned by Daimler AG presented the Foreasy concept at the Paris Motor Show, which...

Spatz / BAG-Spatz

The history of Spatz is so ephemeral that to get to it you have to do a bit of history. The Brütsch 200...

Subaru 450 Sports

The Subaru 450 Sports was a compact, rear-engined sports car prototype unveiled at the 8th Tokyo Motor Show...

Suzuki CUE

The Suzuki CUE Concept debuted in 1991 as a kei car prototype at the 30th Tokyo Motor Show. It featured a 657...

Suzuki e-Survivor

Suzuki has presented a fun electric concept car e-Survivor. It is a small, robust open top SUV to be...

T

Tazzari Zero 4 Buggy

The Tazzari Zero 4 Buggy is a compact, retro-styled electric vehicle from Italian manufacturer Tazzari,...

Tazzari Zero 4 Opensky

Tazzari Zero 4 Opensky is an exhilarating open-air electric mini SUV. Born in Imola’s Motor Valley,...

Tiny 70

As part of the 1968 transformation experiment known as the new economic mechanism in Hungary, the Electricity...

Tiny I

As part of the 1968 transformation experiment known as the new economic mechanism in Hungary, the Electricity...

Toyota Camatte Petta

Remember the joys of having your dad taking you through some of the features of a car when you were a child,...

Toyota EV-30

The Toyota EV-30 was a two-seat electric concept car powered by zinc-bromine batteries and first unveiled at...

Trabant Buggy By János Kesjár jr.

In the 1960s, buggy madness spilled over to Europe. This story is about János Kesjár Jr., a well-known...

TYRA

To honor the unknown individuals who contributed to the establishment of the Republic and to share their...

V

Vellák

József Vellák from Nagykanizsa learned the locksmith’s profession in 1919 in the locksmith shop of...

Velorex 435 Cabriolet

A prototype of Velorex 435 Cabiolet was presented at the Engineering Fair in Brno in 1959. Only few pieces of...

Vignale Gamine

The Vignale Gamine was a small rear-engined roadster produced by Carrozzeria Vignale from 1967 until 1971....

W

Y

Yudin’s Roadster From Tashkent

The tiny home built car was made by the father and son Yudins from Tashkent. They passed over 10,000...

Roadsters, Cabriolets and Buggies: A–Z List

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L