Looking for some new wheels and you want something small? And since you think that the Fiat 500 is huge and the Smart Car is just darn big, where you can you turn?
How about the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum?
Billed as “The Worlds Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Cars” it’s been the big attraction in Madison, Georgia. Over the years Bruce collected 200 of the tiniest cars ever made. He focused on the late 1940s through 1964. The engines have 700cc or less and, as his web site points out, many have two doors- or less.
Apparently Bruce has decided it’s time to move on to the next phase of his life, so on February 15-16, 2013, the entire collection will be sold. You can see the full catalog here.
There are some cars that you’d expect to find, like the single door Isetta (he has 16 of them in various versions).
Of course he has the canopied three wheel Messerschmitt (more than 20).
He even has a couple of vintage VW Beetles, which seem huge by comparison.
But it’s cars like the Zundapp Janus…
…or the Scootacar Mk I that make the collection truly special.
Some of the cars, like the Peel Trident, truly look like they belong in a cartoon.
They were generally all built for just one reason: to save money. The three wheelers were often an attempt to avoid paying an automobile tax (it’s technically a motorcycle, right?) while tiny engines were often a tax dodge as well. Creativity was helpful, but safety wasn’t a priority.
The museum will be open for one last weekend (February 1-2) for those who can make it to Madison. After that RM Auctions is moving in to liquidate the collection.
Microcars aren’t as cheap as they used to be. Cuteness has become valuable in the automotive auction world, so finding deals may be tough. But the good news is that you can buy three or four without having to build a new garage!