Defend your favourite: two-seater bubble cars

From the early 1950’s to the mid 1970’s a format of car was built that many consider to be a novelty and, in some cases, a downright joke. But with the automotive industry now firmly embracing consumer demand for fuel efficient cars and the environmentally friendly zeitgeist, it could be only a matter of time before we see two-seater bubble cars return to production – if some recent concepts are anything to go by.

The reason that I have chosen two seat bubble cars to defend – instead of one-seaters like the Peel P50 that was brought back into public consciousness by Jeremy Clarkson on an episode of Top Gear – is that when a bubble car has only one seat it is effectively just a bicycle, albeit a whole lot more costly and impractical. At least with two-seaters you can ferry a (reasonably small) passenger or a load of shopping.

The Fuldamobil – or ‘Nobel’ as it was known in the UK – is generally regarded as the first two seat bubble car and was built from 1950 to 1969. Its single rear wheel was powered by a variety of Sachs two stroke engines ranging from 191cc to 360cc, the latter producing just 10 hp to allow for a top speed of 80 km/h. While not the best looking (or indeed best anything) bubble car, don’t be surprised if the Fuldamobil is not looked back upon soon as the Edmund Hillary of small cars.

Messerschmitt also decided to have a go at building bubble cars after it was banned from producing aircraft post-WW2. 15,000 of the Messerschmitt KR175 were built between 1953 and 1955, all of which were powered by a 173cc Fichtel & Sachs air-cooled single cylinder two-stroke engine. The 9 hp this produced at 5,250 rpm permitted a top of 80 km/h and, thanks to its light weight of 210 kg, the KR175 only consumed 3.7 l/100km. Its tandem seating resulted in a narrow body which tapered similar to an aircraft fuselage and entry was via a hinged canopy door which also housed the windows. A pull rope starter was standard equipment on the KR – electric start was an optional extra – while the four speed sequential gearbox was without synchronization or a reverse gear. Steering was achieved through with tubular handlebars.   

Replacing the KR175, the KR200 or Kabinenroller (cabin scooter) was built by Messerschmitt from 1956 to 1964. Its overall mass was centralized along its longitudinal axis thanks to the tandem seating. This improved handling when combined with the cars low weight and wheel placement. A 191cc Fichtel & Sachs air-cooled, single cylinder two-stroke engine produced 10 hp and a top speed of 105 km/h. An interesting feature was that to reverse the car the engine had to be stopped and restarted going backwards which resulted in it having the same four gear ratios in reverse that it had in forwards. Fuel consumption was 3.2 l/100km.

Another of the best known bubble cars was the Isetta. The original Iso Isetta was built in Italy between 1953 and 1961. Its unique feature was that the entire front-end was an outward hinging door and its two-cylinder two-stroke motorcycle engine produced 9.5 hp. Top speed was 75 km/h and acceleration was atrocious – 0-50 km/h took over 30 seconds! The manual ‘box contained four forward and one reverse gear while fuel economy was between 4.0 and 5.6 l/100km.

In 1954 BMW bought the license and body making equipment for the Isetta from Iso and went on to produce the Isetta 250 and 300 from 1956 to 1962. The 250 used a modified one-cylinder 250cc four-stroke engine from the BMW R25/3 motorcycle which generated 12 hp at 5,800 rpm. Its top speed was 85 km/h.           

The Peel Trident was produced from 1965 to 1966 and originally retailed for £190. Its 49cc DKW engine produced 4 hp and a top speed of 61 km/h. Miniscule dimensions of 1,829 mm, 1,067 mm and a weight of 90 kg allowed for a frugal 2.8 l/100km. The Trident also frequently appeared on ‘worst cars in the world’ lists. We’ll just ignore that one then...    

Bond Bug designer Tom Karen supervised the design and production of Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder in Star Wars, one of which was built on the chassis of the Bond Bug using mirrors angled at 45 degrees to the ground to hide its wheels. A 700cc Reliant four cylinder engine powered all three models of the Bug which produced 29 hp in the 700 and 700E, while the range topping 700ES got 42 hp as well as more comfortable seats, an ashtray and a spare wheel. The Bond Bug was considered fairly expensive compared to the alternative drives of its time – it originally sold for £629; £9 more than a basic Mini.    

Now back to contemporary times and the three vehicles that may just be hinting at a bubble car revival.

The Renault Twizy Technic was the first such car announced that bolsters my theory. A 15 kW, 57 Nm electric motor drives the tandem two-seater which receives power from a 7 kWh battery located under the front seat. Top speed is 80 km/h and claimed range is 97 km. A less powerful 4 kW version will also be available and can be driven without a licence in some countries. Renault claims that the running costs of the Twizy work out at 15 percent lower than a three-wheeled electric scooter. The Twizy is to go on sale in Europe at the end of 2011 for £7,400 with £40 a month fee for battery hire.

Then Audi decided to jump on the bandwagon with the revelation of its Urban Concept. Available as either a jet-fighter roofed coupe or convertible spyder, this bionic billycart will feature staggered 1+1 seating, quattro AWD and a 15 kW motor on each axle. Claimed range is 50-60 km and acceleration from 0-60km/h is 6.3 seconds. A carbon fibre monocoque that keeps weight to less than 500kg helps achieve this. I’ll admit those oversized 21-inch wheels leave something to be desired though.

Finally, Opel revealed a pleasant surprise at the just-gone Frankfurt Motor Show in the form of the One Euro Car. Ignoring visual subtlety like any good bubble car should, the One Euro takes its name from the fact that you can travel 100 kilometres in it by spending exactly that amount of currency. The electric tandem two-seater is said to be able to reach 120 km/h.      

So is everyone else as excited as me that bubble cars might be coming back?