28th Southwest Unique Little Car Show - April 4-6, 2008

The 28th Annual Southwest Unique Little Car Show should prove to be one of the best ever. Microcars and Minicars will converge on Prescott, Arizona, the Territorial Capital of Arizona in 1864, and the site of the largest stand of Ponderosa Pine in the world.
As with past shows, the ULCS will feature displays, a cruise to a local drive-in, prizes, and a terrific opportunity to meet with other minicar people.

March 4th is the deadline for booking hotel rooms at the special ULCS rate, and March 10th is the deadline for pre-registration.

Click the logo above for details.

MicroSouth 2008 - April 4-6, 2008

It's not too late to make your plans to attend MicroSouth 2008 -- the microcar place to be in April (on the east coast). Displays and gatherings are planned for the entire weekend, and Dennis Gage, from the TV series, "My Classic Car" will be filming for an episode scheduled to air in the 2009 season.

Participation is free, but the organizers need your pre-registration by March 21st. For details, click on the logo above.

Northwest VW Club -- Spring Cruise-In

The Northwest VW Club is welcoming other small car owners to join them at their Spring Cruise-In.

March 16, 2008: XXX Cruise-In. 2 PM XXX Root Beer Drive-In (Issaquah, Washington) Cruise your German steel to the last original XXX Drive-In in the nation. Catch up with friends. Show-N-Shine. Great eats.

VSCCA 50th Anniversary June Tour

OK...this isn't really a Microcar & Minicar event -- but it's a cool enough event to warrant inclusion in the online newsletter.

The VSCCA (Vintage Sports Car Club of America) is turning 50 this year, and they are hosting a rally (well, it's really a tour -- so don't worry about your car keeping up). It's an open event. You don't have to be a VSCCA club member, and your car doesn't have to be a VSCCA-eligible car. Although it's probably more fun to enter with a sports car, or at least a vintage car. (Minicars are, of course, welcome.)

The tour starts at the Red Lion Inn, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. From Friday evening (June 20th) through Sunday, tour participants will travel through the Berkshires, taking in the sites, and eating at really wonderful restaurants.

Details on the tour can be found at: VSCCA 5oth Anniversary June Tour.

MINUTIA - New Issue at the Mailer

Issue 16, Number 3 of MINUTIA is at the mailer and should be arriving at member's homes soon. The cover article is from Norman Broski, describing the work involved in taking a "basket-case" Vespa 400 to an award winner.

This issue also includes articles on Saab's -- winners of the 1956 Great American Mountain Rallye.

Make sure you don't miss an issue. You can join the Microcar & Minicar Club at: http://microcarworld.org/_wsn/page2.html

Car of the Future?

Time Magazine named the City Car (a concept from MIT's Media Lab) one of the best inventions of 2007.

"Aiming for the sweet spot between the comfort of a private vehicle and the efficiency of public transportation, the City Car from MIT's Media Lab is a stackable electric car that can be checked out like a luggage cart at the airport, then returned to any station around the city. Electric motors in each wheel eliminate the need for a mechanical drivetrain, and these 5-ft.-long (1.5 m) two-seaters zip along at 55 m.p.h. (about 90 km/h)." Time Inc.

By placing stacks in urban spaces and key points of convergence, the vehicle allows the citizens the flexibility to combine mass transit effectively with individualized mobility. The stack receives incoming vehicles and electrically charges them. Similar to luggage carts at the airport, users simply take the first fully charged vehicle at the front of the stack. The City car utilizes fully integrated in-wheel electric motors and suspension systems called, "Wheel Robots." The wheel robots eliminate the need traditional drive train configurations like engine blocks, gear boxes, and differentials because they are self-contained, digitally controlled, and reconfigurable. Additionally, the wheel robot provides all wheel power and steering capable of 360 degrees of movement, thus allowing for Omni-directional movement. The vehicle can maneuver in tight urban spaces and park by sideways translation. This technology is patented-pending and under design development at the MIT Media Lab.

"Get Smart" - The Smart Cars Arrive

After a decade of use in Europe, the Smart Cars have finally arrived in the US.

SmartUSA, the US distributors of the Smart Fortwo, has been heralding the arrival of these little cars for what seems years -- through concert sponsorships, a nationwide tour, and an innovative $99 reservation program. And the cars have finally started to arrive.

SmartUSA claims to have 30,000 pre-reservations for the cars -- suggesting that an interested buyer, walking into a showroom could have as much as a year's wait for delivery of a car. (Assuming that all 30,000 people choose to buy a car, since the program is flexible and allows customers to get refunds with no penalty.)