Off to Never Neverland

We might as well get on the bandwagon too. Earlier this year Michael Jackson's
car collection was auctioned off. This little gem with MJ as Peter Pan painted on
the hood was something we can relate to here at the clubhouse.

A Microcar Even James Bond Can Love

The Aston Martin Cygnet is a concept car that combines the guts of a Toyota iQ with the luxury appointments of an Aston Martin. (And at an estimated $32,000 - it had better have plenty of luxury stuff packed into it.)
The folks at Aston Martin see it as their version of a dinghy (or yacht tender) to the other models in the AM line. (The most recent Aston Martin to hit the showrooms retails for a cool $1.7 million -- making the Cygnet seem like "chump change".)

It's the blue red and white

Keeping in the patriotic spirit, here's a Corbin Sparrow, or whatever they call them now.

Red Dwarf Star Bug -- Back Again

We've found them...the super-secret manufacturers of the Starbug 1 "Carbug".

This ultra-high tech, flying car is made by Flying Car Manufacturers. If you are interested in becoming a true "Red Dwarf groupie", you need to get one of these.

Happy 4th of July!

It is tradition to fly the flag on the 4th of July -- but we particularly like this image of an Isetta, decked out for a 4th of July parade. (It may have been designed in Italy and manufactured in Germany -- but this is a 100% American Isetta.)

In the words of Mork from Ork, "Nano, Nano"

Tata motors of India is considering a version of their Nano microcar for the US market. According to the New York Times, "An American version based on the Europa (a European minicar, expected to launch in 2011) is also under development, Mr. Tata confirmed during an interview at the Geneva auto show, and could arrive around the same time. Company officials say a hatchback and an automatic transmission are both in the works."

"Tata has not disclosed prices for Europe or America, and it has not commented on how the cars might be sold. But it is conceivable that the cars could be offered at Chrysler dealerships, given Tata’s business ties with Fiat, which now controls Chrysler. Sergio Marchionne, Fiat’s chief executive, has said he would like a budget brand that fits below Fiat’s existing models."

The first microcar?

I guess you could argue that Henry Ford's Quadricycle was the first microcar -- particularly since it is often referred to as the first car.

The little monster was powered by a 2 cylinder 1050 cc engine (driven by belts and chains). It generated 3-4 hp and was able to speed along at 20-25 mph. (Probably as fast as you would want to go, given it's tiller steering and "foot" brake -- putting your foot against the wheel.)

While the engine would put the Quadricycle above the 1000 cc limit of minicars, a quick glance at the car clearly identifies it as one of ours.