If you have never heard
of the IHLE line of Microcars, no worries. These rare little
Microcars were created for use in amusement parks and according to
the original owner this one was
actually used at Six Flags Over Texas. These cars
are rarely ever seen and even less are being offered up for sale.
In fact, this is the first that we and most of our friends in the
hobby have ever checked out in person. A few have been sold
through auction in the past and one just like this was once featured
in The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum. Those cars sold for
$36,000 and $42,000. This car recently underwent a restoration
with a repaint of the body in Red and White. All of the accent
trim pieces including the front handle bars were painted in Silver.
A new Briggs and Stratton motor was installed in the rear and starts
up well via the pull cord. Some of these were originally push
start cars where the ride attendant would be required to get you
going so the lawn mower motor is actually much more convenient.
The rear spare cover gives some access to the motor but to really
check it out you open the entire tail piece which tilts backwards.
The interior is kept simple with a recovered Bench seat, emergency
brake, brake pedal, steering wheel, and an accelerator lever.
This is certainly not just a conversation piece to display in your
shop because the car runs and drives well. It is surprising
how fast it zips around the parking lot. It would be an
extremely fun way to navigate that next car show or swap meet!
Below
are some images of the car prior to the rebuild.
It
has been pretty fun researching this car so below us one of the
articles we have found, it was not written by us.
“Gebr Ihle” translates from German as “brothers Ihle.”
Siblings Thomas and Frank Ihle, of Bruchsal in the
district of Karlsruhe, near the French border,
manufactured racing cars, including a competition
version of the BMW Dixi, which was a license-built
version of the British Austin Seven. They are said to
have created the signature “double kidney” design for
the BMW grille. After World War II, they commenced to
build small cars for amusement park rides, of which your
Schottenring is an example. Located near the town of
Schottenring in central Germany, the Schottenring is one
of the oldest motorsport tracks in that country,
established in 1925. Racing was discontinued after 1956,
but it still serves as a facility for rallies and
classic motorcycle events.
Schottenring cars were available with two different
types of front-end sheet metal, in order to give the
impression of greater variety in their amusement park
setting. Several different engines were used, typically
a 125-cc single-cylinder, two-stoke Hirth unit of 7 hp.
There was neither transmission nor suspension; axles
were hard-mounted to the vehicle frame. Steering was by
rack and pinion, and cable-operated brakes were
furnished for the rear wheels only. The tires were
4.00×8 pneumatics of the type commonly found on
wheelbarrows.
Although as sturdily built as many of the roadgoing
microcars, Ihle Schottenring cars were not equipped for
legal highway use, to the point of lacking an electric
starter. Apparently, park attendants push-started them
for their customers. As for rarity and value, I haven’t
been able to find out how many were built, nor am I sure
what yours would be worth. A fully restored example sold
for $41,400 at the auction of the Bruce Weiner Microcar
Museum in Georgia in February 2013.
- See more at: http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/news/qa-news/qa-kit-foster-october-31-2013#sthash.Y7vHyrQW.OWIke83B.dpuf
Q&A with Kit Foster: October 31, 2013
By: raustin |
- See more at: http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/news/qa-news/qa-kit-foster-october-31-2013#sthash.Y7vHyrQW.OWIke83B.dpuf
This is a really fun
special interest classic that puts a smile on the face of anyone
that has seen it. Some call it a Microcar, some bumper
car, and others a clown car. No matter what you call it,
the car always gets attention and is a hit wherever it goes.
Many of these cars were lost so the number that still exist is
really unknown. Preserve a piece of history and add this
classic to your collection!
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Classical Gas Enterprises & are protected under US Copy Right law. Use any
of these images or text without the expressed written permission from
Classical Gas Enterprises is a felony! All information is provided by
current owner and to the best of our knowledge correct & accurate. Classical
Gas Enterprises is not responsible for any errors or omissions. The decision
to purchase should be based solely on the buyer’s research and inspection in
person or their agent. All sales are final and on a “as is” basis with no
warranty unless otherwise provided in writing.
