The Berkeley automobile was a collaboration between designer Lawrence “Lawrie” Bond and the Berkeley Coachworks factory owned by Charles Panter, which at the time was one of the largest manufacturers of caravans in Europe. It was an ideal project for Berkeley, who had developed considerable skills in the use of Glass-reinforced plastic, and were looking for something to fill the gaps in the very seasonal caravan market. What Panter and Bond wanted to achieve was “something good enough to win World 750cc races… but cheap, safe, easily repairable and pretty.”
The early cars were an immediate success on the home market, and several derivative models were spawned over the four years of car production. Export markets, most notably the United States, were exploited and the cars earned a reputation for fun, if fragile, sports motoring on a budget. Recognizing the threat posed by the newly introduced Mini and Austin-Healey Sprite in the late fifties, the company started to develop are a more conventional model with the support of Ford.
The caravan market collapsed towards the end of 1960, and Berkeley’s poor cash flow forced the company into liquidation on 12 December 1960, taking its car manufacturing activities with it, after having produced about 4100 cars of various types.
In late 1957 a new derivative model was introduced, using a 30 bhp (22 kW; 30 PS), Excelsior three-cylinder 492 cc engine with triple carburettors. This engine configuration was made possible by the vertically split crankcase of the Excelsior engine and modular crankshaft and barrels, which made adding a central cylinder relatively easy. A four speed gearbox was standardized. The top speed was now 80 mph (130 km/h). The production ran from October 1957 to March 1959 with chassis numbered 1 to 666. From about October 1958, in order to coincide with the introduction of the ‘Foursome’, they were renamed the ‘Twosome’.
Reliability, always questionable with the air-cooled two-strokes, became more of an issue with the extra heat generated by the triple, and there are many recorded reports of warranty claims. At one point the US authorities appear to have stopped a shipment of Berkeleys at the dock pending rectification of what they considered a serious design issue. There seems little doubt that profitability of the Berkeley program was affected as a result of these claims and the aggressive export drive to markets not familiar with the eccentricities of British sports motoring.https://malamutautomuseumfoundation.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=3317&action=edit#
-Part of the Malamut Auto Museum Foundation
-Part of the Mike Malamut Personal Collection
The car originated with the Italian firm of Iso SpA. In the early 1950s the company was building refrigerators, motor scooters and small three-wheeled trucks. Iso’s owner, Renzo Rivolta, decided he would like to build a small car for mass distribution.[10] By 1952 the engineers Ermenegildo Preti[11] and Pierluigi Raggi had designed a small car that used the motorcycle engine of the Iso Moto 200 and named it Isetta—an Italian diminutive meaning little ISO.[10]
The Isetta caused a sensation when it was introduced to the motoring press in Turin in November 1953, it was unlike anything seen before. The Isetta was small, only 7.5 ft long and 4.5 ft wide. With an egg-shape and bubble-type windows, the car would later be known as the bubble car.
The entire front end of the car hinged outwards to allow entry. In the event of a crash, the driver and passenger were to exit through the canvas sunroof. The steering wheel and instrument panel swung out with the single door, as this made access to the single bench seat simpler. The seat provided reasonable comfort for two occupants, and perhaps a small child. Behind the seat was a large parcel shelf with a spare wheel located below. A heater was optional, and ventilation was provided by opening the fabric sunroof. The Isetta took over 30 seconds to reach 31 mph from a stop. Top speed was only about 47 mph.
Renzo Rivolta wanted to concentrate on his new Iso Rivolta sports car, and was extremely interested in doing licensing deals. BMW began talking with Rivolta in mid-1954 and bought not just a license but the complete Isetta body tooling as well.
BMW made the Isetta its own. They redesigned the powerplant around a BMW one-cylinder, four-stroke, 247 cc motorcycle engine which generated 13 hp. Although the major elements of the Italian design remained intact, BMW re-engineered much of the car, so much so that none of the parts between a BMW Isetta Moto Coupe and an Iso Isetta are interchangeable. The first BMW Isetta appeared in April 1955.
In 1956, the government of the Federal Republic of Germany changed the regulations for motor vehicles. Class IV licenses issued from that time onward could only be used to operate small motorcycles and could no longer be used to operate motor vehicles with a capacity of less than 250 cc. At the same time, the maximum capacity allowed for the Isetta’s tax category was 300 cc. Class IV licenses issued before the change in the regulations were grandfathered and allowed to be used as before.
This change in regulations encouraged BMW to revise their Isetta microcars. In February 1956 a 300cc engine was introduced.The engineers enlarged the single cylinder to a 72 mm (2.8 in) bore and 73 mm (2.9 in) stroke, which gave a displacement of exactly 298 cc; at the same time, they raised the compression ratio from 6.8 to 7.0:1. As a result, the engine power output rose to 10 kW (13 hp) at 5200 rpm, and the torque rose to 18.4 N·m (13.6 ft·lbf) at 4600 rpm. The maximum speed remained at 53 mph, yet there was a marked increase in flexibility, mainly noticeable on gradients.
In May 1962, three years after launching the conventionally modern-looking BMW 700, BMW ceased production of Isettas. A total of 161,728 units had been built.
-On loan from the Mike Malamut personal collection
This 1972 Suzuki LJ20 “Jimny” was restored in 2010. This second series example features a water-cooled 360cc two-stroke twin, four speed manual transmission and two-speed transfer case. It drives very well, draws lots of attention, and sounds like a dirt bike.
Jimnys were not officially imported to the US by Suzuki, and about 800 were instead brought to the US by IEC. As the US did not enforce Kei length restrictions, this truck has the spare wheel mounted outside the tailgate rather than behind the seats. Overall length is just over nine feet. The seller states that the roll bar appears correct for the truck, though it is not a factory piece. The Safari top and cargo area cover are likewise not stock. The grille sports eight vertical slats; one more than the Jeeps the Jimny was modeled after. The Suzuki name is stamped fully through the grille.
Power comes from a water-cooled 360cc two stroke parallel twin that was rated at around 25 horsepower when new. It is backed by a 4-speed manual transmission with a top speed of around 45 miles per hour.
The Subaru Sambar is a microvan manufactured by Subaru, specifically for the Japanese market. It is Japan’s first Keitora (shorthand for “kei class truck” and is still in production. The Sambar is available in both microvan and Kei truck. Still popular in the domestic market, the Sambar continues to be produced in Japan, China as well as in Finland.
From the very beginning in 1961, the Sambar used 4-wheel independent suspension and a rear engine rear drive powertrain that helps keep the vehicle’s weight balanced. Inspired by one of the first microvans, the 1957 Fiat 600 Multipla, it was based on the Subaru 360 platform. The chassis uses a ladder frame construction, using a torsion bar trailing arm suspension in the back, and the body style is commonly referred to as “one-box”. The reverse gearshift position was a left-pattern selection, instead of a right-pattern selection. The engine, called the EK series, was accessed from a hatch inside the vehicle. The front doors opened backwards, in the same fashion as the 360.
The redesigned Sambar (Second generation) appeared in January 1966 with a fresh new appearance, with a van version introduced. The nickname for this generation is “baban” Sambar.
The Sambar continued to use the 356 cc EK series engine, but now in the 20 hp iteration used in the Subaru 360 since July 1964. A raised roof for extended headroom was added to the options list in 1968.
-Part of the Mike Malamut Collection
Introduced in 1958, the Subaru 360 was the first passenger vehicle produced by Fuji Heavy Industries. In 1968, Malcolm Bricklin imported a U.S. legal version to America. Although these federalized cars cost a mere $1,300, their light construction and two-cylinder, 25 horsepower engines were not appreciated here and Subaru temporarily withdrew from the America market in 1970.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
The evolution of the Goggomobil Transporter van has developed from its origins as a utility van to a coveted collectible. The Deutsche Bundespost, the German postal service, was looking for a new transport vehicle to replace the three-wheel Tempo trucks they had been using. Hans Glas GmbH, maker of Goggo scooters and Goggomobil cars, created a small, economical van by replacing the sedan bodies their four-passenger, 250-cubic centimeter two-stroke cars. Suspension was independent on all wheels, using coil springs and swing axles. A larger 398-cubic centimeter engine was later introduced, a welcome feature in a cargo vehicle.
Designed to postal specifications, the Transporter van also found favor with tradesmen and businesspeople, who purchased nearly half of the 3,665 units produced from 1957 to 1965. The vehicles were cute, and a business logo on the side was sure to be noticed. That is certainly the case with this 398-cubic centimeter PEZ TL-400.
Originated in Austria, PEZ is a peppermint candy that is pressed in brick-shaped tablets. It was invented in Vienna by candy maker Eduard Haas III in1927, using family-owned baking powders. The packaging was distinctive from the beginning. Haas sold the mints in small tins, but he soon developed the convenient dispensers for which PEZ is known today. The first dispensers resembled a cigarette lighter, and in fact, the PEZ mints were sold as an antidote to smoking, or as a palliative for smoker’s breath. The name derives from the first, middle, and last letters of pfefferminz, the German word for peppermint.
Given its Austro-Germanic origins, it is fully appropriate that the PEZ logo appears on a Goggomobil Transporter van. This fully restored TL-400 example features the Mickey Mouse dispenser and has the company name spelled out in PEZ bricks in the format of the company logo. Dark blue with a white top, it has grey upholstery and handsome varnished wood slats on the floor. Detailed in excellent fashion, it has the characteristic translucent blue windshield visor, 10-inch whitewall tires, and chrome bumpers.
-Part of the Mike Malamut Collection
The Mazda R360 is a kei car that was produced by Mazda. It was Mazda’s first real car – a two-door, four-seat coupé. Introduced in 1960, it features a short 69 inch wheelbase and weighs just 838 lb. It is powered by a rear-mounted air-cooled 356 cc V-twin engine putting out about 16 hp and 16 lb·ft of torque. The car is capable of about 52 mph. It has a 4-speed manual transmission. The suspension, front and rear, is rubber “springs” and torsion bars.
Within a few years of introducing the R360, Mazda had captured much of the lightweight (kei car) market in Japan. Production of the R360 lasted for six years.
-Part of the Mike Malamut Collection
Cheston L. Eshelman was a producer of garden tractors, rotary tillers, and a crude, powered scooter. This agricultural equipment background provided the context for four small rudimentary vehicles produced by the company, called the Sport Car, Child’s Sport Car, Adult Sport Car and later Model 200.
These vehicles were very heavy for their extremely small size. This was in part due to the extensive use of cast parts, which Eshelman thought were easier and cheaper to produce than hand formed sheet metal. Identical castings were used front and rear, with a cast toothed grille insert in front and plywood sheet filling the same aperture in the rear.
There was no suspension, no instrumentation, no charging system for the battery, and the brakes were paddles rubbing on the tires: two on the Child’s and four on the Adult model. The drive to one wheel was transferred from the front of the car to the rear via a central enclosed belt and centrifugal clutch. The two floor pedals on the Adult car were a brake pedal (incorporating a clever parking brake) marked “Stop”, and a gas pedal marked “Go”. Starting was by rope pull, and stopping the engine required reaching into the engine compartment through a hole and feeling for the kill button on the hot engine.
This car is fitted with the J C Whitney-sourced chrome-plated rockets, and a thin seat cushion, which qualifies it as the Deluxe model. All 1956 models were only advertised in red or yellow, with no mention of different interior colors.
-Part of the Mike Malamut Collection
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
1959 Messerschmitt TG500
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Originally a manufacturer of refrigerators, the Italian firm Iso began its design of the Isetta car in the early 50s. Fitted with a two-stroke scooter engine, bubble-like windows and a door that hinged out to the front coincidentally like a fridge, the little Isetta made quite a splash when it was released to the motoring press in 1953. A previous owner added the attachable key to the gas plug, which actually spins at the push of a button, adding to the cuteness of this beautiful microcar.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
In 1954 BMW bought the license and the complete Isetta body tooling from Italy’s Iso SpA, the little car’s original designer and manufacturer. The bubbly little one-cylinder Isetta 250 and 300 became a popular economic choice for transportation in the impoverished post war years as a total of 161,728 cars were built from 1956-1962. In 1957 BMW began producing the 600, a two-cylinder, two door, extended wheel base successor to the previous Isettas models. Unfortunately for BMW, the 600 could not match the economic practicality of the Volkswagen Beetle cutting its production short and making it another rare addition to our auto museum.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
A convertible with the triangular window, which is referred to as the bubble window is an extremely rare combination for the Isetta 300 model.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Designed by refrigerator manufacturer Renzo Rivolta, the egg-shaped Iso Isetta was introduced at the 1953 Turin Auto Show. Desiring a vehicle to fill the price gap between their high quality motorcycles and expensive luxury cars, BMW bought the rights to produce a version of the Isetta, which they improved by fitting their own 13-horsepower engine. This car, which has the rare and desirable ‘Z’ side molding, is an early European ‘Bubble Window’ model that preceded the more practical, but less distinctive, sliding window model introduced in 1957. All Isettas featured a single front door, the placement of which encouraged drivers to park perpendicular (instead of parallel), so they could step directly out onto the sidewalk. Isettas were also produced under license by firms in Belgium, France, Spain, and Brazil.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Originally called Bianchi, the car’s birth was in Milan in 1899. Fifty-six years later in 1955, after having made big cars, tanks, and trucks, the company merged with Pirelli and Fiat to form Autobianchi (pronounced auto-bjanki). Used to test new concepts such as fiberglass bodies and front-wheel drive, the automobile was eventually rebranded as the Lancia A112, marketed as well by Saab of Sweden.
-Part of the Malamut Auto Museum Foundation
The K201 is a rare convertible version of the Messerschmitt KR200. Very few were built and very few survived. A KR201 can be identified by a molding where the windows would normally be on the KR200 model and snake skin trim lining the upholstery. That’s right, snakeskin!
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection