Unusual

[Barry]

Picked this up from the three wheeler forum - interesting?

Former Dutchman, now US citizen, Henk de Kanter build a three wheeler from crashed plane parts in 1948. In his parents back yard he used parts of a Dornier flyboat, steering elements from a B17. He got quite some publicity when he went touring the country and Belgium. In 1952 he emigrated to the USA and served the US army during the Korea war. Eventually he became one of the engineers in the moonlander project under Werner von Braun. He also helped R. Buckminster Fuller to build the geodesic dome in Hollywood. And he learned to walk the high wire recently, so he is quite a guy.

[steven mandell]

Very interesting.
This is an example of why you deserve  the moniker of "Hero member".
Who else digs up this kind of unusual microcar.
Oops, do we know if its under 700 c.c. so you won't be accused of going off topic, and whether it needs to be in the registry?

[richard]

sorry but i disagree with you steve this ones got no detail whatever - engine  size would help . i think this is a case of off topic

[Barry]

So................off-topic until we are absolutely sure it fits within the strict specification of unusual microcar.
I will remember that for the future.  Was it under  600cc or 700cc on the spec??   

[richard]

much easier as this is the RUM forum just post items relating to microcars eh ? don't worry i await sarcastic reply 

seriously though a vehicle with wheels that size and generally large size , made of bits of aircraft - theres no reason to post it at all is there ?

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

I think it's a great looking contraption whatever engine size it might have had - the guy doesn't provide any further details on the orginal page other than he invented the machine on which most diodes are made. Quite a chap!

http://www.crommelin.org/history/Biographies/HendrikDeKanter/HenkDeKanter.htm

[steven mandell]

I agree with Malcolm.
Sort of  Tourette + V2 rocket hybrid.
Please excuse the association of your negative history with the  latter half.

[Bob Purton]

Its related enough to be of interest to me anyway. No matter what the engine size. Thanks for posting.

[Big Al]

Buckmaster Fuller off topic? Anything to do with him is interesting. Dymexion especially. Ho hum.

Interesting puddle jumper. Needs more research. Is it a Micro? Could be. Any Kanter argument for inclusion sounds good.

[marcus]

Certainly rare "Unusual" and interesting! I have seen pictures before of a small car made with a flying boat's float, so perhaps it is this one. I know nothing of its specs or what it was like to drive, but I love it!

[Big Al]

Was there not a car made from the remains of a Walrus @Shagbat@ hull. Seem to recall Root showing a picture of it to me.

The speedsters of the various land speed records world are often based on fuel drop tanks. There is a whole thread here. Spinning back to the Aircraft Engineers who inspired some of our favourite cars by not being closed minded Auto Engineers copying a code, but rather innovating and probing how far you can take technology in car production from a superior art of design.

[Barry]

Good use of a drop tank

[steven mandell]

The cars you are referring to were called "belly tankers", or " lakesters" here in the US as they were typically run on dried up salt lakes.
They were typically non Micros, as you can see in these pictures that I snapped at a local cars and coffee a couple of weeks ago.

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

Talk of aircraft reminded me of this beautiful bit of artwork.

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

Although the real car is a bit more humdrum.