Microcar Crashes

[Bob Purton]

I wonder if the original design, a four wheeler would have fared better, I recon so. An arguement for corner casters on the back then Mini Comtesse style!

[marcus]

Yup, I reckon a 4 wheel Isetta would have lifted a wheel a few inches but not as much as that one.
Single-front wheel cars are most unstable when braking while cornering, and the momentum throws the weight "diagonally" to left or right of the wheel and the car tips over at the front. With a rear single braking in a corner is safer, and as this is the commonest and most potentially dangerous emergency manoever having 2 front wheels is that little bit safer, but the drawback is that heavy acceleration while cornering can lead to the inertial force going diagonally over the back wheel and making a front wheel lift, as on this clip. The closer spacing of Heinkel-Trojan rear wheels will only be very slightly better than one wheel, but the Isetta's greater rear wheel spacing and heavier weight would be better.

[Big Al]

Added to the mix is which wheel is powered. If the rear powered wheel skids it is not applying full power and the car has some sort of self correction through inefficiency. It is quite possible to flick the rear of a Messerschmitt round or even three wheel drift it. I do not recommend it now the cars are valuable but those of us who had £100 cars did all sorts of daft things in them. Grip was always a problem with Schmitts, particularly on cheaper tyres. The Isetta has a good meaty tyre and I have really only seen them skid by provocation or adverse conditions. I would put the Treinkel between the two but the front suspension does make reclaiming a tip more difficult than the other two.
Berkeleys T60 have the ability to wriggle out of serious situations by benefit of being front wheel drive. That and the tubby tail, which becomes sacrificial in rubbing of speed and roll to the road.
Bonds should be falling over all the time, but they do not. They are strong little chaps in their way and certainly a good Bonder has the measure of his steed. Suffering seems to be more down to the unobservance of other road users. Bugs are a different matter and I think you either like the Reliant handling or you do not. Its a different technique.

[wilksie]

Mea culpa! I didn't click on the 'Biscuter' topic.

But isn't it nice to know that few, if any, microcar related clips or photos escape us as a Forum? 'Sooner or later we'll get you' as the cops used to say to some of my juvenile mates.

In this context, please keep posting old microcar photos! Personally, I am going through a bit of an Isetta phase. But any of the others will do too to keep the addiction under control.