Bugatti Veyron: The Hypercar That Redefined Speed

How little car is enough?

After the Second World War, millions of Europeans wanted the freedom of a car before they could afford a conventional one. The answer was one of the strangest and most inventive periods in automotive history: the age of the microcar.

The Microcar traces the story of bubble cars, tiny engines, three-wheelers and other machines built at the uncertain boundary between motorcycle and automobile. From the Isetta and Messerschmitt to the Biscúter, Bond, Goggomobil, Velorex and France's later licence-light vehicles, it explains why these cars took such unusual shapes, who bought them, how taxation and licensing influenced their engineering, and why the boom disappeared almost as quickly as it began.

The story then follows the idea into the modern era, where electric quadricycles and ultra-compact urban vehicles have revived an old question in a world of increasingly large cars: how much automobile does an ordinary journey really require?

A global history of ingenuity under constraint, The Microcar reveals that some of motoring's smallest machines tell surprisingly large stories about prosperity, regulation, engineering and personal freedom.

Disclaimer

This book is an independent historical and educational work and is not sponsored, authorised or endorsed by any vehicle manufacturer, marque owner or other company mentioned within it. All trademarks, model names and brand names remain the property of their respective owners and are used solely for identification, commentary and historical discussion. Vehicle specifications and regulations may vary by model, market and period.