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Panhard & Levassor was one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world. They started car production in 1891. Before WWII Panhard was well known for its large luxurious cars. After WWII it became obvious that there was little market for these expensive cars, and Panhard switched to building smaller, more modestly-priced vehicles. These cars […]

Opperman was a tractor manufacturer that decided to expand into the microcar business.  They commissioned Lawrie Bond (who designed and built the Bond Microcar) to design a car for them.  It was to have big car comfort with small car economy.  The design was fairly straightforward, with a steel reinforced body.  The rear wheels have

In the 1950s, NSU was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world.  Management was still looking into the future, and was concerned that small cars were going to replace the motorcycle as a means of transport.  In 1955 NSU began to develop a small car called the Prinz.  The first Prinz cars rolled off the

A derivative of the Prinz, the Sport Prinz was built on the Prinz platform.  Designed by Franco Scaglione while at the Bertone studios in Turin, this new sporty NSU was a hit at the 1958 Frankfurt Motor Show.  As fast and as stylish as Volkswagen’s Karmann Ghia, it cost a third less.  The smooth Italian

The NSU 1000 represented a major change for NSU.  This model has a four-cylinder, overhead cam engine which is air-cooled and located in the rear.  You can see that the styling of the Prinz IV carried over.  The 1000 is larger with an 88 inch wheelbase and an overall length of 150 inches.  With the

The Nissan Figaro was a limited-production, high visibility “halo” car, intended solely for the Japanese market.  Based on existing Nissan Micra mechanicals, the “retro styling car” was intended to provide “delicate elegance” and “trendy sophistication” with a sense of ‘60s retro styling, “satisfying a zestful desire for a good time.”  It was first shown at

The Nissan S-Cargo was first shown at the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show. From 1989 until 1992, only about 8,000 were produced. The small size but tall cargo area made it an ideal delivery vehicle in urban areas, with payload limited to 660 pounds. The S-Cargo is based on the Nissan Sunny/Sentra. In Europe and Asia

The PAO was introduced to an adoring public at the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show alongside the S-Cargo. The retro styling of the hugely popular Be-1 was continued and taken even further. Car buyers ordered more than 51,000 PAO’s during the limited-to-three-months order taking period. The PAO is based on the Micra. The fenders are made

  The Be-1 was the first of the “Pike Factory” cars. It created quite a stir at the 1985 Tokyo Motor Show. The public loved the retro styling, and when the order taking process began, all of the planned 10,000 Be-1’s were spoken for in just a few days. The demand was so great that