Comments on: Scoot-Mobile

By: Repack Rider

Repack Rider — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:18:45 +0000

High center of gravity, narrow wheelbase, that thing would be on its side on the first hard turn in a moderate wind.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:29:23 +0000

It do sort of look like the Aptera’s great-grandfather, don’t it? Except for that square grille, it looks like it could have a surprisingly low drag coefficient!

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:09:02 +0000

The sad part is if they painted green and called it “eco-friendly” it would sell like crazy today.

By: John M. Hanna

John M. Hanna — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:41:08 +0000

That thing is so ugly it could be a modern art masterpiece!

By: Al

Al — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:25:26 +0000

Re: Surplus parts:

There was plenty elsewhere, as well, but depending on the financial trials and tribulations of the parent country depended on whether the parts showed up in the market.

Lots and lots of British surplus goods ended up in the market here in the States, for example, because Britain was exporting anything and everything to try and bring in much-needed dollars (and other foreign currency).

I had the pleasure of having some of the Brit ex-aircraft comms components along with my old ARC-5s in my ham rig as a youth. This stuff was old and Nth hand when I got it, but it was far better than nothing…

By: Rick Auricchio

Rick Auricchio — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:11:42 +0000

I should have mentioned that the parts surplus was in the US, for our non-US readers. Those folks had bigger issues than building silly cars.

The driver in that photo looks like they’re about to try to blast him to the moon.

By: Rick Auricchio

Rick Auricchio — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:10:04 +0000

Knee Action is a suspension type. If I recall, it’s a pair of mechanical arms similar to the human knee joint, with friction and resilience (rubber) in the joint. It flexes and absorbs motion like a spring/shock absorber system.

After World War II, there was a huge surplus of aircraft parts, which spawned projects like this. I recall in the 80s hearing someone lament the hundreds of P-51 engines that went cheaply for anything needing power.

By: Myles

Myles — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:46:27 +0000

What is “knee action?”

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:09:27 +0000

I think the grill looks mean. Kind of gives it that, “Don’t you dare make fun of me in my tiny car or I’ll eat you for lunch!” type vibe. Sure, once you get out the kids will steal your lunch money anyway, but you had extra from saving on gasoline anyway, right?

By: Al

Al — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:53:28 +0000

That has bar none got to be the butt-ugliest lack of attempt at styling I’ve ever seen…

OK, so we have leftover tail wheels from utility aircraft, a drop tank, bits of Perspex windows …let’s see…what can we make with this?

Ewwwww…. love the square grille.

Alan

By: Casandro

Casandro — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:43:32 +0000

75 mpg must have been spectacular back in the 1940s. Today of course it’s standard.