From Cyclecar to Microcar

Minimal Motoring is a selective history of both the cyclecar and microcar, accompanied by period photographs, advertisements and artwork.

From about 1910 to the mid-1920s, the cyclecar was a popular means of transport. Cheap, simply engineered, often crude, it was really just a motorcycle engine with a lightweight chassis and body. It created, however, a new market of people who could afford a motor car; being a car owner was no longer the preserve of the well-to-do.

The simplicity of the cars meant that they could easily be built in small quantities, which led to a growth in the number of motor manufacturers. Some of these manufacturers even survive to this day, including probably the most famous British marque – Morgan.

Despite the cyclecar being an international phenomenon, with makers in France, the UK, the US and Germany, most had disappeared by the ’30s, killed off by the introduction of real cars at low prices. It was France that would keep the cyclecar interest alive over the following decades, producing small cars like the Mochet throughout the Second World War.

Minimal Motoring is a selective history of both the cyclecar and microcar, featuring marques such as Reliant, Citroën and even Messerschmitt, all accompanied by period photographs, advertisements and artwork.