CRYSTAL LAKE, Illinois - Micro-sized cars, and even mini-sized models, never have captured the attention of American buyers. So goes the conventional wisdom, at any rate. Whenever an automaker ponders the possibility of introducing a car that's smaller than a subcompact, analysts question whether more than a handful of shoppers will be tempted to take a look. As a rule, their suspicions prove largely correct - though a couple of contemporary companies are planning to take a stab at the lillipution end of the spectrum in 2011.
Unpopularity of tiny cars wasn't always the rule, though. Back in the late 1950s and '60s, and even into the 1970s, dozens of manufacturers - mostly European, joined by a few Japanese firms - sent undersized cars to the American market. Apart from the Volkswagen Beetle and a handful of others, few sold in large numbers. Yet, nearly every one captured a devoted, if less than numerous, audience of fans.
Right around the time that "muscle cars" and sizable sedans ruled American roads, in the mid-sixties, an import-car faction had developed. Often derided by Americans who adored their cars' burly V-8s and elaphantine dimensions, imports typically were considered primarily the province of intellectuals, academics, urban sophisticates, and students. Some regular folks bought them, in large measure for their fuel-saving qualities. Sports cars, of course, had their own avid following. For the most part, though, small-size imports were viewed as outsiders, as noncomformist, as - well, foreign.
On big-city streets, especially on the East and West coasts, could be found Renault Dauphines and Citroen 2CVs from France, Goggomobils and Lloyds from West Germany, and Fiats from Italy. Britain sent over Morris Minors, Austins, Minis, scaled-down Fords, and many more.
A surprising number of those micro- and mini-sized automobiles still exist, too, dashing about on special occasions if not for everyday commutes. On an August weekend this past summer, some 339 pint-sized cars showed up at the Micro/Mini Car World Meet 2010, held at the Crystal Lake University Center (55 miles northwest of Chicago).
In many cases, these weren't isolated, singlar examples of makes that faded into history long ago. Some models turned up in eye-popping numbers. Just outside downtown, a broad, grassy field held 16 Citroen 2CVs, for example, along with 15 Fiats, and no fewer than 14 tandem-seating, bubble-topped Messerschmitts. Raising the ante higher yet, a whopping 33 BMW-built Isettas (including some related models) made the trip to northern Illinios. Even people who knew little about cars in the 1960s often were familiar with the Isetta, because of its swing-forward front door that gave entry into the driver's seat. The steering column even folded forward, to allow the driver to enter.
Less-common models from Japan included a Subaru 360, which was that automaker's first stab at the U.S. market - and well short of successful. A Honda 600 also made the trip. A rotary-engined NSU Prinz from Germany demonstrated that Mazda (of Japan) wasn't the only company to have turned to rotary power at some point in its history.
American companies produced a lot more small cars than many people today might realize. Though not quite micro-size, Nash made the cute, almost-cuddly three-passenger Metropolitan from 1954 to 1962. Along a single row on the field were 32 Metropolitans, many painted in the bright pastel two-tone shades that were popular in the Fifties.
What may have been the cutest car of them all was a bright yellow 1938 American Bantam roadster, so tiny that it looked like it could barely contain the two passengers: Larry and Anita Garber, from Ohio. The Garbers took "best of show" honors. A 1931 American Austin went on display. So did several King Midgets, most of which had been built from mail-order kits by their original owners. King Midgets were advertised in magazines such as Mechanix Illustrated, aimed at the ambitious do-it-yourselfer.
Crosley was probably the best-known American minicar, sold from 1939 to 1952. An even dozen Crosleys took to the field, one of them fitted as a Good Humor ice-cream truck. Another Crosley was equipped as a fire engine.
Some makes were far less familiar, including a Czech-built Velorex with vinyl body panels, a rare 1960 Mikrus that had been built in Poland, and a French Rolux roadster. All told, micro/minii cars had arrived from 38 states, as well as Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, England, and Germany.
An estimated 15,000 people strolled the grounds during this 2.5-day event. Oldest motorized vehicle in attendance was a 1926 BMW Dixi, from Salt Lake City. A 1962 Goggomobil Transport Pickup qualified as furthest-traveled, having started in Frankfurt, Germany before being driven from San Diego to Chicago (via remaining portions of the old Route 66).
Earlier in the summer, the Chicago-area Micro Car Club had hosted small gatherings of cars, parked right on the street on the near north side of the city. Another event is planned to coincide with the 2011 New York Auto Show. Information on microcars and future events is available from Chicago collectors Burt Richmond and Diane Fitzgerald, at www.teenytinyproductions.com.