1960 king midget, worlds lowest priced car!

Today on what it’s like 1960 mail order midget, take a look at a car not oft m talked about dive in with specs history ads talk design, enjoy this episode =)
If you’d like to get in touch with shoot me a comment in comment section or check out Facebook group that Correlates with this youtube channel by clicking link below
 groups/70769...
Or send an
Email to [e-mail]

[@dwderp]

Radiohead creep?

[@What.its.like.]

Yeah buddy that was fast =) congratulations

[@ernielaw]

Just the name of that song gets me thinking of another song. There was "Video Kid" which came out around 1980, but no idea who sung it.

[@choochoo9436]

The VW thing was based on the VW German WW2 Kubelwagen.

[@billolsen4360]

Kubelwagen = Bucket Car

[@kyleday7452]

The Kubelwagon was based on the Bug which was first produced in early 1938 and the Kubelwagon quickly followed

[@TexRenner]

There was a King Midget I would see parked at a house across the street from my elementary school in the 1959-60 school year. I wanted it so much, but as I was a six-year-old, my parents wouldn't go for it. Dammit!

[@What.its.like.]

Hahaha great story Thank you so much for sharing that awesome memory

[@justinlim1256]

The King Midget ad at 1:25 "Practical, safe, low-cost transportation"......I don't know if "safe" is a word I'd use for this, especially if its your 'DIY Disaster' dad/husband putting it together in between long work hours and swigs of Pabst Blue Ribbon

[@What.its.like.]

Hahaha so true =) I would have found a better word that meant the same thing but not as direct as the word safe

[@richardwarren7492]

Whata ya have? Pabst Blue Ribbon Whata ya have? Pabst Blue Ribbon Whata ya have? Pabst Blue Ribbon Pabst Blue RibbonBeer!

[@josephgaviota]

8:45 What a great way to educate young people on the fundamentals of what it takes to make an "automobile" work. Engine, gas tank, battery, starter motor, etc., etc.

[@josephgaviota]

11:37 "If the engine goes, you can pick up a new one at Harbor Freight." Now *_*THERE*_* is a line never before heard in automotive history !!

[@What.its.like.]

Hahaha I had a whole monologue part that I took out

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Very cool!!!! 👍👍

[@62102mwret]

Ditto to ALL of the comments below. I remember reading their ads in Pop. Science and Mech. Illustrated and "dreaming" about owning one as my first car. What a trip down memory lane...that was 60 some years ago I did that. Thanks so much for the super "trip."

[@What.its.like.]

Glad to bring those memories =)

[@chrisnurczyk8239]

Have a friend who collects these things - they are fun. You keep referring to the VW Thing. The Thing was patterned after the WWII Kubelwagen (Germany's answer to the Jeep), which was derived from the original VW bug - all by Dr. Porsche. My opinion would be that the Type 3 was more patterned after the Willys Jeep. As a kid in the 60's, we called the Type 3 Midget "Baby Jeeps".

[@What.its.like.]

I should have said production thing.. that didn’t come out until late 60s

[@mrpontiac83]

Only ever seen old adds for this car. Definitely has that "hand fabricated" look. Very cool that you found one to feature!

[@VintageCarHistory]

Man... A bunch of people did this. Some of these kits were designed to use, 'drop tanks'- the fuel tanks attached to fighter planes like Mustangs and such, and make them into drivable cars and be speedy little buggers on the race track. A great video, Sir Jay!

[@johndonlon1611]

My neighbor had one and it was a fun car for short-trip use when the weather was decent. By today's standards, it was a coffin riding on four harps.

[@What.its.like.]

Yeah I never saw one of these i person until getting to do this one they sit low and a modern suv is huge next to it

[@amonwirthiem5762]

The King Mudgets are poor man's Crosley. I will take the Crosley on every King Midget variation.

[@What.its.like.]

I like the bantam

[@ernielaw]

"The King and I" a movie!

[@oscarblom4885]

Very interesting car. Thank you for sharing this unique car 😊👍🐿

[@whatsamattayu3257]

Engine sounds like a lawn mower. As for the Bantam, one was featured in a 3 Stooges short, where Curly hitches a ride in one to cross a street. It seems it would be the best choice of all. It certainly looks more refined.

[@What.its.like.]

That’s essentially what the engine is lawnmower engine

[@crist67mustang]

Hey hey hey! That 1936 pseudo-car is the nicest one. In my large and skiny country there was a rare car like this video under British brand Nobel, it was an egg shape rounded and wheels same size as your video models. wheelbarrow measures. Greetings from 🇨🇱 Santiago Chile SouthAmerica

[@randyrobey5643]

The only place I have ever seen these cars on the streets was in large Shriners parades. The Shriners would zoom around their marching brethren while they all wore funny hats that had tassels on them.

[@brianbalyeat3577]

This was delightful Jay! Can't believe you fit in there

[@What.its.like.]

The owner was in the very last picture he had some car problems his generator fried and he had to keep it at our friends house overnight.. he is taller than me he’s 6 foot five and he drives that car.

[@brianbalyeat3577]

@@What.its.like. your responses to comments really makes us feel like a big car family. It's a great touch, thank you

[@What.its.like.]

You bet, and it will always be that way this is more than a car channel ( it’s a car community) I’m hoping one day it will be the go to channel for people to help people out with restoration questions. What I really dig are the stories, it’s one of my favorite aspects that I never knew.. it’s so cool. One day I’m going to do a behind the scenes episode talk gear, method, preparation.. But yeah thank you for digging this channel it means a lot =)

[@jons.6216]

I'm sure I've seen ads for these in the backs of magazines in the 70s (along with the ones with the "Marlo Flip Girl" promising to "learn guitar in seven days); but the ones I remember more were the kits to build all kinds of specialty cars on a VW Beetle base! Haha!

[@kennethanway7979]

I want them all!!!!

[@What.its.like.]

=)

[@lordwilliamstrickler179]

I remember going with a friend of mine from Masontown, PA on a trip to Morgantown, WV to buy one from an older gentleman. We loaded it up on my friend's Ford F-150 pickup and brought it to his house. The King Midget was a type III, red in color.

[@What.its.like.]

Sweet awesome story thank you so much for sharing those memories

[@williamhelms9942]

CarsandCameras has one, they just blew a right rear tire going 350 miles on a Predator 670 swap.

[@What.its.like.]

Haha nice I’ll have to check that out =)

[@porticojunction]

I met one of the original owners around 1984. Today I work about 300 yards from the King Midget factory building.

[@What.its.like.]

Awesome

[@donaldcarey114]

As a teen I had an Isetta 300, it was a single cylinder, hard topped, sat 3 (tight), and made 45 mph. 4 speed stick shift, no A/C, no radio.

[@What.its.like.]

Sweet that’s a single cylinder car I would love to drive

[@MrJeep75]

How did you fit 3

[@donaldcarey114]

@@MrJeep75We were skinny teenagers - sadly rare today. My collie (a big Lassie type, not the modern minatures), used to lay in the space behind me which was level with the back of the seat and lay his head on my shoulder to look out the windshield.

[@billolsen4360]

I remember one of these cars in our neighborhood in Portland, OR where we lived til I was 8, along about the same I saw my first BMW Isetta. I even recall one seeing a TV ad for King Midget once. Mom, in her 49 Chevy, got stuck behind one going up the hill near our home twice and the exhaust smell made me sick, lol. Imagine your Toro mower revved up as high as it would go. The Model 3's rear end looks like the inspiration for the Amphicar's. WYR: 1. 1936 American Bantam! 2. Model 1

[@What.its.like.]

Isetta another single cylinder car

[@61rampy65]

I didn't think about it until you mentioned it, but *yes* , it *does* resemble an Amphicar!

[@alanblanes2876]

Amazing review, Jay!!!

[@What.its.like.]

Glad you dig this one =)

[@mrdanforth3744]

In 1966 I sent away a quarter for the King Midget brochure. I was in high school at the time. I thought they were great, but never actually saw a real one. The King Midget has an intriguing story, of all the new car companies started after WW2, Kaiser, Frazer, Tucker, Crosley etc none lasted as long as the King. The design was ingenious, simple enough to make in a small factory or machine shop without expensive dies, presses, foundry equipment etc. Somehow they made a profit and stayed in business selling an average of 200 cars a year. There are still people all around the country who love that little car.

[@tomthomas1182]

Used to read the ads in my Grandfather’s Popular Science and Mechanics as a kid.

[@ernielaw]

There was 'Mechanics Illustrated'.

[@davidmckinney6577]

Hello 👋 good buddy, you just learned me something I never heard of them before..

[@robertcieslak1861]

In 1960 my girlfriend had one of these. She got it as a high school graduation gift from her parents. I thought it was a lot of fun to ride in and drive. As a joke I asked her if we could go to a drive-in movie in it. She handed me the key and said "Let's go". We never did do that.

[@What.its.like.]

Haha great story =)

[@jeffking4176]

Gotta go with the King Midget ‼️ 1: I remember seeing a few of these around when I was young, and Always thought they were cool. I remember seeing the Advertisements, too. 2: It has my name on it. 🚗🤣 It’d have to be the model 3. THEY also made some scooters. Though low production, they were actually a Successful car company, lasting some 25 years. [ the new Regulations for the Automotive Industry was going to kill it off in a couple years anyway]. That’s successful. 🚗😁

[@johnreitz5676]

Somehow having a "Perforated SteelChassis" doesn't inspire too much confidence...

[@What.its.like.]

Me either i’ve been pitching to my wife that I want to build a car I think the look of this chassis is what she thinks that I’m going to build my car upon and that’s the furthest from the truth this chassis actually scared me..

[@johnboydTx]

​@@What.its.like.if it was punched with a dimple dye?? the Holes actually add strength and rigidity to the length of metal 🤔 my grandfather built aircraft?? Metal is another world.... Alloys and carbon content defy your thinking....😉👍

[@josephgaviota]

Well, the perforations reduce weight; remember these guys were from an aircraft background.

[@P_RO_]

Never seen one in person but any guy my age remembers the ads in the back of car and shop magazines. Federal motor safety laws put an end to King Midget and stopped the importation of numerous small-output car manufacturer's worldwide selling here. That Bantam is a beauty and folks who were old to me said they were fairly popular. When the US Army put out the call for what would end up as the Jeep, Bantam and Willys were the last 2 competitors. They didn't like the Willys engine or the Bantam chassis. Bantam had no funds and was almost bankrupt so they sold the rights to their engines to Willys and closed shop. The rest is history.

[@What.its.like.]

Bantam didn’t like Willis because they tried to steal and they did frankly the jeep the jeep wasn’t Willis idea it was American bantams idea they were the only one that came up with a viable design for the United States military willys just a credit for all of it.. they didn’t even make the grill for that was Ford he just sat back and eventually took credit for all of it

[@denislandry7577]

So kool never seen one , only in magazine

[@jsat5609]

Saw ads for these in Popular Science when I was a kid. We went on vacation one summer in the early 60s, and there was a place in the resort town that rented them. I never suggested renting one, I was like 10 or 11, and never rode in one, but I have seen the real thing, not just pictures, and that's probably more than most people can say.

[@josephgaviota]

10:37 I'm guessing your camera _WILL_ fit on the "glove shelf." 😆

[@What.its.like.]

I didn’t try that set back up underneath the dashboard a good foot foot and a half you have to stick your head underneath there to see it and I didn’t wanna lose my camera so I didn’t do it

[@bartleymollohan1090]

I went to college in Athens, Ohio. The King Midget owners group would hold a “hill climb” (really nothing more than a moderate grade and about 75 yards long). Let’s just say the times where more like a snail going up hill backwards and… half drunk and all liqueured up!

[@What.its.like.]

That would be interesting

[@andyeaton6903]

If i were rich, i would own one and drive it every day!!!❤❤❤

[@pancudowny]

Cars & Cameras just swapped a Predator 670cc V-twin into one, and drove it 300-mi. to be in a parade.

[@kennethanway7979]

I'd love it!

[@DSP1968]

Wow, I haven't seen one of these in decades! Thank you for featuring it, Jay. I don't know if you noticed, but all of the sheet metal is very simply made--- pretty much a straight bend or two in each piece. They saved a lot on tooling constructing bodies this way.

[@truckrobo147]

I saw one of those in person outside an antique mall and needed a lot of restoration to run again

[@What.its.like.]

They are interesting cars when you see these in the wild.. it’s like Bigfoot or something crazy like that because it’s only a car you really ever saw in pictures or illustrations of and seeing the car in person a completely different thing

[@truckrobo147]

@@What.its.like. what you just said is truly the most honest and relatable thing I've ever heard when it comes to stuff like that

[@mikmik9034]

I owned a MG 1200 (2 door sedan?), when I asked for snow tyres, I was told to buy SEARS garden Tractor tyres... (?). These mighty midget cars looked more like mini-Jeeps to me. Not at like the 'thing' (VW). With Federal Required Emmissions, and Equipment, you are nvever toing to see this type of basic (cheap) vehicle allowed.

[@josephbingham1255]

Interesting video. 4:24 Reminds me of the SMZ S-3A & SMZ S-3D made for Soviet invalid veterans. See Russia Beyond "6 Remarkable Soviet cars for disabled drivers.

[@erin19030]

Where was Ralph Nader on the death wagon? It sure looks like a fun car for off road fun on a beach or a farm.

[@What.its.like.]

Totally agree just think Nader was complaining about the Corvair when there was this...

[@billolsen4360]

Ralph always looked to me like a guy who never had fun.

[@rogerrendzak8055]

My choice, out of pure nostalgia and looks, would be the 1936 American, Bantom convertible.

[@What.its.like.]

Sweet choice =)

[@hyett1954]

I'll pick the Bantam, it's pretty sharp looking.

[@What.its.like.]

Yeah it is it’s probably my favorite micro car..

[@billolsen4360]

Yessir! Very classy lil number.

[@jlinnlinn4241]

Best comment....dinghy in a shipping lane....lauphing for a week!

[@josephgaviota]

12:00 I do not have "you know whats" the size of your head, but living in a pretty urban area in So. Cal., I actually _could_ imagine myself running over to Trader Joe's or Costco or Wells Fargo or whatever ... nearby errands, in this little car. Obviously not going to drive cross-country in it, but for local errands? It may work! [edit: fix "rural" to "urban," my mistake.]

[@MillerMeteor74]

If I had a collection of classic cars, a King Midget Model 3 would definitely be in that collection. I believe a long time ago when I was buying back issues of Special Interest Autos I found one that featured King Midget.

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

What an inspiration to create a modern version, using modern materials. Only one problem.... Modern legislation. 😭 Damn...

[@dougtodd305]

I have 2 Lloyd Alexander TSs. 2cylinders,4 cycle,OHC roller main bearings ,made by Borgward

[@gregwooldridge8864]

At the time the idear was great. Fuel and food was rationed after the war. Imagine going without that today. In Australia at the time farmers made their own fuel to get through.

[@JefferyHall-ct2tr]

Hi Jay!: The King Midget! Saw the ads but I don't think I have ever seen a real one, FOR SURE not on the road! Can you imagine even tooling down a country road and a 1961 Cadillac Eldorado pulls up behind you! Talk about TERROR!! You might just be a bug on his front bumper!! WYR#1 is BANTAM for sure!! #2. . .I kind of like the original version that looks like a midget racer!! As a previous comment posted. The VW thing was a civilian version of the vehicle they had been making for the German Army since EARLY in WWII. That was called the Kubelwagen. There was also an amphibious version called the Schwimmwagen. I think I would be more comfortable driving a Thing on the roads over the KM!!

[@alro2434]

Thanks. Be nice if there was something more of the front & rear suspension and steering and brakes. No diff, driven by RR wheel only. Wheel & hub are single piece on the front. Wanted/lusted this thing in dozens if not hundreds of Popular Science or Mechanics ads back then. 500 then about 6000 now, lotta used car for that much! Definitely didn't need a finger and voice to recognize the F'n bumper.

[@I-Libertine]

The King Midget was essentially a lawn tractor minus blades with extra bodywork...

[@What.its.like.]

Pretty much

[@ernielaw]

Although I had heard of King Midget I didn't know much about the car. My choice from both scenarios would be the King Midget 3 because it has been produced in more recent years than the others. I also like hearing that it might go back into production even if it never materializes.

[@bradfordeaton6558]

I'd take the Bantam just for looks. The King Midget would be a hoot; I knew a guy who used one to deliver fruit juice in Phoenix. I had a '51 Crosley; once was enough. I've got a Geo Metro now; boy are they a hoot!

[@What.its.like.]

Sweet awesome story =) great memories

[@ernielaw]

The Metro must be about the same size.

[@twistedyogert]

$500 is $5,000 today so it would definitely be affordable compared to today's cars which could cost upwards of $30k when new. Makes me wonder how many people in 1960 bought one of these when they got their drivers license.

[@mrdanforth3744]

The brochure was full of testimonials from happy owners. Many were college students, disabled people and retirees on a tight budget. Other people had them as second cars. They said why sap the life out of your big car with the short trips, stop and go driving that is King Midget's delight? There were stories of long trips to Mexico City, California, and the Adirondack mountains. Others bought them as their son's first car to keep him out of high powered hot rods and possibly unsafe used cars.

[@johnboydTx]

The American Bantam has style.... But for Oddity 😂 King midget Jr styled pipes on a Chevy Corvair pan could be fun...... Flat 6 with a 200 pound body 😱 ??? Might be Zippy 😂👋👋✌️

[@What.its.like.]

I’ve been looking for a bantam the car I think that they’re really cool art deco it just sucks there isn’t that many round they bring quite a premium for what it is I couple years ago I saw one of those convertibles for sale for 40 grand

[@kennethanway7979]

Just a modern engine....

[@johnboydTx]

@@kennethanway7979 agreed 👍 I'm afraid of the inefficiency of belt drive and centrifugal clutch constantly glaze over ??? Maybe a small quadrunner motor with chain drive and clutch pack would be more reliable 🤔✌️

[@josephgaviota]

WYR #1: DANG all three look neat! Cannot choose ...

[@robertharris7027]

04:08 But you know that the THING was a remake of the Kübelwagen from WWII, don't you? The wings of this remind me more of the Jeepster (open front).

[@mattikaki]

That 60’s model reminds me of those 60’s driving lawn mover like Montgomery Ward and Graftsman etc. Anyway, that Bantam was a real beuty. Wonder how may still exists or perhaps none?

[@What.its.like.]

This car is very much like a lawn mower without blades

[@georgechambless2719]

I'll take the American Bantam. It's always looked to me like something that just popped out of a Duesenberg's exhaust pipe.

[@What.its.like.]

Great choice I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for that convertible American bantam model they always just looks so art deco

[@AudiophileTubes]

The King Midget makes a YUGO look like a Rolls Royce!

[@What.its.like.]

One day I would like to get a you go change out the front facia put GTI badges all over it and take it to a Volkswagen show and see if anybody can tell a difference

[@AudiophileTubes]

@@What.its.like. Nice try.

[@sejembalm]

Hear you this Triton of the minnows? - From The Tragedy of Coriolanus by William Shakespeare, 1607

[@jimchapman9560]

The VW Thing i not come after the King Midget. It was a civilian version of the VW Kubelwagen, more or less the German jeep in WWII,

[@What.its.like.]

I should have said production thing..

[@randymack2222]

There are members of the King Midget owners group that have converted to two cylinder Honda engines making them very user friendly!

[@What.its.like.]

With the addition of another cylinder would move this along nicely

[@dougtodd305]

They really do this to utilize the CVT, transmission...big ruckus

[@richardwarren7492]

This was not before or something like the VW Thing. The "Thing" was basically the Kubelwagen. from WWII. Which stood for 'bucket-seat car' or as VW numbered it a type 62. The ads for the King Midget were everywhere, even in some comic books. WYR 1? Bantam WYR 2? None.

[@What.its.like.]

I should’ve been more clear production Volkswagen thing.. I should’ve knew setting saying something like that was setting me up for something lol

[@dougtodd305]

Bucket-car

[@hoodagooboy5981]

It only has the one chain, going to the right rear wheel, no shaft or chain to the left rear ( 9:12 to 9:18 ). This thing is only 1 wheel drive, that would make tight right turns difficult if you weren't already moving. No way could you build and sell one today, it wouldn't pass a single safety regulation.

[@haweater1555]

One-wheel Drive - chain drives the right rear wheel only. EDIT: Trying to drive in snow will get you nowhere fast.

[@captaccordion]

You've found one I've never heard of. Well done! I'm trying to figure out how the transmission works. My best guess is that there's a centrifugal clutch on the motor, which leads to those two green belts. The green belts drive different sized pulleys which are clutched in and out by another centrifugal actuator in the section holding the first chain sprocket. How does that sound to you?

[@What.its.like.]

I think it works the same as a lawn tractor =)

[@mrdanforth3744]

It's a 2 speed automatic. There are 2 centrifugal clutches. At idle, both freewheel. When you step on the gas the low gear clutch kicks in and away you go! When you get going fast enough the second centrifugal clutch kicks in and that is high gear. When that happens the low gear freewheels. The 2 belts drive a shaft that drives the right rear wheel by a chain. In the drive shaft housing is the reverse gear. A lot of them have been repowered with Harbor Freight 23HP V twins and a variable speed belt drive like a snowmobile.

[@captaccordion]

Thanks for that!

[@hcombs0104]

I guess I'd go with the 1936 American Bantam and the Model 3. I have never heard of this car, much less ever seen one. But I wish you could open a front hood for storage...can you imagine how hard it would be to retrieve things stored in the front without easy access?

[@61rampy65]

You do realize that if the hood were to open, all you would see is the driver & passenger's legs and feet?

[@hcombs0104]

@@61rampy65 Well, I wouldn't know because I've never seen one.

[@chuckkottke]

1936 American Bantam convertible. Jay, have you done any early cycle cars yet? The Dudly Bug, Mercury Cycle Car, Ajax, Malcolm, Little Princess, Metz, Oh We Go, etc.? All pretty much forerunners, built in the teens and early 20's here and in Europe... Just a thought. 🚗

[@What.its.like.]

I have not but been looking you know me I love the stuff that never got covered =)

[@chuckkottke]

@@What.its.like. I'm glad you have been looking! They were cool little cars, and not far from here in Menominee, Michigan the Dudly Tool Co. manufactured one known as the Dudly Bug. 🐛. Looked more like a praying mantis.. 😊

[@stickshiftdriver1832]

Now we have the Moke

[@tedium37]

Definitely Radiohead Creep On the rather, I think none of the above on the first and of the King Midgets the model 1 is the sportiest looking so that I suppose.

[@What.its.like.]

I had such a better song in mind but I couldn’t remember what song it was I forgot to mention the MG midget shares nothing with king midget there was a bunch of other midget race car engines aren’t the same

[@tedium37]

@@What.its.like. I was thinking these were raced back in the 50s and 60s. An old guy described a midget race car to me that had a 2 stroke, air cooled, 2 cylinder Mercury engine off of a giant two man chain saw. Wonder if it was one of these cars. I'll ask when I see him again.

[@draggonsgate]

LMAO... "balls the size of my head" LOL 1) King MIdget 2) Model 3 All I can think of is I'd need a showhorn to get my wide @$$ out of it... LOL... it is a cute little thing though!

[@What.its.like.]

Haha yeah =)

[@jeetime9436]

Great video Very interesting and nostalgic

[@urbexandbrokenthings4806]

the bantoms were sweet

[@kennypool]

As seen on cars and cameras

[@What.its.like.]

Awesome I’ll have to check that out

[@ShortBusScotty]

the Thing is from WWII

[@automatedelectronics6062]

I'd take 'em all, for the hell of it, but the Crosley was way more advanced.

[@What.its.like.]

Sweet I found an American bantam it’s just going down there to do it

[@automatedelectronics6062]

@@What.its.like. That's great! You don't find American Bantams very often. Like Crosleys and most of the cars made today, they were throwaways! lol

[@JackF99]

I think this might be a good first date car. If she agrees to a second date, roll the Benz.

[@What.its.like.]

Awe man what a thought.. Best way to see if she’s wife material make sure she’s not a Golddigger

[@jasonnaimie5465]

on question 2 it would be #2

[@dedeborya9015]

the bantam and the trainer .... cuz I'm a creeeeep

[@What.its.like.]

Haha I wonder how many juniors/trainers are left it’s crazy that was even a car offered..

[@dedeborya9015]

@@What.its.like. I remember seeing plans to build them from bent tube in Popular Mechanics in the 70s... oy I wanted one soooo bad - ended up fabing a lawn mower motor to a wheel barrow tub ... the cops had my name even before i had a license

[@What.its.like.]

Great memories man I want to build a Grand Prixrace car with a different power plant I want to build something nobody else has essentially.

[@jamesburns2232]

I would rather have the 1936 American Bantam convertible. 🤗

[@What.its.like.]

Me too =)

[@JeffBishop_KB3QMT]

The VW "Thing" was pretty much a reproduction of the German VW war vehicle, predating the midget car.

[@michaelbarbrie9099]

First 1936 bantem second model one

[@MrJeep75]

My 9th grade teacher has one

[@robertcooper9645]

I want one

[@1lovesgreatness]

Bantom, King Midget 3

[@misterwhipple2870]

I'll bet it was fun, but the government would never allow that death-trap to be made and sold today.

[@elcheapo5302]

Meanwhile, you can go out and buy a new motorcycle...

[@misterwhipple2870]

@@elcheapo5302 A bike would be less dangerous than that piece of sh*t. At least you would be thrown instead of crumpled up in a beer can.

[@What.its.like.]

Yeah they couldn’t build an interstate highway system in four years either... that’s what blows my mind in Akron Ohio (my dad was living that was 6 years ago said they were working on a stretch of 76 for 10 years he has been gone for 6 and they still are no where near done)

[@misterwhipple2870]

@@What.its.like. The beltway around Orlando, Florida and all the improvements through and across it has just one point left to finish: the Sanford Interchange, the last piece of the puzzle. They started that project in 1971 and said it would be done in 15 years. They are now promising 2024, and that would mean they only took 53 years to get it done.

[@ernielaw]

Unless it was updated with all the lawful safety requirements.

[@DaveGringo]

It would definitely not be very pleasant to drive. Basically a lawnmower engine, go cart type thing with a jeep like body. Going to be noisy and slow. Basically like driving a riding lawn mower on the street without the blades! LoL...

[@What.its.like.]

Yeah but will go 40ish The owner said that he knew a guy that was able to go 50 in one but this owners didn’t go that fast not with him in it.. I think it has a lot to do with weight as well if a 10-year-old kid drove this car it would be a different experience than a 230lbs full sized adult driving it

[@jasonnaimie5465]

just for GP purposes i would have gotten the batman.

[@What.its.like.]

Bantams are great

[@MrJeep75]

Gas tank right buy the exhaust and hot engine

[@geoffreypiltz271]

Single driven rear wheel? Saves on the cost of a differential.

[@What.its.like.]

Yeah =)

[@mejurgensen]

Bantam, then Model 1 KM

[@josephgaviota]

11:25 FWIW, I'd rather have the King Midget than the Saturn behind it.

[@markc6207]

I pick Bantam and King 1

[@What.its.like.]

Sweet choices

[@I-Libertine]

Bantam/ Model 3/Radiohead Creep