Auto Red Bug

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Exhibit at Jekyll Island Museum 21-04-001-car.jpg
Exhibit at Jekyll Island Museum

The Auto Red Bug automobiles were early microcars. Originally called the "Flyer", they were an originally made by A.O. Smith who then sold the rights to Briggs & Stratton. It was sold in a variety of configurations including gasoline and electric models of varying sizes between 1910 and 1928.

Primarily manufactured in Lafayette, Indiana, by the American Motor Vehicle Company, from 1916 to 1920, [1] it was also manufactured by Automotive Electric Services of New York and Automotive Standards of New Jersey at other times. They were sold in the US, UK and France mostly as a novelty for the wealthy but also for transportation within resorts and at amusement parks.

Today they are quite rare and expensive, but replicas and kits have been sold.

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References

  1. Horvath, Dennis E. "Indiana Built". Cruise-IN.com. Archived from the original on 2015-01-24. Retrieved 24 January 2015.