Goggomobil Dart

Last updated

Goggomobil Dart
Goggomobile Dart.JPG
Overview
Manufacturer Buckle Motors Pty Ltd. [1]
Production1959 [2] –September 1961 [2]
Assembly Sydney, New South Wales, Australia [1]
Designer Bill Buckle
Body and chassis
Class Microcar
Body style 0-door roadster
Layout Rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Platform Goggomobil
Powertrain
Engine Two-stroke straight-twin engine
Standard: 293 cc, 14.8 PS (10.9 kW)
Optional: 392 cc, 18.5 PS (13.6 kW) [3]
Transmission 4-speed manual [3]
Dimensions
Wheelbase 1,800 mm (71 in) [3]
Length3,050 mm (120 in) [1]
Width1,370 mm (54 in) [1]
Kerb weight 380 kg (840 lb) [1] [4]

The Goggomobil Dart was a microcar roadster which was developed in Australia by Sydney company Buckle Motors Pty Ltd. [5] and produced from 1959 to 1961.

Contents

History

Goggomobil Dart rear Goggomobile Dart rear.JPG
Goggomobil Dart rear
Interior 1960GoggomobilDart-interior.jpg
Interior

The Dart was based on the chassis and mechanical components of the German Goggomobil microcar, which was a product of Hans Glas GmbH of Dingolfing, in Bavaria, Germany. [6] The car featured an Australian-designed fibreglass two-seater open sports car body without doors, the whole package weighing in at only 345 kg (761 lb). [2] It was powered by a rear-mounted twin-cylinder two-stroke motor available in both 300 cc and 400 cc variants, [4] and had a small luggage compartment built into the nose. [2] The Dart was designed in 1958 and went on sale the following year, [2] with around 700 examples produced up to the time that production ceased in September 1961. [7]

Production specifics

The Dart came standard with Goggomobil’s 293cc parallel twin (producing 15 hp and 20 ft.lb.), but their 392cc unit (20 hp/24 ft.lb.) soon became available as an option. Top speed was approximately 60 mph (96 km/h) for the 293cc cars, and about 65 mph (104 km/h) for those equipped with the 392cc engine. There may only by 50 of them left currently. Dimensions were 3.0m long and 1.3m wide [8]

The Goggomobil Dart is mentioned in a 1990s Australian Yellow Pages television advertisement in which the actor Tommy Dysart says the famous line "G, O, G, G, O... No! No! Not the dart!" [9] In the early 2000s he continued his Goggomobil persona advertising Shannons Insurance, where he plays a character who is especially interested in finding the best car insurance for his treasured Goggomobil Dart. [10]

A documentary, released on 8 September 2019 titled D'art, is about an artist who paints paper planes (paper darts) on the Goggomobil Dart as the canvas. [11] The movie was received with positive reviews and was selected in 2020 for the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeta (automobile)</span> Australian automobile

Zeta is a marque of automobile which was produced in Australia from 1963 to 1965 by South Australian manufacturing company Lightburn & Co.

Pagani Automobili S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of sports cars and carbon fiber components. The company was founded in 1992 by Argentine-Italian businessman and engineer Horacio Pagani and is based in San Cesario sul Panaro, near Modena, Italy.

Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, is the high-performance subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG. AMG independently hires engineers and contracts with manufacturers to customize Mercedes-Benz AMG vehicles. The company has its headquarters in Affalterbach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opel Tigra</span> Motor vehicle

The Opel Tigra name has been applied to two different cars engineered and produced by the German automaker Opel, both based on different iterations of the Corsa supermini, the first built in Spain, the second in France. The first Tigra was a small 2+2 coupé, produced from 1994 to 2000. The later compact hard topped convertible roadster model was introduced in May 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Z</span> Motor vehicle

The Honda Z is a two-door hatchback kei car/city car manufactured and marketed by the Honda Motor Company, from 1970 until 1974. Exports mostly ended after 1972, when the domestic market models received redesigned pillarless bodywork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glas (company)</span>

Hans Glas GmbH is a former German automotive company, which was based in Dingolfing. Originally a maker of farm machinery, Glas evolved first into a producer of motor scooters, then automobiles. It was purchased by BMW in 1966, mainly to gain access to Glas's patents; they were the first to use a timing belt with an overhead camshaft in an automotive application. Its limited model range was shortly phased out by its new parent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goggomobil</span> Motor vehicle platform

Goggomobil was a series of microcars produced by Hans Glas in the Bavarian town of Dingolfing between 1955 and 1969.

Thomas Gibson Dysart was a Scottish-born Australian actor, known for his appearances on television dramas and comedies and in character roles in films and miniseries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiat 850</span> Motor vehicle

The Fiat 850 is a small rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive car manufactured and marketed by Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 1964 to 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiat-Abarth 750</span> Motor vehicle

The Fiat-Abarth 750 is a compact sporting series of automobiles manufactured by the Italian manufacturing firm Abarth & C. of Turin, Italy in the 1950s and 1960s. The cars used the floorpan and often the bodywork of the Fiat 600 but were fitted with Abarth's modified engines. Abarth also offered a number of bodyworks by other designers for the 750 and its derivatives, most famously Zagato but also Allemano and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mazda Grand Familia</span> Motor vehicle

The Mazda Grand Familia is an automobile which was produced by Mazda in Japan from 1971 to 1978. It was sold as the Mazda 808 in some export markets including Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, and as the Mazda 818 in many others - this was mostly due to Peugeot having trademarked three-digit numbers with a middle zero in many markets. The body style configurations offered were a two-door coupé, a four-door sedan, and a five-door station wagon. The Grand Familia offered only inline four cylinder engines. The largely identical rotary-powered versions were marketed as the Mazda Savanna in Japan, with export markets taking this model as the Mazda RX-3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini Aventador</span> Sports car produced by Lamborghini

The Lamborghini Aventador is a mid-engine, two passenger sports car manufactured and marketed by Lamborghini from 2011 until 2022. Named after a prominent Spanish fighting bull that fought in Zaragoza, Aragón, in 1993, the Aventador succeeded the Murciélago and was manufactured in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckle Motors</span> Australian car dealership chain

Buckle Motors Pty Ltd is an Australian car dealership chain and former manufacturer that produced the famous Goggomobil Dart. Currently, under the name Bill Buckle Auto Group, the company sells Toyota, Subaru and Volkswagen vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckle Sports Coupe</span> Motor vehicle

The Buckle Sports Coupe is a fibreglass-bodied sports car which was produced in Australia by Buckle Motors from 1957 to 1959. The 2-door coupe used a combination of Ford Zephyr Six and Ford Zephyr Mark II components, including a straight-6 engine from the Mark II. Thanks to its fibreglass body, it had a relatively light weight of 865 kg and a top speed of 160 km/h. It also featured a box chassis frame, transverse leaf spring front suspension and a conventional Ford rear axle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glas 1700</span> Motor vehicle

The Glas 1700 is a middle class four door saloon produced by Hans Glas GmbH at Dingolfing. The prototype was first presented in September 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Later versions of the coupé and cabriolet bodied Glas GT were also powered, in some cases, by the same engine as the saloon. The saloon was produced between August 1964 and December 1967, but the manufacturer never had the investment capital sufficiently to expand production capability and the model was discontinued after the by now badly indebted manufacturer was acquired by BMW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glas V8</span> Motor vehicle

The Glas V8 is a V8-engined coupé produced by Hans Glas GmbH at Dingolfing. The car was first presented in September 1965 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where it became nicknamed the "Glaserati" because of its Frua design, which shared many themes with contemporary Maseratis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glas GT</span> Motor vehicle

The Glas GT is a sports coupé produced by Hans Glas GmbH at Dingolfing. The car was first presented as the Glas 1300 GT in September 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with volume production starting in March 1964. The much rarer cabriolet version appeared in May 1965 and a larger engined 1700 GT in May 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glas Isar</span> Motor vehicle

The Glas Isar is a small two door four seater car produced by Hans Glas GmbH at their Dingolfing plant. The car was first presented as the Goggomobil T600 in September 1957 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with volume production starting in August 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glas 1004</span> Motor vehicle

The Glas 1004 is a small two-door, four-seater automobile produced by Hans Glas GmbH at Dingolfing. It was first exhibited in public, in coupé form, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1961. Volume production of the 1004 coupé started in May 1962, and in January 1963 saloon/sedan and cabriolet versions joined the range along with the more powerful Glas 1204. September 1965 saw a yet more powerful variant, the Glas 1304. In September 1966, a fastback Kombilimousine (estate) was added. The 04s were produced at least until December 1967, and new cars were listed for sale through much of 1968.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "1958 Goggomobil Dart". Microcarmuseum.com. The Bruce Weiner Motorcar Museum. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Dart turns 50", www.shannons.com.au Retrieved22 February 2010.[ dead link ]
  3. 1 2 3 "Vehicles - Goggomobil Coupé". GLAS Automobil Club International e.V. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.[ failed verification ] (the Dart was based on the Goggomobil Coupé).
  4. 1 2 "Glas Goggomobile Dart", uniquecarsandparts.com.au. Retrieved20 December 2024.
  5. "Company Profile". Bill Buckle Volkswagen. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
  6. Tony Davis, Aussie Cars (1987) p. 75
  7. Mike McCarthy, Great Australian Sports Cars and Specials (1987) p. 61
  8. "Forgotten Cars of Australia: The Goggomobil Dart". carsales.com.au . Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  9. Yellow Pages advertisement, 1992 on YouTube
  10. "Fifty years of Goggomobils in Australia", 28 July 2008, shannons.com.au
  11. D'art at IMDb
  12. "Review: D'art", 25 June 2020, documentarydrive.com