Goggomobil Dart

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Goggomobil Dart
Goggomobile Dart.JPG
Overview
Manufacturer Buckle Motors Pty Ltd. [1]
Production1959 [2] –September 1961 [2]
AssemblyAustralia: Sydney, New South Wales [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 is a microcar roadster which was developed in Australia by Sydney company Buckle Motors Pty Ltd. [5] and produced from 1959 to 1961.

Contents

History

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, with 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 (97 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]

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
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