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 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]

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