Hoffmann (automobile)

1951 Hoffmann
1951 Hoffmann
Overview
Manufacturer	Hoffmann
Production	September 1951
Model years	1951
Body and chassis
Class	Indeterminate
Body style	2-door
Layout	Engine mounted on rear wheel which steers
Powertrain
Engine	Air-cooled 200 cc (12 cu in) ILO single-cylinder 2-stroke 4.8 kW (6.5 hp)
Transmission	3-speed manual

The 1951 Hoffmann is a three-wheeled car created by Michael Hoffmann, a shop foreman from Munich. ^[1]

Only one Hoffmann was ever made; it is currently part of the collection at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Design

The car is notable for its plethora of unconventional and often user-hostile design elements. ^[2] These include:

• Windows that are raised or lowered with a strap that the user pulls, and held in place with eyelets and pegs
• Suicide doors and a driving position that make ingress and egress extremely difficult
• A starter awkwardly placed by the driver's right hip
• A fuel filler tube which goes from the roof, directly through the cabin of the car
• Front wheels that are farther apart than the length of the wheelbase
• A linear rather than H-shaped shift pattern with a neutral between each gear
• The rear wheel is placed immediately behind the driver, with a large portion of the car behind it
• Rear-wheel steering
• The combination of the previous two features mean that the car has an extremely high tendency to slew.
• An engine located on the same pivot as the rear wheel steering mechanism, so that the engine moves with the wheel when the car is steered
• Rearview mirrors positioned so that they are perfectly blocked by the A-pillar
• Two-stroke engine, which requires engine oil to be continuously mixed into the fuel supply
• Single-cylinder engine, which causes greater vibration than multi-cylinder engines
• Rear-mounted engine that is dependent on air cooling, but the lack of a fan causes overheating when idling

References

1. "Hoffmann-1951 - Lane Motor Museum".
2. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : What It's Like To Drive The Worst Car In The World | Jason Drives. YouTube .

External links

• Jalopnik article on the car