The Invacar (abbreviated from "invalid carriage") is a small single-seater microcar vehicle designed for use by disabled drivers, and distributed for free in the UK.
The Invacar (abbreviated from "invalid carriage") is a small single-seater microcar vehicle designed for use by disabled drivers, and distributed for free in the UK.
In 1948, Bert Greeves adapted a motorbike for exclusively manual control with the help of his paralysed cousin, Derry Preston-Cobb, as transport for Preston-Cobb. In the number of former servicemen disabled in the Second World War they spotted a commercial opportunity and approached the UK government for support, leading to the creation of Invacar Ltd. [1] [lower-alpha 1] The British Ministry of Pensions distributed Invacars free to disabled people from 1948 until the 1970s. [2]
Most early vehicles were powered by an air-cooled Villiers 197 cc engine with Dynastart, but when production of that engine ceased in the early 1970s it was replaced by a more powerful 4-stroke 500 cc or 600 cc Steyr-Puch engine, giving a reported top speed of 82 mph (132 km/h). [1] During the 1960s and 70s the Invacar, with its modern fibreglass shell and ice-blue colouring, nicknamed Ministry Blue after the Ministry of Health, [3] was produced in the tens of thousands. Developments, including an extended wheelbase, widened track and use of Austin Mini wheels, saw the Invacars through to the end of the final DHSS contract in 1977. [4] More than 50 variants were produced. Half of the Invacars were made by AC Cars in Ditton, with the rest made by Invacar Ltd in Thundersley, Essex. [5]
On 31 March 2003, almost all of the remaining Invacars owned by the government were recalled and scrapped because of safety concerns.These included failing crash tests at Mira in 1974, a high accident rate and poor handling test results. [6] [7]
All Invacars were owned by the government and leased to disabled drivers as part of their disability benefit. Their use had been in decline since the introduction of the Motability scheme in the late 1970s, offering disabled drivers a conventional car with modified options. [6] In 2018, it featured in BBC 4 programme The NHS: A People's History with Alex Brooker. [8] [9] [10]
A moped is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. Historically, the term exclusively meant a similar vehicle with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typically travel only slightly faster than bicycles on public roads.
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Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than 700 cc (43 cu in). Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are often covered by separate regulations to normal cars, having relaxed requirements for registration and licensing.
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The Fend Flitzer was a three-wheeled invalid carriage designed and built by Fritz Fend. The Flitzer established many of the basic concepts on which Fend's later Messerschmitt Kabinenroller microcars were developed.
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The SMZ cyclecar was a Soviet microcar, manufactured in Serpukhov, Russia, by Serpukhov Motor Works, later known as the now-defunct SeAZ. The most common models were the S-3A (S-Three-A) and S-3D (S-Three-D). They were specially designed for disabled drivers and were distributed in the USSR free or at a large discount through the Soviet Union's social welfare system, and were not officially sold to non-disabled people. The S-3A-M was produced between 1958 and 1970. It was powered by a 346 cc single-cylinder two-stroke engine, giving 10 hp (7 kW) and a top speed of 55 km/h (34 mph).
Greeves Motorcycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer founded by Bert Greeves which produced a range of road machines, and later competition mounts for observed trials, scrambles and road racing. The original company produced motorcycles from 1952, funded by a contract with the Ministry of Pensions for their Invacar, a three-wheeler for disabled drivers.
Bert Greeves MBE was a British engineer who founded Invacar Ltd in 1942 and Greeves motor cycles in 1953.
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An adapted automobile is an automobile adapted for ease of use by people with disabilities. Automobiles, whether cars or vans, can be adapted for a range of physical disabilities.
Invalid carriages were usually single seater road vehicles, buggies, or self-propelled vehicles for disabled people. They pre-dated modern electric mobility scooters and, from the 1920s, were generally powered by small gasoline/petrol engines, although some were battery powered. They were usually designed without foot-operated controls.
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