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Video 1954 Fuldamobil



          A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Fuldamobil








Fuldamobil
model
EngineOne-cylinder two stroke
Displacement (bore * stroke)
Compression ratio
Mixture preparationSlide carburettor/Bing carburettor
CoolingBlower
Torque
Performance
Drive trainTricycle and later four-wheel, mid-engine, rear-wheel drive via chain
Transmission3/4-speed, unsynchronized, reverse gear by reverse rotation of the engine
Front suspensionSwing axle, transverse leaf spring, kingpin, later hydraulic shock absorbers
Rear suspensionTrailing link, two springs, shock absorbers, later stabilizing Panhard rod
BrakesDrums front, cable pull
SteeringChains, later gear rack
Wheels f/r4.00 - 8 (2,5") up to 4.40 - 8 (2,5")
Wheelbase1.800-2.100 mm
Turning circle diameter6.500-7.000 mm
ChassisSteel tube frame
BodyWood with steel/aluminum sheet, GRP later
Length2.720-3.150 mm
Width1.397-1.470 mm
Height1.280-1.350 mm
Tank capacity17 litres, later 18 litres
Payload
Kerb weight
Top speed
Purchase price2,250-3,390 DM
Year of manufactureFrom 1951
Electric system6 V/ 16 Ah /75 W, later 12 V/ 45 Ah /90 W


The first prototypes came from Hessen. It was there that Karl Schmitt ran a Bosch wholesalers and the 'Fulda Electric-Machine-Engineering Works'. The design came from the mechanical-engineering student, Norbert Stevenson. Schmitt, the certified engineer, allowed himself to be inspired by someone who had just started studying.

Up to 1955, three-wheelers enjoyed tax advantages.

Even quite shortly after the war, a lot was possible in Germany. One could extensively test a chassis without the bodywork and without registration, on public roads. The object had three wheels, and for good reasons, the single wheel was mounted at the rear. Indeed, right at the end of the production phase, four wheels became the standard.

One of the rivals of that time

You'll hardly believe it, but only the front axle had any braking, and this was also approved! All the same, approx. 2500 of these vehicles were apparently sold. The first examples were made of wood, then spanned with leather, whereas afterwards, an altered frame was covered with aluminium plating, fastened using steel nails (!) The flooring was always made of plywood (having a 10 year guarantee!).

One of today's three-wheelers

There were any number of engines for these vehicles. Indeed basically, two versions, a 250 cc and a 350 cc from Fichtel und Sachs asserted themselves. The latter had the advantage that it could be driven with the old 'Class-4' driver's licence (in Germany a moped licence). Once the S-version appeared, with it's aluminium body, the shapes slowly became more pleasing, as can be seen in the pictures at the top of the page.

Morgan three-wheeler

A lot of components used in the cars came from other vehicles. The most obvious, is when looking at the rear-end of the first S-Version, the window in the tailgate is certainly one half of the VW-Beetle's 'Bretzel' rear window. The windscreen apparently, has the same origins.

Messerschmitt Kabinenroller

With the new aluminium body-parts, directly from the hotformed production, the car had its greatest success. It was even made under licence, which made the Fuldamobil, e.g., a product of Lower Saxony. It was produced for a year by the Nordwestdeutsche Fahrzeugbau (North-West German Vehicle Manufacturing) in Lingen. The vehicles with ILO-engines came from here (see picture 7), indeed, they never achieved the standard of the original engines.

From the rear it slightly resembles the Isetta (see picture 5).

The front axle provided a particular service to motor-technology. In the later models, the front wheels, similar to those of the Goggomobil, would be guided by only one wishbone. In the Fuldamobil, the transverse lying leaf-springs would in fact, even replace the wishbone.

This is however, not what was so special, and indeed, had the disadvantage of not always keeping the wheels at a constant camber. However, thought he compactness, the steering knuckle moved into the wheel-bowl and for the first time, a wheel-radius of zero was created, otherwise only known from Citroen. Chassis influence on the steering was thus, brought to a minimum.



Here you can see a further licencees, York Nobel from Great Britain, the mother-country of the three-wheeler (see pictures below). From 1958, his company was managed by a very famous person, Soraya, who was rejected by her husband, the Shah of Persia, because she couldn't have children. Unfortunate, despite all the public-relations, the name Fuldamobil came off a bit short.

The last of the construction series still had the 'suicide doors' (rear-hinged).

From then, these cars were even tax-reduced in England and also sold as kit-cars. It was the last series having a plastic body and also the, later taken over from England, two-tone paint job. By and large however, the hey-day of the Fuldamobil was over. They tried giving it a four-stroke engine and hydraulic brakes but the production came to an end around the late 1960s. 09/14






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2001-2014 Copyright programs, texts, animations, pictures: H. Huppertz - Email
Translator: Don Leslie - Email: lesdon@t-online.de

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