> Well, arguably, the Isetta along with the 2002 kept BMW in business
> back in the day. Wish Triumph had an cheesy little car that could have
> done the same. <g>
Steve-
you never heard of the Triumph Doodlebug? It was a very serious attempt at
the micro car market...And very full of British innovations...
The car was approximately 8 feet long- about 4 shorter than a Herald, and
it, too was a three wheeler. However, rather than the conventional two
front, one rear, or vice-versa, they ran two wheels on the drivers side, and
one centered on the passenger side. This made for easy clearance of curbs
when parallel parking, k-turns, and other tight turns. This arrangement did
cause some discomfort during tight turns at speed- when turning right, the
lighter left side would tend to lift in the air slightly, and when turning
left, would occasionally overcontrol. However, the lawyers were at lunch
that day, so they let it go through into pre-production for testing. That
left wheel, also, was on a modified gimbal mounting, thus allowing it to
"freewheel" and follow the direction of the car.
The right front wheel was the drive wheel, driven by shaft from a modified
Triumph motorcycle engine, though existing records fail to indicate which
one. Thus steering was left, ala tiller, to the right rear. This was through
an innovative use of hydraulically operated pushrod type assemblies. The
driver would merely tilt the stick left or right, and a clutch type MC would
send fluid to the corresponding side of a rear mounted "tiller bar" which in
turn would push in the direction of the turn, moving the wheel holding
apparatus. This "tiller rod" was mounted on the centerline of the tire, and
came inboard, so its motion was all front-rear, in an arc transcribing the
amount of turn desired. All in all, this use of hydraulic tiller steering
went both acceptably well, and successfully unimitated in the auto industry
to this day. Other than the wheel, the brake, clutch, and accelerator were
standard. However, the use of a tricky "dash shift"(also known, by test
engineers at "the passenger impaler") allowed ease of movement in the front
seat leg area.
Front seating was the standard side by side, with room for a third passenger
in tandem behind the passenger(this was a design feature intended to counter
act the right turn banking the car appeared prone to.) Beside the rear
passenger, and over the tiller bar mechanical area, was a small platform for
placing one's groceries, luggage, what-have-you. It was also handy for the
rear passenger to lean onto to watch the road ahead. This rear platform was
also accessible through the minuscule boot, which was opened, interestingly
enough, via lever next to the driver seat. This lever was easily grabbed
from the outside when parked, and was considered by some "quite
handy"(Others considered it "damned useless, and the stupidest arrangement
on record") Whatever the access arrangement, the boot itself was not much to
look at. In standard Triumph form, the fuel tank was located there. Three
gallons. Also, a mini spare- just something to get you off the roadway, and
into the nearest shop for a repair. There was enough room for one piece of
luggage, possibly two, if they were small. (The Doodlebug was considered a
city car mainly- not the one to take to the continent, nor much outside the
city)
Electrical necessities were provided by the omnipresent Lucas. Battery was
in the front, underneath the side opening bonnet. (It was hinged on the
driver's side. This was a safety idea, as the engine was mostly on the near
side, and it kept you out of the roadway when repairing the car.) The car
had the full line of regular electrics, including a tiny AM transistor
radio. There was, forewarning today's popular big money car option, only
one windscreen wiper, as the screen was small enough that more would be
wasteful. Heat was provided using a VW-like "heat-exchanger" setup, which
put warm air into the footwells, and it was expected that, as hot air rises,
the rest of the compartment would take care of itself. There was an
accessory blower planned at additional cost.
The design of the car was very simple. Basically, it looked like a truncated
peanut, bobbling about on three oddly mounted tyres. It was, of necessity, a
convertible, as there were no doors, and the side windows were early TR
style, in that they had to be lifted from the side panels when one wanted a
breeze. To enter the vehicle, one would simply swing two latches, lift back
the top, climb in(it was low to the ground) and pull the top closed over
them, unless they preferred to have it open, wherein they would have
previously pushed it to its fully open position, and corded it to the rear
of the car. This was considered part of the downfall of the project, as this
arrangement was unduly drenching in rain or snow. However, a well designed
drain system, coupled with a vinyl interior helped.
About 50 prototypes were built and tested all over Gt. Britain in the summer
and fall of 1965. Winter testing was put off until the weather improved and
warmed up some. Of these fifty, the first dozen were built in a small
workshop on the plant grounds, and were promptly sent out to the testing
ranges along the roadways of the local area. Of these twelve, only one
survives, as it was parked in a back lot, and forgotten about for some time.
The other eleven were used for serious testing and destruction of all
systems. They were all painted identically, in a black/white checkerboard
pattern, to distinguish them from large rocks on the roadway. The next 38
were built alongside the Heralds/Spitfires and GT6's we're all so familiar
with. This was to test the production procedures. One shop supervisor was
heard to quip,"Right. Look what that lot in design has come up with this
time. Where's the bloody wind-up key?" Of these 38, ten were sent to
Ireland, ten to Scotland, five to Wales, and the last 13 kept in England.
Three of these were put into racing tests, alongside the now seemingly large
Austin Minis.(Where they failed to be seriously considered as anything more
than a joke. However, they won one race. Unfortunately, that race had been
canceled due to scheduling conflicts, but they never got the word. The track
officials saw the car, and were so amused, they declared it winner by
default, on the promise it never return. It was hailed as a great victory by
the design team, at this time under serious psychological observation...)
Of the original 50, only three remain. One was the member of the original
lot which had been parked and forgotten. It rests in a small part of the
Museum of Modern British Invention, usually covered by a tarp, and its
existence denied by anyone connected with the museum. One is run as a daily
driver by a die hard American collector in the southwest. (He has to make
all his own parts) The last is being used as a rubbish tip in East End. How
it got there, no body is quite sure. The others all were tested in extremis,
and did not survive.
The project was abandoned in late 1965 when the director of Triumph stated,
"What do you mean you actually built it? I was kidding!" All the tools and
dies used were removed from the plant, and the designs, drawings, etc.
placed into the archives, with no further action planned. (Rumor has it that
BMW is considering remarketing the Doodlebug with a BMW R-series motorcycle
engine and a few modifications- including at least one side opening door- as
a "retro" car alongside the "New" Austin Mini. However, German drinking
parties are known for other failed endeavors...)
The above was copied from "Doodlebugs, Weasels and other Failures of British
Industry" by W.E.M. Johnson, printed in January 2000 by the Oxnard Press,
and out of publication in February 2000, by request of the British Motor
Industry, and a court order.
Your friend, and co-conspirator in Triumphs,
Scott ;)
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