Flutterby™! : Microcar Museum 2006-01-17 17:13:40.978708+00

Microcar Museum

2006-01-17 17:13:40.978708+00 by Dan Lyke 3 comments

Hey Atlanta folks! The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum looks like a really cool day trip, and the rest of us can amuse ourselves with the online galleries.

Remember the Corbin Sparrow, one of the devices that, to me, recalls the giddiness of the Internet boom (although apparently it's still available...). Turns out there have been lots of attempts at small three-wheeled vehicles over the ages, along with lots of other fun tiny automobiles.

That does look cool, but Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 1-4pm? That's a tough window to make...

The microcars are really cute! (Yes, I realize how girly this sounds. What can I say?) My favorite, though I doubt I saw them all, is the 1956 Avolette Tourisme (de Luxe). The 1953 Velo-Velocar looks something like what Mike is building in the entry to our house.

I couldn't get a real feel for scale though, from the pictures. I wish I'd seen photos with people in them. Maybe we will have time for a day trip in the next few months.

Hey, we test-drove a Corbin Sparrow in '99! What a hoot. My major concerns at the time were (1) it was not very speedy off the line; (2) it offered very VERY little room for storage (I could fit my laptop case behind me, but not if I also wanted to store a purse and a lunchbag or backpack, and FORGET about putting a few bags of groceries in there, NO WAY), (3) its range wasn't long enough and I didn't have a plug station at work; and (4) it didn't have the right price. I couldn't justify $16K for a one-person, no-storage-space vehicle, despite loving its concept and even its squashed clown shoe appearance. Too impractical. I ended up buying one of the first Toyota Priuses sight-unseen in 2000, which was a more practical compromise, with two kids and normal requirements for carting things with me.

I did see a Sparrow about 2 weeks ago driving around down here, and I gave a little sigh.