A one-off child’s car with a handsome, American-inspired design.

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Ernst Hillers

Origin: Hamburg, Germany

Production: 1

Motor: Fichtel & Sachs 1-cyl., 2-stroke

Displacement: 191 cc

Power: 9.9 hp

Length: 8 ft. 6 in.

Identification No. N/A

This very well conceived child’s car was better built than some genuine production automobiles.

Ernst Hillers was the brother of the owner of the former Hillers Auto Museum, a museum that had over 50 microcars on display. The museum is familiar to enthusiasts through a videotape about the museum’s vehicles, called Klein Aber Mein, meaning: it’s small, but its mine. Ernst owned an auto parts business, and this ready source of microcar parts would be the inspiration for building a unique, small car for his son.

While many one-offs did not have the benefits of a design department, with aesthetically unhappy results, this car turned out extremely well. Its lines are inspired by fifties American cars, while its low and wide proportions are made possible by its intended pint-sized driver. Hillers later altered the chassis to accommodate proper car-type independent suspension and hydraulic brakes. The rear-mounted motor is the familiar 200-cubic centimeter two-stroke by Fichtel & Sachs used in the Messerschmitt, which is gravity-fed by a custom-fabricated fuel tank. One can play “guess the part” with the various borrowed components used throughout the car, including the shortened Goggo coupé bumperettes and Vespa scooter hubcaps. Consequently, and for those interested, this car was never intended for road use, but it is certainly a delightful child’s car.