SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Egon Brütsch

Origin: Stuttgart, Germany

Production: 14

Motor: ILO 1-cyl, 2-stroke

Displacement: 49.5 cc

Power: 2.3 hp

Length: 5 ft. 7 in.

Identification No. 0012

Egon Brütsch was a tireless, energetic inventor and constructor of automobile prototypes. He was a passionate believer in the new fiberglass material and felt that the cheapest method of car construction was to join two half-body shells along the centerline. He decided that he would build the world’s smallest car for the 1956 IFMA (International Bicycle and Motorcycle Exhibition) in Frankfurt.

The prototype Mopetta body was apparently created overnight. He did have time to fit wheels for the IFMA show, but as the mechanicals were as yet absent, it was hung high up on the stand, away from prying eyes, and it managed to create a great deal of interest from several countries.

After the show, he set about making the little vehicle work, fitting a 50-cubic centimeter Ilo motor with a pull-starter on the outside left of a short ladder frame with trailing arms at the rear and an Earles-type fork at the front. Ever the promoter, Brütsch attempted to market it as a boat. Georg von Opel, a member of the Opel family but not the business, tried to market it as the Opelit, to no avail. Five cars went to England, with most selling through MPHW Sales. This example is part of a run of 14 replicas that were eventually built by the highly-respected Bittners brothers after a two-year process of painstakingly gathering all of the correct parts, including the engine, controls, and frame.