A miniature Spanish “Jeep”.

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Automoviles y Autoscooter Kapi

Origin: Barcelona, Spain

Production: N/A

Motor: Iresa 1-cyl, 2-stroke

Displacement: 197 cc

Power: 8.5 hp

Length: 8 ft. 3 in.

Identification No. B9291E

This marque has been said to be the quintessential artisan-built Spanish microcar. Following his military career in World War II, Infantry Captain Frederico Saldana began working on a series of small vehicles intended for the re-motorization of his country after the devastation of a civil war, drawings of which he published in trade journals.

His prototype Super 125 was shown to the public in 1950, along with plans for a 250, both using Montesa motors. The high cost of production, however, caused him to also begin production of an easier to fabricate tricycle with a Hispano Villiers 122-cubic centimeter motor. This became Saldana’s well-known range of Kapiscooter tricycles that were produced from 1951 to 1955 in several body styles and several motor sizes. Likewise, his parallel range of “Super” models numbered eight body styles with six motors.

His Kapi Jip was a copy of the iconic American Jeep, but it was built to a reduced scale and was powered by either an AMC-Fita 17o-cubic centimeter motor or an Iresa 197-cubic centimeter motor. It even sold in sufficient numbers to be also offered with an optional, reverse soft top, doors, and a spare wheel. Notably, this is the oldest and one of the rarest Spanish cars in the museum. It looks almost like a miniature Willys Jeep, and it is finished in a desert-like two-tone scheme of Caramel and Sand Beige with black upholstery.