Pagoda SL Group

Off Topic => Other cars => Topic started by: mbz.280sl on May 09, 2008, 13:20:28

Title: Off topic - interesting car in Japan
Post by: mbz.280sl on May 09, 2008, 13:20:28

I just returned from a two week trip to Japan and saw lots of interesting cars that you don't see here in the US. There were a few Mercedes on the road and I got passed by a SL55 doing about 100 MPH.
I saw this car in the parking lot while visting Mt. Chokai at the snow level. I have no idea how this 'thing' ever made it that level on the mountain.
Does anybody know what make of car this is?
(http://www.sl113.org/forums/uploaded/mbz.280sl/20085915100_P5060240.JPG)
(http://www.sl113.org/forums/uploaded/mbz.280sl/20085915128_P5060239.JPG)


Otto
1969 280SL, Manual, AC,  Sand Beige

Title: Re: Off topic - interesting car in Japan
Post by: paulr on May 09, 2008, 13:31:32

Its a Messerschmitt, a German micro car made out of WW2 fighter plane cockpits...so they say.

paulr
1970 280 SL

Title: Re: Off topic - interesting car in Japan
Post by: rwmastel on May 09, 2008, 13:47:13

Otto,
You could join one of these clubs and learn all about them:
  http://www.messerschmitt.co.uk/
  http://www.messerschmittclub.org/karoscene/
  http://www.messerschmitt-club-deutschland.de/

Rodd
Pagoda Technical Manual
please contibute: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php
1966 230SL
2006 C230 Sport Sedan

Title: Re: Off topic - interesting car in Japan
Post by: Mike Hughes on May 09, 2008, 15:52:30

When I was a kid living in Germany back in the early 1960s these Messerschmitts were all over the place.  Some of them even had plexiglas canopies.  We kids loved them because, well.... they were kid-sized!  We loved them even more when they started showing up in carnival rides and we could "drive" them!

My wife grew up in Chile, where the Spanish nickname for them would loosely be translated: "streetcar suppository."  I'm not suprised that there are a few still on the road in Japan.  Microcars are still big business in Japan, where urban parking is at a premium and paid for by the square meter.

- Mike Hughes  -ô¿ô-
  1966 230SL Auto P/S
  Havanna Brown (408)
  Light Beige (181)
  Cream M-B Tex (121)

Title: Re: Off topic - interesting car in Japan
Post by: al_lieffring on May 10, 2008, 12:31:42

About 40 miles south of my home Is a collection of the Post WWII european micro cars.

http://www.microcarmuseum.com/info.html

I have always been looking for an excuse to drive down there to see them someday.

I'm riding 50Km. on my Unicycle 18 May, 2008 in the Tour de Cure.
http://main.diabetes.org/goto/al.lieffring
Please help if you can by sponsoring my ride.
Al Lieffring