The Aero Minor is a Czechoslovakia

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

that was manufactured by

Aero Aero is a Greek prefix relating to flight and air. In British English, it is used as an adjective related to flight (e.g., as a shortened substitute for aeroplane). Aero, Ærø, or Aeros may refer to: Aeronautics Airlines and companies * Aero (A ...

from 1946 until 1952. It was designed by Jawa Motors engineers on their previous Jawa Minor design; they worked on it secretly during the

German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. It had a two-cylinder,

two-stroke engine A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a f ...

with 615cc displacement and front wheel drive. The car reached speeds of up to 90 km/h. The engine produced 20 hp and it had a fuel consumption of 8 L/100 km. It carried saloon and station wagon bodies. The Aero Minor excelled in its time with its spacious body, quiet operation, low fuel consumption and long service life. A total of 14,178 cars were produced, half of the cars were exported to 23 countries, mainly to the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland. Many long-distance and demonstration rides were undertaken with the Aero Minor. In 1947, the famous traveler František Alexander Elstner set out from Prague to Africa across the Sahara to the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea (French language, French: ''Golfe de Guinée''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Golfo de Guinea''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Golfo da Guiné'') is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez i ...

and back. In 1948, another Aero Minor reached the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

being the first car to reach these places in the winter. The car was also successful in car competitions and on the racetrack. A sports version Aero Minor Sport competed at

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

, where it took second place in its class. For racing purposes, the engine bore was enlarged, increasing the displacement to 744 cm3 and power increased to 23 kW (30 hp) at 5000 rpm. This race car was used by many successful Czechoslovak car racers.

References

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Sources

^ Hans-Otto Neubauer, "A.A.G.", in G.N. Georgano, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars 1885-1968 (New York: E.P. Dutton and Co., 1974), pp.28. Library of Congress Card No 68-22674.

External links

Aero (Jawa) Minor I - III version photo de

Site in Czech
1950s cars Cars introduced in 1946 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars Sedans Station wagons Sports cars Automobiles with backbone chassis