: ''There are also several persons called Opperman, listed at
Opperman (disambiguation) Opperman or Oppermann may refer to:
People
* Ashley Opperman (born 1983), South African footballer
* Chris Opperman (born 1978), American composer
* D. J. Opperman (1914–1985), Afrikaans poet
* Dwight D. Opperman, American businessman
* Frank ...
''
S E Opperman was a
tractor
A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most comm ...
manufacturer in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. After he saw the
Bond Minicar
Bond Minicar is a series of economical three-wheeled microcars which were manufactured by the British car manufacturer Sharp's Commercials Ltd (the company was renamed Bond Cars Limited in 1964), in Preston, Lancashire, between 1949 and 1966.
...
he decided to build his own four-wheel
microcar
Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than . Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are oft ...
at a factory in
Elstree
Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...
, Hertfordshire.
Unicar T
The first model was the Unicar T, designed by
Lawrie Bond,
and built between 1956 and 1959. It looked like a miniature two door
saloon with 2+2 seating and was the cheapest car at the 1956
London Motor Show
London Motor Show, formerly the London Motorfair, is a motor show in England. It was held biannually at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, from 1977 to 1999. When the event won the support of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and P&O ...
, but it was even cheaper if built as a kit when it could be had without engine for £170. A complete car cost £400. The body was made in
fibreglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clot ...
mounted on a steel tube chassis and had neither separate
bonnet
A Bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap
Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include
Scottish
*Blue bonnet, a distinctive woollen cap worn by men in Scotland from the 15th-18th centuries And its derivations:
** Feat ...
nor
boot lid. The engine was placed in the middle of the rear seating area giving two small seats on either side of the engine. Since it had no differential for the rear wheels they were placed close together. The front suspension was independent using coil springs and struts and at the rear trailing arms were used. The brakes were mechanically operated. It was powered by a 328 cc Excelsior twin-cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke engine producing and a top speed of . Some early models had a 322 cc
Anzani
Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani (1877–1956), which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy.
Overview
From his native I ...
engine. About 200 were made.
Stirling
The only other Opperman was the Stirling, but only two were made, built between 1958 and 1959. Much more stylish than the Unicar, the first had a larger 424 cc Excelsior engine and the second had a Steyr 500 cc unit. The brakes were hydraulic and the rear wheels further apart. The launch of the
Mini
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
in 1959 wiped out the rationale for the Opperman and the Stirling never went into full production.
See also
*
Opperman Motocart
References
*A–Z of Cars 1945–1970. Michael Sedwick and Mark Gillies. Bay View Books 1993. {{ISBN, 1-870979-39-7
*Auto-Parade. Publisher – Arthur Logoz, Zurich. 1958
*Motor Cycle Data Book, Newnes, 1960
External links
An Opperman in the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum
Microcars
Mid-engined vehicles
Kit car manufacturers
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England
Tractor manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Companies based in Hertsmere
Cars introduced in 1956