New for 1955: The Mons Vertu B. Taking advantage of the economy boon of the mid-'50s, the Mons Vertu B aims to fill the needs of the growing “just-on-time” delivery business in city centres and villages alike.
Based on our micro-sized city car, the Vertu C, the Vertu B features our signature 1.3L OHV engine with a fuel economy minded tune that puts out 45 HP. The car is specifically designed for city driving, and remains agile and nimble in the tightest of inner city roads.
Don’t let the small size fool you: this car does offer a modicum of comfort for driver and passenger alike with bucket seats, air vents, and a single speaker AM radio mounted in the dash. Since it is a car-derived panel van, the suspension is comfortable (or at least, will not rattle your kidneys out of your body, we promise).
The rear box can haul a fair amount of goods, and is offered bare to allow for your own customization, or outfitted with shelving (as shown), or with a refrigerated compartment (costs extra). Doors on the side and hatches on the rear allow for ease of access.
This is the car to deliver the liquor to your pub, the local produce to your farmers market, the fresh milk to your doorstep. Small, cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, economical to drive, reliable, unobtrusive. You’ll only miss it when it’s gone, but then you’ll miss it… a lot.
For all of your (micro)-hauling needs, look no further: the Mons Vertu B has got you covered!
Oh this is a really interesting one, I’ll probably be sending cars from my argentinian brand, ITA (you reviewed the Cuter some time ago for the trafikjournalen). Having car reviews from Europe will come handy for expanding the brand’s lore in my own thread.
This was KAI’s first large car, designed with an eye on the export market. The Premier trim shown here was powered by a 3.2-liter overhead-valve straight-six delivering 100 horsepower to the rear wheels via either a 3-speed manual or 2-speed automatic transmission. The running gear was simple - a unibody chassis with struts up front and a leaf-sprung live axle at the rear.
Pitched as an upmarket product, the Premier had a premium interior and radio in place of lesser trims’ cheaper standard items. Later models would be offered with larger engines and in other body styles, but the original form this first attempt at an executive sedan would go on to be remembered as a major export success, even in Europe.
Cabrera´s first car after the civil war (they originally built licensed Renault 4CVs), it borrowed a lot of technology from that car, like the RR drivetrain.
Meant to be a cheap car to both buy and run, it had plenty of success in their own country Spain. Cheap labour costs also meant that the car could theoretically be a success overseas. And so, they were imported to several countries in small batches to test the markets.
This is one of them, only the Deluxe trim was offered overseas, as the lower trims were meant for the spanish market, still pretty affected by the war, and thus too spartan for the more wealthy european customer. It featured extra chrome details, a stroked version of our 800cc engine ,a radio and exclusive wheels.
A car meant to be a reliable transportation device and nothing else. Still, it found some success in rallying, thanks to it´s nimbleness and easily tunable engine.
For my brand, I will be doing a Spanish company called CADE. But for context, I should explain: in the late 40’s and early 50’s, Spain wasn’t in a very good spot. After over a century of stagnation and political instability, Spain had had only a very brief glimpse of freedom during the unstable Second Republic, before it collapsed into one of the most brutal and destructive civil wars of the time. Now under a backwards, theocratic fascist government, the country has found itself practically building its entire industry from scratch.
This design, originally the Scutermovil 2 (as well as its commercial variant, the Scutermovil 3), was one of Spain’s most successful microcars at the time. First released in early 1948, it was basically the simplest design you could have and still move somewhere, making it one of the cheapest vehicles on the market; and to a peasantry that wasn’t even sure if they were going to have food next week, that was more than enough.
But the time when the Scutermovil 2 started becoming one of the bestselling autos in Spain (a few hundred were sold every year) coincided with when the government started looking to establish a national car brand. The government seized the opportunity, and “bought” the Scutermovil company before quickly building a large factory in Barcelona to mass produce them on a broader scale.
Development of this factory was very rushed, and the executives strongly prioritized cost over quality, so the car’s build quality suffered greatly. But in 1950, the newly established Companía Automóviles de España (CADE; Cah-Dey) finally had its first model ready for purchase (they kept the name “Scutermovil” because of its recognition).
They had made a few changes, most of these cost-cutting measures that made the car worse (such as replacing its engine with a larger 300cc i3 motor “bought” from a different company, which was llarger and more prestigious at the cost of being less efficient, less reliable, and no more powerful than the original). But they weren’t all bad; CADE added a reverse gear, a battery-starter, and a 4-seater variant, as well as turn signals and a wiper to meet the needs of the export market.
And you read that right; CADE had plans to export the design to foreign markets, in an attempt to establish a foothold in the market, as well as to show off the blossoming “industrial might” of Spain. Varying amounts of Scutermovils were exported to France, Portugal, Italy, and Belgium, as well as (after some overproduction issues) to Sweeden, Norway, Ireland and Switzerland. Its worth noting that exported models were sold for a higher cost to cover export costs ($6000 AMU for a 2-seat model abroad vs. $5470 AMU in Spain).
How this microcar was received in other countries varied, but in Spain it became a sort of temporary icon, with nearly 12,000 Scutermovils being made and sold until its discontinuation in 1958. Ultimately, however, the vast majority were eventually scrapped; and of the few surviving examples in Spain, almost all of them are from the original 1948-49 production run
The year is 1945. Gareth Fletcher and Matthew Saunders, British world war two flying aces, take up post war life as engineers for Morris Motors. 1952 comes along, Morris merges with long time rivals Austin Motor Company and the lethargic hog that we knew British Leyland as was born. Now, Gaz and Matt were wise folk and foresaw that a happy marriage BL would not be. So, being good friends and all, bonded through their love of velocity they decide to jump ship, open a shed and come '53 there’s a new name in blighty. Fletcher & Saunders - F&S.
Their debut came in '54 with the A Series. Offered only as a roadster it was aimed at the big cats and prancing horses in the world of Le Mans and Mille Miglia. Through their previous supply chain connections they managed to create capacity to make a few thousand road cars available domestically and throughout Europe. To shift vehicles through the continent would be a colossal effort, a single dealer (if it could pass as one) in London and favours called through importers was their distribution network. Marketing would be be in one place - the race track. A twin carb straight six up front, 4 speed manual borrowed and heavily modified from the A40 Somerset in the middle and a pair of leafs at the back. But how would it be remembered?
Munich-based Schumann-Ursula Group is currently Germany’s (and Europe’s) largest automaker. The group was formed in 1968 after a merger between fellow automakers Schumann and Ursula. Currently the firm has hundreds of factories over 30 countries, producing more than 10 billion cars per year.
VAG: Automation Edition
Companies involved:
Company
Location
Founding Date
Acquisition Date
VAG Equivalent
Availability in Sweden
Schumann
Munich, Germany
1902
1968 (co-founder)
Volkswagen (both passenger and commercial)
Yes (since 1950)
Ursula
Bremen, Germany
1955
1968 (co-founder)
Audi
Yes (since 1963)
Altus
Sttugart, Germany
1970
*
Porsche/Lamborghini
Yes (since 1973)
Brighton-Kinley
Swindon, England
1900
1984
Bentley
Yes (since 1955)
Tovali (SAZ)
Sochi, Russia
1933 (as SAZ), 1992 (as Tovali)
1992
Skoda
Yes (1973 - 1989 as SAZ, since 1996 as Tovali)
Nishiki
Osaka, Japan
1939
1998
Seat
Yes (since 1969)
Rave Motors
Miami, FL, USA
2002
2004
Bugatti (+ Hennessy)
Yes (since 2005)
Permata
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
1988
2008
Skoda (but Asian-focused)
No
Gujarat
Bangalore/Mumbai, India
1950
2010
None (should be Dacia)
No
Axion
Nanjing, China
2014
*
None (should be Lynk & Co + Tesla)
Yes (since 2017, but out of scope)
Note: bold entries means that the company in the group will be involved in the challenge * Created by the group
1953 Schumann A160 Deluxe
In the year 1950 Schumann officially entered the Swedish market as the firm’s second export market of vehicles after France. Prior to that, imports of Schumann vehicles were done without the company’s official involvement, and it stayed this way until the war started. Post-war Schumann focused on cheaper, but high-quality vehicles instead of luxury cars like they did on pre-war due to the dire situation in Germany at that time.
In 1952, the new A-series mid-size vehicles were launched. As the firm’s first post-war design, the front-engined monocoque A-series represents a new era of the firm’s lineup, with similarly designed models coming in the most of the 50s.
The A-series also introduced a new lineup of engines. Base models (A120) were equipped with 1.2 liter boxer-4 engines, with options for more powerful 1.4 and 1.6 liter engines (A140 and A160) are also offered. 3-speed manual is standard, but a 2-speed automatic transmission is also offered for the A160 model.
The A-series is also offered with 5 different body styles, which are 2 and 4 door sedans, an estate, a fastback sedan (shown on the pics) and a van. All models have double wishbone front suspension, but only the van has rear leaf springs while the rest of the lineup uses solid axles with coil springs.
This model shown is the mid-range Deluxe fastback model, with the optional 1.6 liter boxer (Deluxe models were offered with the 1.4 as standard) The Deluxe models have a radio and bucket seats as standard as well as more chromed parts to match its style.
The A-series got a facelift in 1956 with a refreshed design and more equipment, but the engines and transmission options still stayed the same. Sales of this generation of the A-series continued until 1958 when its replacement was introduced. However, the fastback was dropped on the release of the second generation model in Sweden, despite the body style still being sold in its home market.
The war is over, and peace has returned. Automotive Manufacture of Malmo (AMM) has sprung up from the ashes, seeking to make cars. Their first effort is inspired by the military vehicles designed and made in the war - simple, spartan affairs which are easy to make. Just about everything is designed for economy, with simple, flat steel panels and a somewhat basic fabric top. The car is powered by a 2.1L inline four, making an adequate 47 kW. Chunky offroad tyres, a 4x4 drivetrain and a manual locker provide an unmatched capability, allowing the car to venture through the forests and the various damaged roads in postwar Sweden. The sturdy door at the rear provides ample access to the cargo area, and a limited amount of impact testing has been performed. The car costs just ten thousand AMU, making it an attractive proposition.
Would you be good with a low volume sportscar for this first round? Since technically my company doesn’t release it’s first mass production car until 1959.
During the war, Mara had been tasked to build first the engine and then later - as one of several manufacturers - the whole of the Archanan JC-9 4x4 light reconnaissance and transport vehicle. It was available with a softtop and either a cargo bed for equipment or longitudinal benches for troop transport. It was one of the universal vehicles in the Archanan military who were quite keen on standardisation.
The JC-9’s body-on-frame construction allowed a quick adaption to differing needs and additional roles. Due to their ubiquitous numbers across various roles at and behind the front, the quite swift acceleration in the very short first gear and the common yellow/green-ish base colour, the JC-9 received the nickname Konyk (‘grasshopper’). After the war, Mara adapted the JC-9 for sales to civilians and carried over the nickname to become the actual product name.
Built (and coloured) for the dusty Archanan steppes, the Konyk felt most at home off the road.
Mara ended up offering two variants to the public: one with an open cargo bed and one with a regular bench in the back plus a cargo area in an enclosed cabin. Instead of a softtop, the cabin in both cases was of a rather crude, boxy and flimsy construction of painted sheetmetal and acrylic glass, to save cost, precious resources and also weight. Manufacturing at scale was quite difficult at the time in Archana due to the general scarcity of resources and car ownership was something of a luxury.
The 1.3 litre engine - a major difference to the JC-9’s Gasmean ‘jeep’ counterpart - had proven adequate for Archanan wartime purposes (and still was for off-road trails) but it quickly ran out of steam on the open asphalt road. Otherwise, amenities such as adjustable seats and a more asphalt road-oriented suspension were added, but without compromising off-road prowess too much.
If you encountered a Konyk on asphalt, you had to hope that the road ahead was wide and open enough for a safe overtaking maneuver…
In the 1950s, Konyk sales began to slow since the demand in rural areas was beginning to be satisfied, and also because less crude options for motorised on-road transportation began to appear on the Archanan domestic market. Hence, Mara started to look beyond the Archanan borders to generate additional sales in the short term.
Well, it is inspired by COP, unfortunately it will be very much more like COP than I had thought about in my head, so I guess I will look like a copycat, but on the other hand I have asked Vic for permission.
The new Zerve PS51 saloon: your reliable freind. A modern, rear engined, aerodynamic 4-door with your name on it! More history/lore coming soon!
[spoiler]The Zerve Agriculture & Truck company is an eastern-bloc automaker that started out making tractors in the early 1850s. The company was part of Zerve holdings, a Ukrainian holdings company that originated making boats in the early 1800s. The company was dissolved shoetly after Ukraine joined the Soviet Union, into its many branches. Only the auto arm kept the Zerve name. Zerve continued to produce tractors (still the 4th largest agricultural machinery producer in the world), and trucks for the Soviet Union into WWII. The Jobmaster van and Trekmaster feild truck (which rode on the same chassis) were originally made for the war, and the boxer-4 engine originated from a small amphibious transport. The PS32 postwar car was based on the chassis of the WWII Trekmaster, with the same front and rear coil-sprung live axles and 32ps boxer engine. It was a simple 2-door sedan, and was a flop because of critical cooling issues. 1951 brought he PS51 4-door was nade with an upgraded versionof the 32ps boxer, pushed to 51ps. The body was a rather badly executed attempt to copy German and Czech aerocars. The car was a success. In 1952, the Jobmaster and Trekmaster became available to the general public, and in 1955, a larger van, the Workmaster with a stroked version of the PS51 engine was released, and the stroker motor became optional on the Jobmaster and Trekmaster.[/spoiler]
