Heinkel Kabine (1956)
Another oddity during the bubble car craze was the Kabine, which was designed by former German aircraft company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke. Like Messerschmitt, the company realised that there was a thirst for affordable transport.
What made the Kabine so unusual was that it had a reverse gear and the fabric roof served as an escape hatch, should the front door become jammed in a crash. To avoid angering BMW with its Isetta, the Kabine’s steering wheel never hinged outwards when the door was open, thus avoiding a patent war.
Goggomobil TS Coupe (1957)
Sometimes, a quirky name correctly suggests an outlandish design, and such is the case with the TS Coupe. Hans Glas, the Goggomobil creator, was known for agricultural equipment before shifting to cars. Its first car was the compact T250 in 1954 (T sedan), and then the pricier TS coupe arrived in 1957.
The TS Coupe and its dinky dimensions were odd, but it was highly successful because of its size. The design carried on until BMW bought the company in 1966, aiming to gain access to Glas’s patents.
Zundapp Janus (1957)
From the front, the Janus looks a bit like BMW’s Isetta, but from the side you’ll see less similarities. Zundapp was a motorcycle manufacturer, and in 1956 its focus turned to producing a ‘quality bubble car’. Aircraft designer Claude Dornier, mostly known for designing the Dornier Do X flying boat, was hired to envision the Janus.
It had two doors, one at the front and rear, and it could seat four people, although the rear bench faced backwards. 6900 were made before production seized in 1958. Its main design flaw was its poor handling: the engine was too light and the centre of gravity shifted depending on how many passengers were on board.
Amphicar (1960)
With the Amphicar, industrial designer took inspiration from the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen, an amphibious military vehicle used in the war. It used a Triumph Herald 1200 engine mounted at the rear; the same engine drove a pair of propellors.