1958 Victoria 250

The Spatz (German for 'Sparrow') was first introduced at the 1954 Paris Auto Salon and under the firm BAG (Bayerische Auto Gesellschaft) the 250 was produced from January 1957 to February 1958. The unusual features include fiberglass body construction and a five-gear electronic transmission shifted by three dash-mounted buttons to shift into reverse, neutral & first; and a small lever used in conjunction with the clutch to shift into second, third and fourth. The engine is a 250cc, 1-cylinder, 2-stroke that develops 14 bhp at 5200 RPM and is capable of 60 mph speed. This vehicle was manufactured in Nuremberg, Germany.

From June of 1957 through February of 1958, a total of 729 examples of the Victoria 250 were produced. It is believed that 24 are still in existence. The 250 was a continuation of the Gullwing Coupe Spatz shown by Harald Friederich at the IFMA Show in 1956. However, the car had several shortcomings that led to the creation of the 250. Several prototypes were created in various configurations including a coupe and cabriolet. All were deemed too heavy and only the Roadster remained.

The Roadster was fitted with a 250cc motorcycle engine and mated to a matching gearbox. There were three dash-mounted buttons which operated the reverse, neutral and first. Second, third and fourth were operated by a small lever and a clutch.

The cars were clothed in a lightweight fiberglass body and fitted with hydraulic drum brakes. Top speed was just under 97 kph. Production lasted for only a short period of time, ending in early 1958 when it became evident that the market was already flooded with micro-cars.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2008