1958 Heinkel Kabine Model 153

In a similar fashion to fellow airplane maker Messerschmitt, Heinkel was prohibited from producing aircraft after World War II. Instead, they began producing a 4-stroke scooter dubbed the Tourist. When sales of the scooter began to slow, they turned to bubble car production.

Heinkel Flugzeugwerke designed a microcar called the Heinkel Kabine which was produced from 1956 to 1958. In 1958, production was transferred under license to Dundalk Engineering Company in Ireland. When production was restarted in 1960 (under license), it was built under the Trojan 200 name by Trojan Cars Ltd. in the United Kingdom and remained in production until 1966.

The Kabine Model 150 was powered by a 174cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine offering 9.2 horsepower. The Model 153 and 154 were introduced in October of 1956 and were both powered by a 204cc engine. The Model 153 had three wheels while the Model 154 had four wheels. These engines were later reduced in capacity to 198cc for insurance purposes.

In a similar fashion to the Isetta, access to the interior was by an opening front. However, unlike the Isetta, the steering wheel did not hinge outwards with the door. Both the Isseta and Heinkel had similar top speeds, despite the engine being smaller in the Heinkel. The Isetta, however, was just over 200 pounds heavier than the Heinkel.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019