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Fuldamobil Type S (1953)
Fuldamobil S-6 (1956) - Photo: Darin Schnabel
Fuldamobil S-6 (1956) - Photo: Darin Schnabel
Fuldamobil S-6 (1956) - Photo: Darin Schnabel
Fuldamobil S-6 (1956) - Photo: Darin Schnabel
Fuldamobil S-6 (1956) - Photo: Darin Schnabel
Fuldamobil S-6 (1956) - Photo: Darin Schnabel
Fuldamobil S-6 (1956) - Photo: Darin Schnabel
Fuldamobil S-6 (1956) - Photo: Darin Schnabel
Fuldamobil S-6 (1956) - Interior - Photo: Darin Schnabel
Fuldamobil NWF 200 (1954)
Fuldamobil Type N and Type S (1953)
Fuldamobil Type N and Type S (1953)
Fuldamobil NWF 200 (1954)
Fuldamobil NWF 200 (1954)
Fuldamobil NWF 200 (1954)
Fuldamobil NWF 200 (1954)
Bambino 200 (1955) - Fuldamobil built under licence in Holland
Bilder: RM Auctions; www.forum-auto.com
«Фульдамобиль» — так называлась компания, которую основали в Фульде, в Германии, молодые инженеры Норберт Стивенсон и Карл Шмитт. Они охотно раздавали лицензии на производство своих автомобилей, и «Фульдамобиль» с 1950 до 1969 года производили в Чили, Аргентине, Индии, Швеции, Нидерландах и Греции (причем в Греции сразу два производителя). Форма кузова менялась, но во всем модификациях машина оставалась маленькой, трехколесной, каплевидной, сильно сужающейся сзади.
Четырехместная модель S-2 появилась в 1954 году, а модель S-7 впервые была показана на автосалоне в Париже в 1957 году. Модель S-7 имела кузов из стеклопластика с более элегантными линиями и двойные колеса, расположенные сзади вплотную друг к другу. В Германии это позволяло расценивать автомобиль как трехколесный, так что им мог управлять любой, имевший права на управление мотоциклом. В Англии S-7 продавался под названием Нобель-200, а в Швеции как Fram King.
По мере экономического подъема послевоенной Германии и роста благосостояния интерес к автомобилям Фульдамобиль угасал.
Karl Schmitt, head of Fulda, wishing to reduce the amount of hand-labour in the Fuldamobil N-2, approached VGM in Werdohl, who assured him that curved shapes could readily be formed in aluminum. The prototype S-1 was ready in July 1953, to be sold alongside the N-2 as the “Standard” version. But only three examples were built by Fulda before the cautious Schmitt decided the capital wasn’t there for another model.
The NWF Company built bus bodies for Ford in Cologne. The contract was ending, and the NWF people, with a license agreement, would give the Fuldamobil S-1a new lease on life. In June 1954, their technical staff visited Fulda, and two months later, production began. The car was identical to the Fulda, with the exception of the door’s rain gutter and the motor, which was an ILO instead of a Sachs. Fulda’s Stevenson didn’t agree with their choice, claiming the ILO’s gearing wasn’t suitable.
Sales didn’t materialize, and only 20 of the aluminum S-1 type three-wheelers were built per day, with some being sold back to Fulda in lieu of cash for the license.
Karl Schmitt’s reluctance to produce the S-1, and its “sale” to NWF, who fitted it with an unsuitable motor, did not sit well with Fuldamobil designer Norbert Stevenson. With low pay and a five-member family to feed, the future was uncertain. Stevenson decamped to join a group developing a three-wheeler with remarkable similarities to the Fuldamobil, called the Pinguin. This failed, as did many other such ventures, and eventually Stevenson joined Ford in Cologne, where he was paid three times his salary at Fulda.
The Fichtel & Sachs 191-cubic centimeter motor first fitted to the S-3 prototypes gave a more sporting driving feel to the Fuldamobil, with its less torquey, higher-revving characteristics requiring more frequent gear changing. The motor, while in most respects identical to the Messerschmitt’s, was not a direct swap, as it had a different side-exit muffler and different gearing to deal with the considerably heavier, 827 pound, dry weight of the Fuldamobil.
This weight had a great deal to do with the heavy-welded tube chassis, which consisted of two full-length large-diameter tubes, a third half-length tube in the center, and substantial crossmembers. From the beginning, Stevenson had spent a great deal of time on the front axle, suspension, and steering. He developed a very modern concept, that of Negative Steering Roll Radius, which reduced steering effort and kickback and has only recently been seen on Mercedes S-Class cars.
With Stevenson gone, Works Manager Zinsser was free to eliminate the expensive process involved with making the front axle, and he decided to simply hang the front wheels on the ends of the transverse springs, which slid in vertical tubes. This redesigned chassis was the essential characteristic of the new S-6 model, built from October 1956. The car was also available in a three-wheeled version and could optionally be fitted with hand controls to suit. The curvaceous aluminum bodywork remained the same, again available in blue, grey, green, and beige.
The small bullseye window in the opening rear hatch had severely restricted rearward vision on previous models, and the generally increasing traffic density demanded a solution. This took the form of replacing the entire opening hatch with a large fixed Plexiglas rear window, which opened up a panoramic rear view and gave the S-6 its immediately distinguishable feature.
- After the wooden bodied cars, in 1953 NWF made the S-1, with ILO 191cc motor. The NWF was built until 1955.
- Fuldamobil made 3 other prototypes before production of there next big car. The S-2 prototype used a Sachs 360cc engine, and both S-3 prototypes used a Sachs 200 engine (used in later models).
- There next production car was the S-4. The fuldamobil S4 looks very similar ot the NWF, but had a 4th wheel, and a large rear window. It was powered by a Sachs 191cc motor.
- S-5 was the roadster prototype based on the Fuldamobil S-4.
- The Fuldamobil S-6 was very similar to the S4, but returned to the small rear window, and had a hatch. The suspension was completely redesigned, and also the customer had the choice for a 3 wheeler or a 4 wheeler. It was powered by the same Sachs 200 motor.
- The most popular model made by Fuldamobil was the S-7. Featuring a completely redesigned body, improved suspension and back to the big window, it ended up quite popular. The S-7 was popular enough to build under license in other countries such as UK, India, Greece, Argentina, Sweden and Holland.
Quelle: rhzm.ru; autohistoriq.ru; www.rmauctions.com
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