Heinkel Cabin Cruiser

Post-war Germany was an austere place and to fulfil the need for low cost, locally produced transportation, those industries that had busied themselves in aircraft production during the conflict graduated into micro-car production.

Messerschmitt, BMW and Heinkel all started making these tiny machines, the latter introducing the 150 model from 1956. Using a simple 175cc and later 198cc four-stroke rear-mounted single, they could be supplied as either a 3-wheeler, or a 4-wheeler with the two rear wheels set close together. With upwards of 9bhp on tap and over 7 lb/ft of torque, performance was never the main priority, but these little bubbles would cruise at 40mph and top out at over 50mph, delivering well in excess of 50 miles to a gallon of petrol.

Heinkel ceased assembly of the car in 1958 having delivered nearly 12,000 of them, with further cars subsequently being made under licence in Dundalk in Ireland. This company added a further 6,500 to the tally before getting into financial difficulties.

Trojan Ltd., best known for their obscure 2-stroke cars and vans and as importers of the Lambretta, purchased the rights from Ireland in 1962 along with over 2,600 kits of cars from Germany plus 100 unsold vehicles which had been left outside for some time. Following the move of the production facilities to their plant in Croydon, Trojan went on to make a further 6,000 examples badged as the Trojan 200 before production petered out in 1964 – cars still being registered new as late as 1966. It must have been hard to sell against a Mini van with rear seats for the same money.

This example is believed to date from 1958 and has been a highly popular exhibit at the Mouldsworth Motor Museum for many years. Purchased by the curator from a deceased estate many years ago, it was found in a wooden shed in Chester having been last used in 1971. The odometer shows that it has covered just 21,000 miles and the museum is only its second owner from new.

The car appears complete and is remarkably sound although will require restoration. At the time of cataloguing it had no documentation, although the museum has recently applied to the DVLA for a V5 with its original Chester registration. Shortly after exhumation, the curator revisited the property where the car had lain for so many years and, with permission, removed the original wooden shed and its contents. This was erected in the museum and is therefore very much part of the car’s history. The shed is included in the sale of the vehicle, so that the car and its original home can remain united for years to come!