The Inter Autoscooter is a discontinued three-wheeled French

microcar Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than . Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are often ...

that debuted at the 1953

Paris Motor Show The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...

. Between the two body types, the open-topped Torpedo and the close-topped Berline, only 300 were produced between 1954 and 1958. As of 2017, only 30 are estimated to still exist.

Design

Inters were designed and produced by Societé Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord, an aeronautics firm; the avian inspiration for these cars is clear. The Inter has a single windshield wiper and headlight, tandem seats, and a hinged

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, and its steering is controlled by a

yoke A yoke is a wooden beam sometimes used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, us ...

. Inters gained a reputation for being unreliable, due in part to the complicated starter system. The car is fitted with a six-volt power supply connected to a motorcycle battery, which powers the Westinghouse gyrostarter. A gyrostarter is a starter seen most frequently on helicopters; it engages the engine by pressing a lever. The fuel tank and engine are also both located in the rear of the car. In addition to its reported unreliability, the Inter has several parts that are unique, making it expensive and difficult to find replacement parts. The first Inters built had front wheels that could be tucked under the car to more efficiently travel down narrow streets and park in small spaces. This brought the car from a width of to . While in theory this might appear efficient, it was not and the feature was quickly discontinued. Its top speed is .

References

Microcars Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Cars introduced in 1953 {{classicpow-auto-stub