: ''There are also several persons called Opperman, listed at

Opperman (disambiguation) Opperman or Oppermann may refer to: People * Ashley Opperman (born 1983), South African footballer * Chris Opperman (born 1978), American composer * D. J. Opperman (1914–1985), Afrikaans poet * Dwight D. Opperman, American businessman * Frank ...

'' S E Opperman was a

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

manufacturer in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. After he saw the

Bond Minicar Bond Minicar is a series of economical three-wheeled microcars which were manufactured by the British car manufacturer Sharp's Commercials Ltd (the company was renamed Bond Cars Limited in 1964), in Preston, Lancashire, between 1949 and 1966. ...

he decided to build his own four-wheel

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 ...

at a factory in

Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...

, Hertfordshire.

Unicar T

The first model was the Unicar T, designed by Lawrie Bond, and built between 1956 and 1959. It looked like a miniature two door saloon with 2+2 seating and was the cheapest car at the 1956

London Motor Show London Motor Show, formerly the London Motorfair, is a motor show in England. It was held biannually at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, from 1977 to 1999. When the event won the support of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and P&O Ev ...

, but it was even cheaper if built as a kit when it could be had without engine for £170. A complete car cost £400. The body was made in

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

mounted on a steel tube chassis and had neither separate

bonnet A Bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include Scottish * Blue bonnet, a distinctive woollen cap worn by men in Scotland from the 15th-18th centuries And its derivations: **Feath ...

nor

boot A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is cle ...

lid. The engine was placed in the middle of the rear seating area giving two small seats on either side of the engine. Since it had no differential for the rear wheels they were placed close together. The front suspension was independent using coil springs and struts and at the rear trailing arms were used. The brakes were mechanically operated. It was powered by a 328 cc Excelsior twin-cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke engine producing and a top speed of . Some early models had a 322 cc

Anzani Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani (1877–1956), which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy. Overview From his native Italy, An ...

engine. About 200 were made.

Stirling

The only other Opperman was the Stirling, but only two were made, built between 1958 and 1959. Much more stylish than the Unicar, the first had a larger 424 cc Excelsior engine and the second had a Steyr 500 cc unit. The brakes were hydraulic and the rear wheels further apart. The launch of the

Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

in 1959 wiped out the rationale for the Opperman and the Stirling never went into full production.

References

*A–Z of Cars 1945–1970. Michael Sedwick and Mark Gillies. Bay View Books 1993. {{ISBN, 1-870979-39-7 *Auto-Parade. Publisher – Arthur Logoz, Zurich. 1958 *Motor Cycle Data Book, Newnes, 1960

External links

An Opperman in the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum
Microcars Mid-engined vehicles Kit car manufacturers Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England Tractor manufacturers of the United Kingdom Companies based in Hertsmere Cars introduced in 1956

Unicar T

Stirling

See also

References

External links