About Goggomobil
The Goggomobil was a microcar produced in the Bavarian town Dingolfing after World War II by Hans Glas. There was a conventional looking four passenger two-door sedan and a very sleek sports coupé. The engine was originally 250 cc but increased to 395 cc and 20 hp (15 kW). It had an electric pre-selective transmission and a manual clutch. The engine was behind the rear wheels. 219,531 sedans and 66,511 coupés were built from 1955 to 1969. Between 1957 and 1961 some 700 sports cars called Goggomobil Dart were produced by Buckle Motors Pty Ltd in Sydney, Australia. Glas also produced the highly rated Goggomobil motor scooter. The Glas Auto works at Dingolfing were subsequently taken over by BMW.
The specifications of a 1957 Goggomobil TS-300 Coupé are:
- Configuration — Glas 2-stroke rear engine, 398 cc displacement
- Engine — 2 cylinder, 2 stroke, air-cooled, 58 x 56 mm. bore and stroke, 6.0:1 compression, 15 hp. at 5,000 rpm, 17.4 ft·lbf (24 N·m) torque.
- Transmission —4 speed plus reverse (with electric pre-selector as an available option).
- Top Speed — 85 km/h (53 mph)
- Tires — 4.80 x 10 inch.
- Weight — 420 kg (926 lb).
- Wheelbase — 1.80 metres (70.9 in).
The specifications of a 1958 Goggomobil TS-250 Sedan are:
- Configuration — Glas 2-stroke rear engine, 247 cc displacement
- Engine — 2 cylinder, 2 stroke, air-cooled, 13.6 hp. at 5,000 rpm.
- Transmission —4 speed plus reverse.
- Top Speed — 75 km/h (47 mph)
- Tires — 4.40 x 10 inch.
- Weight — 415 kg (915 lb).
Australian Yellow Pages advertisement
Australian Yellow Pages ran a well-known advertising campaign which referred to a Goggomobil ("not the Dart"). The Yellow Pages advertisement was used as a basis for an advertisement for Mobil, properly licensed from the producers of the original advertisement. Another unauthorised advertisement for Shannons Insurance resulted in a Federal Court of Australia case. The case (TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED AND SENSIS PTY LTD v ROYAL AND SUN ALLIANCE INSURANCE AUSTRALIA LIMITED) was resolved in favour of the producers of the Yellow Pages, Sensis. Tommy Dysart featured in all of these advertisements, as did a number of different Goggomobils. The advert has been parodied a number of times in Australian TV shows, usually featuring Tommy Dysart.
