Goggomobil Dart [1958]

The 1950s saw the emergence of the world’s most prominent microcars, fuelled by the need to space-save on urban backdropped roads. Australian automotive dealer and engineer Bill Buckle, following the success of his similarly-fibreglass bodied Buckle GT, formed a deal with Hans Glass GmbH’s Goggomobil, whereby the German company would provide components and a small batch of vehicles to facilitate the production of a local model. Following suit, Buckle and his team produced their own Goggomobil-branded vehicle, the Dart, specifically formulated for the Australian market, with a light 345kg body clad with bright fibreglass panels and a clean, uninterrupted chassis with a notable absence of doors. Largely forgotten, Buckle Motors is said to have produced 700 examples up to the termination of production in 1961.