The Wirtschaftswunder of the 1950s helped the Germans transition from trains, bicycles and motorscooters into cars. These small cars, later nicknamed microcars (German: "Kleinstwagen"), provided shelter from the elements and were used extensively for the work commute and for the entire family to escape on weekends to explore the outdoors.
Extremely Rare Microcar:
1959 FKF King Fuldamobil
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While the Goggomobil, Messerschmitt Kabinenroller, and BMW Isetta have become household names, the Fuldamobil, which derived its name from the German town of Fulda, was actually the first microcar built after WWII. In its final and most refined iteration, the Series 7, built from 1957 until 1969, it shared the road with cars many times as big which seems unreal to us today.
The German brochure states "We all shall live better" and praises the 3-wheel setup, pointing out that flat tires should not occur on the Fuldamobil, as usually the front tires just pick up the nails and throw them toward the rear wheels, which can't happen here since there are none in the way of the front wheels. Seriously!
The body is entirely built from fiberglass, and sits on a tubular steel frame. The entire car is 10ft, 4in. long and weighs less than 700 lbs.
Carrying an older repaint, the finish is still shiny and utmost presentable. There are no imperfections, no bubbles, scratches, cracks, or rock chips worth mentioning.
Similar to the Heinkel Kabinenroller, the dashboard reminds of a small contemporary airplane. It contains only two gauges, the left one showing the engine oil pressure and the right one the speed.
Front bench is very comfortable and accommmodates two adults well, ingress and egress made easier via suicide doors left and right.
According to the sales brochure, the rear seat will provide sufficient space for two or three children.
Interestingly, the front bench could be folded flat to create a bed. This way, travelers did not have a need to spend money on hotel rooms or camping gear, but could enjoy the comfort of their Fuldamobil day and night.
Motorvation comes from a reliable, single cyclinder, 191cc Sachs 2-stroke engine, putting out 9.5 horsepower. Amazingly, the little car has 4 forward and 4 reverse gears. That's because the engine can be started in forward or reverse rotation. The sequential shifter works like that of a motorcycle: first gear is forward, pull back into neutral, then second, third, and fourth gear.
This peppy micro is one of the 422 units called "Fram King" or FKF (later just "King") that were built under license from Fuldamobil by AB Industrikompaniet King, in Haelsingborg, Sweden.
Undercarriage is clean and shows the - rust free - tubular frame construction well. Everything is easily accessible here.
Friday, February 5, turned out to be a balmy winter day in our beautiful mission town San Buenaventura. We've used the opportunity to ride the Fuldamobil and snap these photos along the way.
Push down the clutch, pull the choke, and turn the key, and the bulletproof Sachs engine sputters to life. The brochure states that the "10-horsepower strong Sachs engine conquers the steepest Alpine hills and endures the tropical African heat as well as the arctic cold of Finland." Let's go, then!
Driving this 3-wheeler is exciting, to say the least. You'll have to keep up the revs to utilize all nine-and-a-half horses. Motoring down the streets, leaving a small plume of smoke behind, you see pedestrians virtually snapping their necks. Children wave and other motorists slow down, on one occasion coming to a stop in the middle of the road, just to grab their cell phone and take a photo. We didn't receive that much attention with a Lamborghini Countach.
The car comes with a clear California Certificate of Title. It's currently licensed in California and comes with current California license plates.
One of the rarest microcars in existence, this Swedish King Fuldamobil S7 would make a fabulous addition to any car collection. The last known American sale of a King S7 was in 2013 at the Bruce Weiner Microcar Collection auction, where Lot number 596 sold for $47,150.
Addendum:
We sold this King Fuldamobil in Fall of 2017 to a customer in Australia.
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