Victoria Spatz 250 - 57

The Spatz (German for sparrow), later renamed the

Victoria 250, is a four-wheeled microcar that was built

between 1956 and 1958.

The   car   was   originally   conceived   by   Egon   Brütsch   as   the   Brütsch   200   "Spatz"   a   Fiberglass   three- wheeler   with   the   suspension   of   the   front   wheels   and   the   rear   wheel   attached   directly   to   the body   shell.   As   such   the   car   proved   engineeringly   unsound   and   trial   runs   on   rough   roads   led   to severe cracks in the bodywork. Harald   Friedrich,   managing   partner   of Alzmetall   P.   Meier   &   Friedrich   GmbH   in Altenmarkt   an   der Alz,   acquired   the   license   from   Brütsch   to   build   the   "Spatz"   (German   for   sparrow)   and   in   July 1956 with the Victoria works as a partner, founded the Bayerische Autowerke GmbH (BAG). Because   of   the   deficiencies   in   the   original   design,   Frederick   asked   the   then   77-year-old   Hans Ledwinka,   the   former   Tatra   engineer,   to   design   a   robust   chassis   for   the   car.   The   result   was   a central    tube    frame    and    four    wheels    –    in    contrast    to    the    original    three-wheeled    Brütsch. Frederick   then   saw   himself   no   longer   obligated   to   pay   royalties   to   Brütsch,   which   led   to   a   court case,   which   Frederick   won.   The   judges   recognising   that   the   original   Brütsch   construction   was both useless and dangerous. The    fiberglass    bodywork    resembled    a    sports    car,    but    with    only    10    hp    (7    kW)    was    too underpowered   to   qualify   as   such,   no   matter   how   light   it   was.   The   cloth   top   was   erected   from inside   the   car.   Reverse   was,   like   for   the   Messerschmitt   KR200,   by   running   the   engine   backward (or   by   physically   picking   it   up).   The   car   was   mechanically   similar   to   the   KR200   but   with   a   single bench seat for two of three people sitting beside each other. The   engine   size   was   increased   from   200   to   250   cc.   They   were   known   for   burning   up.   1,588   were built between 1956 and 1958, 859 as "Spatz", 729 as "Victoria 250".

1957

Engine 250 cc 2 cylinders Power 10 HP Total of 1.588 Victorias were build from 1956 to 1958. The collections item is in original, mint condition.