Goggomobil Dart

The Goggomobil Dart is a microcar roadster which was developed in Australia by Sydney company Buckle Motors Pty Ltd.^[5] and produced from 1959 to 1961.

Goggomobil Dart
Overview
Manufacturer	Buckle Motors Pty Ltd.[1]
Production	1959[2]–September 1961[2]
Assembly	Australia: Sydney, New South Wales[1]
Designer	Bill Buckle
Body and chassis
Class	Microcar
Body style	0-door roadster
Layout	Rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Platform	Goggomobil
Powertrain
Engine	Two-stroke straight-twin engine Standard: 293 cc, 14.8 PS (10.9 kW) Optional: 392 cc, 18.5 PS (13.6 kW)[3]
Transmission	4-speed manual[3]
Dimensions
Wheelbase	1,800 mm (71 in)[3]
Length	3,050 mm (120 in)[1]
Width	1,370 mm (54 in)[1]
Kerb weight	380 kg (840 lb)[1][4]

History

The Dart was based on the chassis and mechanical components of the German Goggomobil microcar, which was a product of Hans Glas GmbH of Dingolfing, in Bavaria, Germany.^[6] The car featured an Australian-designed fibreglass two-seater open sports car body without doors, with the whole package weighing in at only 345 kg (761 lb).^[2] It was powered by a rear-mounted twin-cylinder two-stroke motor available in both 300 cc and 400 cc variants,^[4] and had a small luggage compartment built into the nose.^[2] The Dart was designed in 1958 and went on sale the following year,^[2] with around 700 examples produced up to the time that production ceased in September 1961.^[7]

Production specifics

The Dart came standard with Goggomobil’s 293cc parallel twin (producing 15 hp and 20 ft.lb.), but their 392cc unit (20 hp/24 ft.lb.) soon became available as an option. Top speed was approximately 60 mph (97 km/h) for the 293cc cars, and about 65 mph (104 km/h) for those equipped with the 392cc engine. There may only by 50 of them left currently. Dimensions were 3.0m long and 1.3m wide.^[8]

In popular culture

The Goggomobil Dart is mentioned in a 1990s Australian Yellow Pages television advertisement in which the actor Tommy Dysart says the famous line "G, O, G, G, O... No! No! Not the dart!"^[9] In the early 2000s he continued his Goggomobil persona advertising Shannons Insurance, where he plays a character who is especially interested in finding the best car insurance for his treasured Goggomobil Dart.^[10]

A documentary, released on 8 September 2019 titled D'art, is about an artist who paints paper planes (paper darts) on the Goggomobil Dart as the canvas.^[11] The movie was received with positive reviews and was selected in 2020 for the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.^[12]

Gallery

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  Goggomobile Dart rear
• 
  Interior
• 
  Badging