eBay Find of the Day: the Goggomobile
Years ago in Australia there was a TV commercial for the phone company's yellow pages that featured a man looking for parts for his Goggomobile. Since no one knew what he was talking about, he was always having to spell the car's name. In a Scottish brogue (yes, a Scottish actor in an Aussie ad) he'd repeatedly belt out G-o-g-g-o. Finally, with the help of the yellow pages, he finds a parts supplier who speaks his language. I haven't seen the commercial in years but every once in a while I'll get the urge to don a Scottish accent and spell the car.
In fact, I had never even seen the car until a tipster sent this one in from eBay. Looking like something straight out of the movie Cars, the Goggomobile was a Bavarian micro car built from 1955 to 1969. It has a 2-cylinder, air-cooled engine behind the rear wheels. That powerplant is about 24 cubic inches and gets about 20 hp. You won't get anywhere quickly, but you'll be cute as a button while you're doing it. The seller claims it's one of less than ten in the US. For a slice of exclusivity and Germano-Scotus-Australian history, the bidding begins at $2,000.
Thanks for the tip, Jordan!
[Source: eBay]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Will 10:59AM (8/06/2007)
I believe it's "Goggomobil" rather than "Goggomobile." Also, the read link isn't working, as eBay's saying it's an invalid item.
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Peter L 9:14PM (8/06/2007)
Your spelling is correct.
Will 11:21AM (8/06/2007)
It's a Nissan Figaro!
http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11111084/1991_Nissan_Figaro.jpg
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ChucktownChuck 11:33AM (8/06/2007)
yeah the ebay site says it was removed.
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Craig 11:42AM (8/06/2007)
He is the Dart model build on the same platform:
http://www.ozebook.com/cars/goggo04.jpg
It's a friggin toy car. Can't see any pedals or pushrods under there...
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felipe 11:51AM (8/06/2007)
that car makes Herbie the Love bug look like a porsche.
wonder how bad the horn sounds.
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Artie43 12:50PM (8/06/2007)
When I was a teenager these cars were popular in Germany. I remember a story where one of these cars ran into a rather large GI. The car/driver suffered serious injuries. The GI did not. They were just one of the many gas mizerly cars popular in Europe after WW2. Gas was extremely expensive and people were desperate for transportation. I love it when I see cars like this around. Makes me realize how far we have come.
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mr.ed 1:14PM (8/06/2007)
About $1998 too high. And you won't find parts overseas, either.
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microcars 2:33PM (8/06/2007)
won't find parts overseas huh?
I think that Uwe Staufenberg would find that amusing.
He owns Goggomobil in Europe and just about every part for the car can be replaced.
http://www.goggomobil.com
there are quite a few more than "10" of these in the USA too.
Greg Smith 2:24PM (8/06/2007)
Isn't this the kind of car that Luigi was in the movie Cars?
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Tranquillizer 10:28AM (8/07/2007)
here is the aussie tv add mentioned in the post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk6pO7eLeiM
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Peter L 8:39PM (8/06/2007)
This was a popular car in New Zealand in the 50s.
I remember seeing many of them on the road.
New Zealand has always had a great variety of vehicles from many countries. The challenging roads and short distances led to a unique car culture. Australia did not ever offer as many models.
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Revhed 9:39PM (8/06/2007)
Here is the TV commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk6pO7eLeiM
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carl 9:36PM (8/07/2007)
Hi?Everyome. What happen to Goggomobile on ebay?? Anyone have the item number?? Please post it. Thanks
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