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 @ Aug 6th 2007 10:59AM
I believe it's "Goggomobil" rather than "Goggomobile." Also, the read link isn't working, as eBay's saying it's an invalid item.
Peter L @ Aug 6th 2007 9:14PM
Your spelling is correct.
Will @ Aug 6th 2007 11:21AM
It's a Nissan Figaro!
http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11111084/1991_Nissan_Figaro.jpg
ChucktownChuck @ Aug 6th 2007 11:33AM
yeah the ebay site says it was removed.
Craig @ Aug 6th 2007 11:42AM
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...
felipe @ Aug 6th 2007 11:51AM
that car makes Herbie the Love bug look like a porsche.
wonder how bad the horn sounds.
Artie43 @ Aug 6th 2007 12:50PM
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.
mr.ed @ Aug 6th 2007 1:14PM
About $1998 too high. And you won't find parts overseas, either.
microcars @ Aug 6th 2007 2:33PM
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 @ Aug 6th 2007 2:24PM
Isn't this the kind of car that Luigi was in the movie Cars?
Peter L @ Aug 6th 2007 8:39PM
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.
Revhed @ Aug 6th 2007 9:39PM
Here is the TV commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk6pO7eLeiM
Tranquillizer @ Aug 7th 2007 10:28AM
here is the aussie tv add mentioned in the post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk6pO7eLeiM
carl @ Aug 7th 2007 9:36PM
Hi?Everyome. What happen to Goggomobile on ebay?? Anyone have the item number?? Please post it. Thanks