Hoffmann (automobile)
| 1951 Hoffmann | |
|---|---|
 1951 Hoffmann | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Hoffmann |
| Production | September 1951 |
| Model years | 1951 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Indeterminate |
| Body style | 2-door |
| Layout | Engine mounted on rear wheel which steers |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Air-cooled 200 cc (12 cu in) ILO single-cylinder 2-stroke 4.8 kW (6.5 hp) |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual |
The 1951 Hoffmann is a three-wheeled car created by Michael Hoffmann, a shop foreman from Munich.[1] It is considered by some[2] to be the worst car ever made, owing to its pervasively bizarre design decisions that make the vehicle uncomfortable and cumbersome to operate.
Only one Hoffmann was ever made; it is currently part of the collection at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Design
The car is notable for its plethora of unconventional and often user-hostile design elements.[3] These include:
- Windows that are raised or lowered with a strap that the user pulls, and held in place with eyelets and pegs
- Suicide doors and a driving position that make ingress and egress extremely difficult
- A starter awkwardly placed by the driver's right hip
- A fuel filler tube which goes from the roof, directly through the cabin of the car
- Front wheels that are farther apart than the length of the wheelbase
- A linear rather than H-shaped shift pattern with a neutral between each gear
- The rear wheel is placed immediately behind the driver, with a large portion of the car behind it
- Rear-wheel steering
- The combination of the previous two features mean that the car has an extremely high tendency to slew.
- An engine located on the same pivot as the rear wheel steering mechanism, so that the engine moves with the wheel when the car is steered
- Rearview mirrors positioned so that they are perfectly blocked by the A-pillar
- Two-stroke engine, which requires engine oil to be continuously mixed into the fuel supply
- Single-cylinder engine, which causes greater vibration than multi-cylinder engines
- Rear-mounted engine that is dependent on air cooling, but the lack of a fan causes overheating when idling