What do you do when you have a 22 foot long
garage that houses a 10' 3" long car? Obviously, you buy another
car. "Elmo"as named by the previous owner is just what the
doctor ordered.
The first few pictures shows the condition of
this car when we took delivery. It was in OK condition but
really needed some TLC
This car spent October 2016 through April 2017
at the AACA
Museum in Hershey, PA as part of the Amore della Stradaexhibit.
This is a tiny car! It is 11" shorter
than our Honda 600 Coupe.
The well appointed dashboard allows you to
control all the automobiles functions...both lights and windshield
wipers!
Suicide doors on a micro car... it doesn't get any better than
this!
The chrome on this little dude was in sad shape. The bumpers were
painted silver and the trim hadn't been polished in decades.
about 20 hours of sweatequity and 3 tubes of Simichrome
brought it back.
The convertible top is not automatic, however it can easily be
rolled up in less than 45 minutes!
A 393 cc, 2 cylinder, 2 stroke engine, delivers 14 hp through a 3
speed manual transmission and 10 inch tires.
This engine had trouble idling and would stall at every stop.
First, the wrong fuel filter had a cardboard element that
disintegrated with the gas and oil mixture. We replaced it with a
all metal,Mr. Gasket filter and gave the carba complete rebuild
and cleaning. The idle was better but not consistent, so an
in-line fuel pump helped to insure a steady fuel flow.
After consulting with Larry Newberry, North America's microcar
guru, we discovered the wrong pressure plate had been installed so
when the clutch was depressed the release bearing housing would
rub and drag down the engine to a stop. Replacing the pressure
plate,and release bearing, which is nothing more than a graphite
ring, helped Elmo drive a little better, but he still wouldn't
idle.
I salvaged another carburetor from a seized engine which came with the car, The carb
needed a little work. It was over tightened so I had to flatten
the flange. I used a piece of glass with an adhesive backed
sanding disc to slowly sand the flange flat, increasing the grit
until I finished with 400 grit paper. It came out great!
Sometimes the old school is the best school!😎
Once the new carb was installed the difference was like night
and day! Now the only problem was the electric fuel pump was
overwhelming the needle and seat in the float bowl. Returning to
an Isaac Newton style fuel pump made Elmo and me very happy.
This little guy was difficult to start until I found the original
starting instructions online...
This car has less than 11,000 miles! It was driven for a couple of
years, then put away in a Colorado garage some
time in 1965. In 1996 Bill rescued the car, brought it to
Pennsylvania and cleaned it up to its current condition, after 21
years he decided to sell Elmo, We were fortunate to buy it.
I scored this license plate for those following who
can't understand why we are accelerating so slowly.
"0 to 60 In Never" was not available..
The bumper sticker should also help.
The hubcaps had taken quite a beating over the years, so I took
them to the local body shop and
they pounded them out over a sand bag at the cost of a dozen
brownies.
I worked them with Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish making them
look better than new.
The front panel and decklid had a lot of dings, so we took them to
Elwood Body Works and had them straighten and repainted. This job
they did not do for a dozen brownies.
It was a Vespa 400 that starred in the 2010 movie When in
Rome.
There are a few technical problems...
1. He starts the Vespa by turning the key. The Vespa is started by
a lever between the seats,
2. The engine sound is obviously a 4 stroke... the Vespa sounds
more like a chain saw.
3. He puts the Vespa in gear by moving the gear lever forward...
that is reverse.
I have only seen two other Vespa 400s, one
at an auction and "No Big Thing" we would see on SUNDAY AT BEAUTIFUL U.S. 30 DRAG STRIP... DRAG
RACING CAPITOL OF CHICAGOLAND, LAND, LAND,
LAND
Watch for the guy in the cowboy hat behind the car... my 15
seconds of fame.
I think my love of microcars began with my sister's 1960 Fiat 600.
It was just a $100 beater which had been painted, and not very
well, royal blue with a barn brush. One day I had borrowed this
strange little car to go to Kmart. When I came out, there were 4
or 5 pretty young girls around the car saying how cute it was and
asked me for a ride. At this time I was 5'8", a very skinny 110
lbs. With bright red curly hair and a major acne complex. I had a
hard time getting girls to smile at me and here they were asking
me for a ride.😎
Vespa 400 Specifications Manufacturer ACMA Production 1957–1961 Assembly Fourchambault, France Approx. 31,000 units were produced.
Less than 1,800 were imported to the United States.
Body and chassis Class Microcar Chassis Monocoque Body style 2-door cabrio coach Layout Rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive Powertrain Engine 393cc (24.0 cu in) two-stroke, two cylinder, 14 hp. Transmission 3-speed manual Dimensions Wheelbase 1,693 mm (66.7 in) Length 2,850 mm (112.2 in) Width 1,270 mm (50.0 in) Height 1,270 mm (50 in) Curb weight 375 kg (827 lb) Performance Top Speed 88 km/h (55 mph) Fuel Economy 4.28 L/100 km (55 MPG)