Welcome to The Inside Lane, where we give you a quick rundown of some of the more notable pieces of Lane Motor Museum's collection.
On this episode, we show you one of our more unique microcars, the French SEAB Flipper. In 1970s France, many manufacturers began offering low-cost microcars under a new category - "cars without licenses." Engine size was limited to 49cc, giving potential drivers only minimal formal training before being let loose on the roads.
Plastics manufacturer SAEB, best known for producing the bodies of Citorën's Mahari, introduced the Flipper in 1978. The name Flipper is both a nod to the American TV show that featured a dolphin, and its unusual way of going backward. The entire front axle rotates around a central pivot; the engine turns with the axle! All of the wiring and plumbing is fed through a sleeve, to keep binding to a minimum.
To go in reverse, simply turn the steering wheel all the way around five times, and hit the gas. If you turn the steering wheel one direction, you have to turn it back the opposite way, or else the fuel lines can get kinked up and rupture. It's unclear why this configuration was used, but it gives the Flipper a very tight turning radius. It can almost do perfect 360s in its own footprint.
Lane Motor Museum is one of the few museums in the U.S. to specialize in European cars. The Museum also showcases specialized cars, historically significant cars, and prototypes and home-built one-offs. It is a working museum with the goal of maintaining all vehicles in running order. Some cars are in showroom condition, while others represent typical aging. Efforts are made to restore each vehicle to near-original specifications.
The Museum has been developed in a well-known Nashville landmark, the former Sunbeam Bakery on Murfreesboro Pike. Home to the bread company beginning in 1951, the 132,000 square-foot facility was the largest and most modern bakery in the area at the time of its opening. The bakery building, outfitted for the museum’s needs but left with many of its original characteristics, has a high ceiling, natural light, and hand-crafted brick and maple wood flooring. The architectural style complements the age of the cars represented. The main floor has approximately 40,000 square feet of open space, ideal for displaying about 150 of the museum’s total 560-vehicle collection.
To purchase your copy of "a hobby gone wild," be sure to visit our online bookstore: www.lanemotorm....
Special thanks to our volunteer videographer Corey Gibb with LifeLike Imageworks: lifelikeimagew...
6 сен 2024
