Post World War II was an incredible time for America.  If you had an idea, and the courage to share it with the world, then chances are you could put that dream into production.  Even if the concept came up a bit short.  With a little legwork, dedicated reader Darrun has discovered for us a neat little microcar with a decidedly insensitive name.  This 1966 King Midget, for sale on eBay, is waiting for a buyer in Clinton Township, Michigan.  While the name brings to mind a derogatory term for individuals who John Ritter reminded us like to be called “little people,” the car itself is a pretty interesting attempt to do less with less.  Hopefully someone out there will have $2,599 laying around so they can ride to and from work at the Lollipop Guild in style .

The King Midget story is well documented on the website of the Official International King Midget Car Club.  Unfortunately, I could not find any apologies for the cultural insensitivities of the car’s name or of their continued use of it.  In short, a couple of members of the Civil Air Patrol befriended each other and hatched a plan for a very abbreviated automobile.  Their sales strategy was not lacking in ingenuity.  The duo took out tiny ads in magazines to tout their diminutive car.  With slogans like “Small Ad Small Car” and “500 lb. Car For $500,” the company managed to make modest yearly sales.  A lack of proper record keeping prevents us from knowing how many of these thigh high vehicles were built.  Most estimates conclude that a smidgen more than 5,000 were produced.

Three different versions of these Lilliputian cars were built.  The first version was a single seater, and the second variation seated two.  Thankfully, it was a bit more mainstream.  The third model debuted in 1957 with little fanfare, but it was a big improvement over previous itinerations.  Built using unit body construction, these bantam weight motorcars benefitted from the frame and other permanently attached parts being welded together for additional strength.  With crash tests a few years into the future, buyers needed all the help they could get.  These cars were later updated in 1966 with a rocketlike 12 horsepower Kohler engine and a 12 volt electrical system.  This was the high water mark for these teensy tourers.  Ownership of the company changed hands many times thereafter, and these babies were out of production by 1969 after a series of calamities.  Little could be done to bring the company back.

The King Midget you see here is one of the updated 1966 models.  The option list was undersized to say the least.  While a windshield wiper was one choice, I am pretty sure leopard print seat covers weren’t on that short list.  Neither was lime green paint.  Perhaps the white that is seen underneath the flaking green is the original color.  Whoever owned this car previously must have liked attention.  Riding down the road in a King Midget should have garnered enough looks, but adding the combination of lime green paint and African animal inspired upholstery must have been a teensy bit too much.

Stooping down to peer underneath the rear deck we stumble upon the previously mentioned single cylinder Kohler 12 horsepower powerplant.  While an improvement from previous years, common sense would lead you to believe that these cars were still short on horsepower.  The good news is that you can still get this engine serviced at your local lawnmower shop.  Perhaps they can even help you get a leg up on traffic by transplanting a 22 horsepower Honda twin cylinder engine.  Maybe even install a mower deck to help clip your grass down to size.

Looking underneath at the chassis, it is obvious that whoever stored this car outside didn’t do it any favors.  We have seen worse on other cars, and everything shown can probably be refreshed.  Even though they were very small cars, King Midgets seem to have been built very well.  No short changing the customer when it came to construction.  My guess is that a little work would go a long way towards remedying the car’s shortcomings, and it would only take a little time before you were back terrorizing the yellow brick roads.

Just don’t tell anyone the make and model of the car.  Bringing up the fact that you own a King Midget might make short work of your social life nowadays.