We’ve seen a current trend in the collector car market that has kind of surprises us, the rise of micro cars. Micro cars use to only been seen in museum collections, but popularity for these little classics has been growing rapidly and they can now be found in private collections and garages all over. This rare 1959 Taylor-Dunn Trident electric micro car, located in San Diego, is up for auction on eBay with a current bid of $1,775 and a BIN of $7,000.

The Taylor-Dunn company began manufacturing small electric vehicles in the late ’40s that were built to be used around the farm. By the late ’50s the company had found considerable success with these small transport vehicles, so the company decided to enter the car business. The Trident was the product of that decision, but only a few thousand were ever built.

Tridents are rarely seen outside of Museums, especially ones in good condition. This car isn’t perfect, but it’s solid and shouldn’t require much to get it looking like new. The original 24 volt electric motor is still in the car, but it needs at least a new chain. The seller says the motor turns, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the motor is fried. Many of these cars had their 24 volt systems swapped for more reliable and affordable 36 volt systems.

We think this little Trident would make a fun and easy project, but the seller might be asking a bit much for this car. Hopefully their reserve is set much lower than their BIN price. We would like to take this out for a cruze around our local Country Club; we guarantee it would receive some interesting looks.