Quirky Survivor: 1958 Goggomobil TS400
When we saw this little car, it left us scratching our heads. We’ve seen a lot of ’50s and ’60s micro cars, but we’ve never seen one like this 1958 Goggomobil TS400 Coupe. After doing some research we are actually kind of surprised we haven’t seen more of these German built Goggomobiles. This one can be found on eBay with a current bid of $4,500.
The German manufacture Glas and then later BMW manufactured almost 70k Goggomobile TS coupes in a 14 year period, but the Goggomobile was never a big seller in the USA, so few made it our way. It’s believed that only a few thousand still exist globally, making the TS400 one of the more valuable classic micro cars.
Saying the Goggomobile is quirky would be an understatement. With suicide doors, rear mount motor, pre-select transmission, and German styling this isn’t your typical micro car. This car is powered by a 2-clyinder 400 cc two stroke engine that produces about 20 hp, which isn’t too bad for a car that weighs less than a thousand pounds. We would like to try out the four on the column electric pre-select transmission.
This car is in original condition and is in good shape, but it should be. This car was in the Sarasota, FL car museum for almost 30 years and only has 457 miles on it! It does have some problem areas though. The front seats are rough, the driver’s side door has a good sized dent in it, the front bonnet has several dents, and the paint is about worn off in several spots. Overall this car is in really good shape and from what we’ve learned about these cars it sounds like they are a blast to drive, well at least for a micro car…
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Comments
Do you think Shaq would be able to drive it?
I've never heard of this car but thanks for posting it. I like it.
I especially like the miniature chromed '55 Chevy tail lights!
I had a boss about 10 years ago who talked of buying TWO of these brand new at the same time! One was for him and the other for his wife. He lived back east. Drove them for a while, then upgraded for a new VW Bug. He admitted they were small, but always spoke kindly of them! First time I have actually seen a picture…thanks! Love the site!
The Goggomobils manufactured in Dingolfing, Germany by Hans Glas GmbH (yes, that Glas, which was later acquired by BMW), were exceptional microcars with a very high build quality. They were strong, durable, and reliable, and racked up plenty of miles climbing up and down the Alps and other mountains of Germany.
Stone cold simple two stroke, two cylinder, engines of 250, 300 or 400CC displacement. This model had the “Big Block” 400CC engine which was only available in the cars exported to the states. These US export cars also had the larger 8 inch headlights required by DOT (as opposed to the 5 inch German market cars), which gave the US cars a more “bug eye” appearance that looked like a caricature of a real car.
The US cars also had the complex electric pre-select shifter mechanism and an elaborate oil injection system which was not available in the home market. This was necessitated by frequent early engine seizures caused by American dealers and owners who, unfamiliar with two stroke engine designs, neglected to mix oil into the fuel to properly lubricate the two stroke engines.
I believe that this car was owned by an automotive literature dealer in New Jersey, who purchased it from the Sarasota Auto Museum at auction several years ago.
We have a number of Goggomobils in the collection, including several of these TS250/300/400 Sport models, as well as the conventional T250/300/400 “Limousine” (German word for “sedan”) models, and even two of the TL300 Transporter vans that were used by the German Poste for mail delivery. We also have a few of the Goggomobil Buckle Darts made in Australia by Bill Buckle using the Goggomobil platform with a “Barbie Corvette” style glasfibre roadster body.
These are extremely well built and reliable microcars which are an absolute blast to drive.
Chas
It’s interesting, but judging from the pictures, it’s eat up with rust. It may be surface rust but there’s a lot of it in the wheel surrounds and rocker panels.