In the arcane world of British microcars, David Gottlieb is a near-mythical figure. The designer of three of the most infamous of these Suez crisis-era fuel-misers-the Allard Clipper, Powerdrive, and the Coronet the whiff of failure surrounding them is also the aroma of his mystique.
Powerdrive 1956
- YEAR REVEALED 1956
- PLACE OF ORIGIN London, UK
- HISTORICAL STATUS production car
- ENGINE two-cylinder, 20ci (322cc)
- MAXIMUM POWER 15bhp
- LAYOUT rear-mounted engine driving the rear wheel
- BODYWORK two-door, two-seater roadster
- TOP SPEED 60mph (97kph)
- NUMBER BUILT unknown
In 1953, Gottlieb’s Powerdrive company sold the concept of a three-wheeled economy car with rear-mounted, single-cylinder engine and egg-shaped fiberglass body to London sports car manufacturer Sydney Allard. The car had serious design flaws, especially overheating, and Allard bailed out in June 1955 after making just 22.
Yet, an undaunted Gottlieb launched his own Powerdrive car just a month later, this time backed by London garage chain Blue Star. It was a small, aluminum-bodied sports car with three-abreast seating and attractive lines. It had two wheels at the front with a single, rear wheel cleverly concealed by the supposed “big car” styling. Gottlieb thought buyers wanted a stylish car that hid its austerity because, weighing under 0.4 tons, it attracted motorcycle tax rates.
The tubular chassis had a two-stroke British Anzani motorbike engine forward of the rear wheel, with a three-speed-and-reverse Albion gearbox, and Austin A30 steering and front suspension. Talk of selling five a week, however, proved hopelessly optimistic. At £412, a “real” car such as the Ford Popular cost just £1 more. But two years later, Gottlieb recreated the car as the Coronet-which proved his motor industry swansong.