5k: Moped Maniac: 1978 Acoma Super Comtesse Minicar
The Mini Comtesse Super Coupe was a microcar launched in 1978 by a small French company named Acoma. It was one of those LSD induced 1970s visions of the future, where the future was as much about style as it was about being totally uncomfortable and miserable. It was as if the futurists from the day were yearning for a North Korea lifestyle they had not yet experienced. Find this 1978 Super Comtesse Minicar here on craigslist, offered for $4,500. Tip from dascpcu.
The Super Comtesse was the 4-wheeled successor to the earlier Comtesse 3-wheeler, which was probably banned for being a terrible idea. This particular Microcar is being offered from the “collection” of an 83 year old dude (seen in photo above) and just needs some sorting before it’ll be back on the road.
Little information exists on the interwebs about the Comtesse Super, except that it is powered by a 47cc moped engine that will get a single occupant to a top speed of 24 mph. If your baseline is a motorized rickshaw (Tuk-Tuk) in the third world, this will be a refined machine…but otherwise the only use is to start your own microcar museum.
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Oh gawd, this must have been the beginning of the dreaded "voitures sans permis" (cars without licenses) in France.
Basically, you are allowed to operate these 50cc rolling death-traps in a village, town or city, without going to the trouble of getting one of those pesky driver's licenses. In fact, you can even drive one of these things if your regular license has been suspended.
If it sounds like a recipe for mayhem, it surely is. When I am driving over there, I give these things a VERY wide berth. And remember that I usually am driving a Citroen 2CV!
Despite what the ad says, there is no relation to the SmartCar. Personally, I would not give you $4.50 for this thing, never mind $4500.
Well, it DOES have more character than a Smart, though I don't think it'll do 130kph on the autoroute as the Smart will (have never driven one, have never seen one driven at that speed over here, but I've passed them at that speed over there…)
It has a stunning resemblance to the Vanguard CitiCar, which was not much more than a few slabs of ABS plastic wrapped around a beefed up electric golf cart IIRC.
Are you sure they didn't just take the cab off a Caltrans grader and put wheels on it?
Ah wash mahself with a rag on a big stick
Looks like a wedge of Wisconsin cheddar.