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AutoPuzzles Today => Features, Stories and Photos => Rare Car of the Week => Topic started by: Otto Puzzell on January 17, 2007, 03:55:39 AM

Title: Puzzle #183 - Solved! Szabadi Festival
Post by: Otto Puzzell on January 17, 2007, 03:55:39 AM
(http://www.autopuzzles.com/RP000083.jpg)

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Please, respond below and let us know the make and model designation of the car posted here.


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Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: MG on January 17, 2007, 06:05:00 AM
Looks like a '53 Mercury that got Matinized.  The people should get their money back!    :-[
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Otto Puzzell on January 17, 2007, 08:25:14 AM
Yes, it kind of does.
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Rich on January 17, 2007, 10:16:38 PM
Gotta be an Amphicar...
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Otto Puzzell on January 18, 2007, 04:30:57 AM
I can't say if it's sea-worthy, but it's not an Amphicar.
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: hugo90 on January 21, 2007, 09:32:14 PM
The wheels and the whopping scoop speak Zaporozhets to me.  Perhaps the only Ukrainian sports car prototype ever.
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Otto Puzzell on January 22, 2007, 05:00:19 AM
No.
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: porridgehead on February 06, 2007, 01:01:35 PM
Szabadi Microcar from Checkoslovakia
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: MG on February 06, 2007, 02:30:30 PM
Hmmmm....gotta Czech into that.    :P
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: porridgehead on February 06, 2007, 05:31:06 PM
 :lmao:

Did I really type it that way? Holy Shnizzle! I freakin' did! How utterly... um... what's the word I'm looking for? Utterly... it was right on the tip of my toungue. Umm...

Oh, I've got it!

How utterly American!

:faint:

(My apologies to everybody in the entire world, living or dead. That was truly pathetic.)
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Otto Puzzell on February 07, 2007, 03:48:50 AM
So far, you have identified the maker of this car, insulted the (incorrect) country of origin, and have not provided the model designation.
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Ultra on February 07, 2007, 04:00:06 AM
Quote from: porridgehead on February 06, 2007, 05:31:06 PM
:lmao:

Did I really type it that way? Holy Shnizzle! I freakin' did! How utterly... um... what's the word I'm looking for? Utterly... it was right on the tip of my toungue. Umm...

Oh, I've got it!

How utterly American!

:faint:

(My apologies to everybody in the entire world, living or dead. That was truly pathetic.)

:lmao:
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: MG on February 07, 2007, 06:33:16 AM
There is an old joke about the Czech being in the male.  I'll regale you with it next time we get together for beer and brats!    :yeah:
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Arthur Dent on February 07, 2007, 11:08:48 AM
Its from Hungary ... made in 1960. Everywhere I've seen it refered to as 1960 Szabadi Microcar. Complicating searching is Szabadi seems to be reasonably common last name.
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Otto Puzzell on February 07, 2007, 01:03:21 PM
Hungarian it is!

Yes, the name is quite common and a seemingly well-know composer shares his last name with the fellow who built this (one-off) car. The first name of the builder and the composer are different, and the model designation of the car is one seemingly incongruent with the time and place of its construction.
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: otis89 on February 18, 2007, 04:46:26 PM
Szabadi Festival?

<<< Link Removed >>>
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: porridgehead on February 18, 2007, 05:59:19 PM
Sweet suffering Jeeps! Pig's blood, chicken feathers and nitro shellac? Brings a whole new spin on 'body rot', doesn't it?

:yuck:
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Otto Puzzell on February 19, 2007, 04:25:46 AM
Quote from: otis89 on February 18, 2007, 04:46:26 PM
Szabadi Festival?

<<< Link Removed >>>

Nicely done, Otis!
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Otto Puzzell on February 09, 2010, 05:39:59 AM
Quote from: porridgehead on February 18, 2007, 05:59:19 PM
Sweet suffering Jeeps! Pig's blood, chicken feathers and nitro shellac? Brings a whole new spin on 'body rot', doesn't it?

:yuck:

Interestingly, P-head had correctly identified this car elsewhere, 6 years before AutoPuzzles was born.
Title: Re: Puzzle #183 - Solved! Szabadi Festival
Post by: pnegyesi on February 09, 2010, 08:45:53 AM
I have written an article on this car in 1998 and bits of it have been circulating on the web since then
Title: Re: Puzzle #183 - Solved! Szabadi Festival
Post by: pnegyesi on September 23, 2010, 12:23:20 PM
Festival was the work of Kálmán Szabadi, an artist who built this one-off in 1960. It had a nice, futuristic shape with gullwing doors and fintails! The 3.15-meter (10') long and 1.15-meter (45") tall car was powered by a 300-cc BMW Isetta engine, but its most interesting feature was its lightweight body. Glass-reinforced plastic was not available, so Szabadi, together with his technical guru Dezső Olly, came up with a novel idea: a resin made out of pig's blood, chicken feathers and nitro shellac! It had quite a smell, but it worked - thought I'd copy it here as this is the current Rare Car of the Week
Title: Re: Puzzle #183
Post by: Otto Puzzell on September 23, 2010, 02:44:48 PM
Quote from: porridgehead on February 18, 2007, 05:59:19 PM
Sweet suffering Jeeps! Pig's blood, chicken feathers and nitro shellac? Brings a whole new spin on 'body rot', doesn't it?

:yuck:
Title: Re: Puzzle #183 - Solved! Szabadi Festival
Post by: pnegyesi on October 24, 2010, 03:25:39 AM
Kálmán Szabadi is still with us. The Economist is going to feature an article on Hungarian microcars so I called him and he still recalls the times he spent with the car.
Later on he went on to design water taxis, ships etc.

Watch out for the Christmas edition of The Economist!
Title: Re: Puzzle #183 - Solved! Szabadi Festival
Post by: Arunas on October 24, 2010, 04:13:30 AM
Quote from: pnegyesi on October 24, 2010, 03:25:39 AM
Kálmán Szabadi is still with us. The Economist is going to feature an article on Hungarian microcars so I called him and he still recalls the times he spent with the car.
Later on he went on to design water taxis, ships etc.

Watch out for the Christmas edition of The Economist!

Wow! I must have that issue! Thanks for information :)
Title: Re: Puzzle #183 - Solved! Szabadi Festival
Post by: pnegyesi on November 14, 2010, 05:50:26 AM
Some more pictures
Title: Re: Puzzle #183 - Solved! Szabadi Festival
Post by: pnegyesi on December 12, 2010, 07:58:04 AM
Kálmán Szabadi died just days after I spoke to him, on 13 November.

The Economist article will be out next Friday on 18 December
Title: Re: Puzzle #183 - Solved! Szabadi Festival
Post by: Ultra on December 12, 2010, 10:48:28 PM
Quote from: pnegyesi on December 12, 2010, 07:58:04 AM
Kálmán Szabadi died just days after I spoke to him, on 13 November.

The Economist article will be out next Friday on 18 December

Perhaps we should make this the rare car of the week and mention it on the front page.  Could help us get some hits off of google searches and such.