Puzzle #183 - Solved! Szabadi Festival

Otto Puzzell · January 17, 2007, 03:55:39 AM

Know what it is?

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

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Thanks!

MG · January 17, 2007, 06:05:00 AM

Looks like a '53 Mercury that got Matinized. The people should get their money back!

Otto Puzzell · January 17, 2007, 08:25:14 AM

Yes, it kind of does.

Rich · January 17, 2007, 10:16:38 PM

Gotta be an Amphicar...

Otto Puzzell · January 18, 2007, 04:30:57 AM

I can't say if it's sea-worthy, but it's not an Amphicar.

hugo90 · 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.

Otto Puzzell · January 22, 2007, 05:00:19 AM

No.

porridgehead · February 06, 2007, 01:01:35 PM

Szabadi Microcar from Checkoslovakia

MG · February 06, 2007, 02:30:30 PM

Hmmmm....gotta Czech into that.

porridgehead · February 06, 2007, 05:31:06 PM

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!

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

Otto Puzzell · 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.

Ultra · February 07, 2007, 04:00:06 AM

Quote from: porridgehead on February 06, 2007, 05:31:06 PM

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!

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

MG · 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!

Arthur Dent · 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.

Otto Puzzell · 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.

otis89 · February 18, 2007, 04:46:26 PM

Szabadi Festival?

<<< Link Removed >>>

porridgehead · 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?

Otto Puzzell · 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!

Otto Puzzell · 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?

Interestingly, P-head had correctly identified this car elsewhere, 6 years before AutoPuzzles was born.

pnegyesi · 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

pnegyesi · 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

Otto Puzzell · 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?

pnegyesi · 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!

Arunas · 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

pnegyesi · November 14, 2010, 05:50:26 AM

Some more pictures

News:

Puzzle #183 - Solved! Szabadi Festival