No lions or tigers joined the circus parade on Sheridan Road on a sunny Sunday. But the clown cars were out in force.
Owners of microcars and other odd vehicles toured the drive last month from Evanston to Highland Park and back, ending at Wilmette’s Plaza del Lago for lunch and a chance to show off their pint-size machines.
There were several BMW Isettas, entered by a single front door and looking like three-wheelers until you notice the two little wheels close together in back.
A number of owners brought French-built Citroen 2CV’s, their soft tops rolled back to let in the breeze.
Gregory Grden of Morton Grove drove his Polish Mikrus MR-300, which he says is the only one in the Western Hemisphere.
And several people had cars that, while not true microcars, attracted attention-a British Mini Moke, a German Amphicar, even two German Smarts.
Microcars were made in Europe, Japan and elsewhere around the globe as cheap transportation. Their engines were tiny gas-sippers, mostly displacing 700 cc or less, and the cars were usually pretty small, too, though often ingenious in their use of space.
Larry and Marybeth Claypool of Frankfort, self-confessed collectors of weird cars, easily fit themselves and their two kids in their Fiat Multipla 600, a toaster on wheels that seats six despite its size.
Jerry Zabin of Skokie, a member of the Microcar & Minicar Club, owns two Isettas, both red, and loves the attention they draw.
In June, he and Jim Janecek of Evanston, another Isetta owner and club member, decided to invite some friends for a drive up Sheridan Road, one of their favorite routes.
“It wasn’t an official club event,” he said. “We just wanted owners to bring their cars out and drive them.”
They invited about 90 owners, allowing some to bring whatever they had running at the moment. Nearly 20 showed up.
“I was planning to bring my Isetta,” said Jim Lichter of Park Ridge.
He had just restored the 1959 BMW, but hadn’t been able to test it on the road, so he drove his beautiful 1964 Amphicar, one of an estimated 100 in the world that still runs and floats.
“I didn’t want to be the guy who breaks down,” he said.
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For more information on microcars, check out the Microcar & Minicar Club Web site at www.microcamicrocar.org.
