Inter Autoscooter
The Inter Autoscooter is a French three-wheeled microcar that first appeared at the 1953 Paris Salon. Some say it was produced to compete with the Messerschmitt KR175 which also appeared that year. This is not surprising as both cars were built by aircraft companies and shared a similar cockpit and tandem seating layout. The Inter was produced by SNCAN in their aircraft factory at Villeurbanne in the region of Lyon; Just over 300 units were built between 1954 and 1956. Early advertising literature reveals that two models were offered, one with a cockpit cover that hinged open from the side and named the Berline, the other an open bodied version called the Torpedo. Both cars were powered by a small Ydral 175cc two-stroke engine driving the single rear wheel. The Inter had some unusual features not least being its ability to fold together its two front half axles so as to facilitate easy storage, however this feature only appears on the first few cars made as it proved to be impractical and was soon discontinued. The Inter also featured a device called a gyrostarter, this was in effect a kind of electric kick start made by the American electromechanical giant WestinghouseThe device consists of a built in electric 6 volt motor with a clutched flywheel, the momentum of the rotating flywheel is transferred to the engine by means of its clutch once it has built up sufficient speed, it sounds much like a helicopter preparing for take off! The device switches to being a generator once the engine is running. Approximately 38 vehicles survive in the hands of museums and collectors, of which only a few are still in running condition.
