Piccolo 1904-1912 - Small and air-cooled
Summary
There were around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of them have disappeared. The Piccolo from the German engineering company Arthur Ruppe & Sohn can also be counted among them. It was small and successful. After a few more models, the Ruppe AG company concentrated more on the new Apollo brand, so that the Piccolo was somewhat lost.
Estimated reading time: 3min
Preview (beginning of the article)
One might argue about which brand name to give a small or subcompact car: a name that symbolizes cuteness, or a name that marks high standards in a slightly self-deprecating way. "I drive Smart!" certainly sounds better than "I drive Sparrow!" And "I drive Rapid" might seem a little ambitious, but less funny than "Goggomobil" ... The fact that the engineering company Arthur Ruppe & Sohn in Apolda, Thuringia, chose the name Piccolo for its first automobile, launched in 1904, was a wise choice: a Piccolo was not just small, but also the hard-working, uniformed young errand boy in the Grand Hotel and therefore a popular figure.
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